Youth Leadership Program

Arctic Watch Youth Leadership Program

Program : Arctic Watch 2009 Youth Leadership Week
Participants : Young adults 14 – 18 years old
Dates : August 6 to August 20, 2010
Cost : $9,950 from Yellowknife, NT, Canada

After more than 20 years of organizing arctic trips and polar expeditions, and 10 years of operating a wilderness eco-lodge on Somerset Island Nunavut, the Arctic Watch team, composed of Richard Weber, Josée Auclair, their two sons Tessum and Nansen, and a select group of experienced guides will organize the first “Young Leaders” arctic program this summer.

The Arctic under the midnight sun has an inhospitable and fragile environment filled with natural treasures and rich in history of indigenous people and European explorers. This land changes people. Season after season, young adults come back from their arctic trips changed, more confident, often having discovered passions and having fixed personal objectives and future challenges. 

The Weber-Auclair are legends in the world of modern explorers.  Following the experience of meeting and living with the Arctic Watch team in this exceptional environment, young adults develop unique attitudes and life-experiences that help them forge their personal pride and their desire to be the best they can.  Their transformation is recognizable when they return south and transfers positively into their environment. Young adults need to have a direction to their lives and to feel that they contribute positively to society.  This is the goal of this program.

This course will not only include backpacking, kayaking, exploring, service, and guiding but also a leadership curriculum designed to challenge the team and strengthen individuals. The program leader will be a professional in the field of youth outdoor education.

The 14-day stay, in the base camp and in the field, is designed to get the most and the best in each participant, to allow them to get to know themselves better and to grow in an environment where everything demands expertise, reflection, and the courage to push their own limits.

Youth Leadership Program Itinerary

Arctic Watch Lodge, Nunavut
August 6 to 20, 2010

Course Overview

Based at Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge on Somerset Island, the Arctic Watch Youth Leadership program is designed for young adults or teenagers ages 16 to 19 years. This fourteen-day program includes nine days of arctic travel. Concepts of leadership, self esteem development, responsibility and teamwork will be integrated with a step-by-step process to allow participants to apply the concepts

The first three days will be spent at base camp to give our young leaders the specific technical training and preparation they will need in the field. Nine days and seven nights will be spend out of Arctic Watch, at full autonomy in small groups.

The land, the wildlife, weather conditions and the remoteness of Arctic Watch Lodge on Somerset Island is the perfect environment to take our young leaders out of their comfort zone.  The course will tax their personal resources and stretch their skills; they will emerge physically and mentally stronger, with increased mastery of expedition skills. They will also gain an appreciation of a unique and quickly changing environment – the High Arctic.

Each session will include specific and general goals on all concepts of leadership and achievement. Course leaders will deal with conflict resolution, leadership styles, decision-making skills and wilderness ethics.

Richard Weber and Josée Auclair run the program, both are world class arctic adventurers.  Richard and Josée have twenty years traveling the arctic. Richard has trekked to the North Pole more than anyone in history.

The course leader will be a professional in the field of youth outdoor education.

Itinerary

Aug 6
Morning departure from Yellowknife on a private chartered plane. Afternoon arrival on the Arctic Watch airstrip, transfer to lodge by foot and raft, introductions, meet program staff and dinner.

Aug 7 – Basic Skills
Youth Leaders spend as orientation day, learning how an eco-lodge functions, familiarizing themselves with necessary equipment for the week. The will learn to drive an ATV, paddle a sea kayak and hike near Arctic Watch. They will design and prepare the menu / food for the up coming treks. They will work in teams.

Aug 8 and 9 – Plan and Prepare First Trip
Youth leaders will continue with basic skills and preparation of food and equipment for the first trip.

Aug 10 – Travel in-land
The teams drive by Unimog to the Kayak Put-In about 13 kilometers from Arctic Watch, then continue and other 15 kilometers up river on foot. They camp on the banks of the Cunningham River. This region is prime musk ox grazing grounds. As well, falcons nest in the cliffs.

Aug 11 – Raft back to Arctic Watch
The Young Leaders will pump up their rafts, put them in the water and paddle back down the river to Arctic Watch. The Cunningham River goes through a deep canyon, the walls of which are up to one thousand feet high. The river is class I and class II.

Aug 12 – Debrief and preparation for Second Trip
Young Leaders are split into two groups. They prepare food and equipment for the next adventure.

Aug 13 – Depart for Second Trip 

• Group #1  Departs by sea kayak; sea kayaks go around Cunningham Inlet visit Flatrock Falls, a Dorset camp, a Thule house, (archeological sites). Kayaks  camp on Peninsula in Cunningham Inlet
• Group # 2  Departs by ATV; drives to Inukshuk lake enroute they look for muskox, snowy owls and foxes. ATV group camp on Inukshuk Lake.

Aug 14

• Group #1  Kayaks out of Cunningham Inlet, turns east along the coast of Somerset Island. Kayakers look for polar bear and visit ancient camp sites. The group camps on the shore.
• Group #2  Leaves their ATVs and start walking. They go overland to Irvine Bay. This place is a prime nesting spot for many birds. They can fish in the lake. They camp beside the lake.

Aug 15

• Group #1 Continues their kayak journey along coast of Somerset Island.
• Group #2 Hikes over  a big headland and down to the coast of Somerset Island
  The two groups meet and camp together.

Aug 16 – Groups switch modes of travel

• Group #1 Starts hiking to Irvine Bay and camps at the lake.
• Group #2  Embarks in the kayaks and starts paddling along the coast of Somerset Island

Aug 17

• Group #1 Hikes to Inukshuk Lake and camps.
• Group #2 Kayakers make it almost to Cunningham Inlet. They camp on the coast of the island.

Aug 18

• Group #1 Picks up the ATVs and heads back to Arctic Watch.
• Group #2  Kayakers paddle back to Arctic Watch
• Total route for each group is about 30 km of ATV, 25 km of hiking and 40 km of sea kayaking.

Aug 19 – Debriefing

• Group evaluation, self evaluation and setting personal goals
• Overnight Arctic Watch lodge

Aug 20 – Departure
Afternoon departure from the Arctic Watch airstrip by private charter aircraft and evening arrival in Yellowknife