Ridley College student exploring Canadian Arctic
For Jack Hilditch, August will be quite chillier than it will be for most of us.
On Tuesday, the 16-year-old Ridley College student set off to join more than 120 other high school students for a two-week expedition to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland as part of the Students on Ice program.
Their journey will begin in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, and take them exploring communities, coasts and fjords (deep, narrow and elongated sea or lake drains with steep land on three sides) of Canada’s Eastern Arctic before crossing the Davis Strait to western Greenland.
The expedition will involve encounters with Arctic wildlife, including whales and polar bears; Zodiac cruises near icebergs and ice floes; visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites, Canadian National Parks and other northern communities; paddling traditional Inuit qajaqs (kayaks); and handson land and ocean-based research and learning, said a release from the Students on Ice Foundation.
Hilditch says he’s thrilled about having the opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He says for him, the most nerve wracking part is meeting all the other students.
“There are people from all over the world.”
Some of the other students will be from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Greenland, Micronesia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, Monaco, India and Malaysia.
He says he’s a not entirely nervous about the actual environment they’ll be facing during the trip.
Hilditch is the only student from Ridley attending.
His parents aren’t nervous for him. He says they’re extremely supportive — his father being the one to suggest applying after they walked past a Kids on Ice booth during a trip to Hawaii.
And this isn’t the first time Hilditch has gone away for a research-related trip.
He went on a trip to South Africa during March break.
One difference about the Arctic trip is that he won’t have any cellular phone service.
Hilditch says the only way to stay in touch during the excursion will be through blogging on computers owned by Students on Ice organizers.
The Students on Ice program is meant to give participants an opportunity to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the Arctic through hands-on learning in science, history, culture, arts, policy and governance, as well as exploring key educational themes such as diversity, inclusion, truth, reconciliation and the environment, said a release.
“To explore the Arctic with youth and experts from around the world helps allow for passionate, globally-minded and solution-driven conversations and initiatives to flourish,” says expedition leader Geoff Green in the release.
“This expedition will be the beginning of a lifelong journey and a very important step for youth to gain the inspiration, education and motivation needed to become leaders in their communities and around the world.”
A pre-expedition program to assist the participating northern students in becoming confident ambassadors for Canada took place Sunday and Monday at Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa.
Nearly 40 per cent of students participating are Indigenous youth from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland.
About 80 per cent of students are fully funded by various partners of Students on Ice.
You can follow the expedition on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the journey.