Youth for Arctic Nature presentation at the Arctic Circle Assembly

On Saturday the 15th of October, the Youth for Arctic Nature project (YAN), which is developed in collaboration with the Icelandic Seal Center, was presented at the Arctic Circle Assembly at Harpa. This presentation described the efforts of the YAN project, based in Northwest Iceland, to create international connections between Arctic youth groups, scientists, and local communities through wildlife monitoring and nature-based educational activities.
Dr. Jessica Aquino, the project manager, presented an overview of the project, methods, and theoretical underpinnings. Dr. Sandra Granquist, head of seal research at the Icelandic Seal Center and lead scientist for YAN, focused on the scientific value of the project as community science. Deisi Maricato, MA Student, presented her work on the YAN Handbook, a guide of activities with the main objective of promoting a greater connection between children and local nature which will be published and free online. Finally, Cécile Chauvat, the coordinator of YAN, presented her work in creating tools to facilitate nature monitoring for youth with the YAN nature monitoring app. Anyone interested in the project can learn more at www.arcticnature.org and test out the Youth for Arctic Nature app, which is available for free for Android on the app store.