What do energy innovation, an Indigenous-led mental health program, and groundbreaking efforts in cultural and linguistic preservation have in common?

They are all initiatives endorsed by the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG). The SDWG’s multifaceted projects aim to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the Arctic, while celebrating its diverse cultures and ecosystems. All SDWG projects embody a vision of capacity building through education and knowledge sharing.

Established in 1998, the SDWG has long been at the forefront of initiatives rooted in collaborative frameworks that bring Arctic states, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities together, ensuring that solutions and recommendations are culturally relevant and sustainable. Through the work of the SDWG, young people and communities are empowered to lead the way, foster innovation, and sustain their unique ways of life.

Under the Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council (2023-2025), these priorities have taken center stage. With the Kingdom of Denmark set to assume the Arctic Council chairship (2025-2027), this momentum will continue, ensuring a cohesive approach to Arctic challenges.

Our work must ensure Arctic communities are not just resilient but vibrant, empowered, and future focused. The following SDWG projects are just a few examples of how our efforts are making a tangible difference in the lives of Arctic residents.

Advancing Mental Health and Well-Being

Local 2 Global or L2G is a project co-led by the Inuit Circumpolar Council, the Gwich’in Council International and the Saami Council, three Permanent Participants in the Arctic Council, along with Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden. It is a testament to how knowledge sharing and education can directly address community well-being.

This project facilitates international collaboration and connections between circumpolar communities supporting mental health, suicide prevention, and positive childhood experiences in Arctic communities, including among Indigenous Peoples who have the highest rates of suicide in the Arctic. By fostering intergenerational dialogue and offering culturally rooted solutions, Local 2 Global has inspired actionable outcomes, such as the development of community-driven policy recommendations for suicide prevention.

Collaborating with organizations like Reel Youth and the Western Arctic Youth Collective, youth are able to create their own version of cultural and mentoring events through the L2G project.

Local 2 Global builds on the success of its predecessor Project CREATeS (Circumpolar Resilience, Engagement, and Action Through Education for Sustainability) which built on circumpolar efforts to facilitate the power of healing through digital storytelling, community and culture, and connecting Arctic Indigenous youth. Project CREATeS produced a rich collection of digital stories allowing Arctic youth to share stories on their own terms.

Although completed in 2019, the life of Project CREATeS lives on. The Arctic Youth Conference in January 2025, organized by youth for youth and a focal point of the Arctic Council Norwegian Chairship, invited young people from across the circumpolar Arctic to participate in a Project CREATeS special digital storytelling workshop. Supported by a team of filmmakers and health and arts facilitators, the participating youth made digital stories (short films) related to climate change and mental well-being.

Local 2 Global and Project CREATeS were designed with youth in mind, offering young people space to be vulnerable and give meaning to their intimate stories through sharing circles and workshops. Both projects have directly led to enhanced youth leadership in mental health advocacy, reduced stigma around mental health discussions, and the development of holistic and culturally relevant recommendations for projects going forward.

The projects’ success is an embodiment of how the work of the Arctic Council can have an impact at the community level.

Education and Innovation for Sustainability

The SDWG has prioritized projects that leverage innovation and education to address Arctic-specific challenges. The ARENA (Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy) program, for instance, is a groundbreaking initiative that supports a cohort of Arctic innovators in developing sustainable energy solutions for rural and remote Arctic communities.

ARENA provides remote energy champions with the knowledge base, skills, and collaborative networks necessary to help develop clean energy projects in their own communities or regions. With on-site visits in 2024 to Alaska, United States, Nunavut, Canada, and Greenland, and in 2025 to Iceland, the ARENA III cohort will expand their educational opportunities through local capacity building in the undertaking of renewable and resilient energy projects with community leaders, research facilities and local entrepreneurs, including mentorship engagement with past cohort participants to host holistic conversations.

As one ARENA III cohort participant put it, “[it’s] been really important for my personal development. I feel like I suddenly have 15 or 20 new people that I can connect with and say, ‘I have this problem. Have you dealt with this before? Do you have any suggestions? Do you have any ideas?’ It’s a game-changer.”

Preserving Culture and Language in a Digital Age

The SDWG’s work in cultural preservation has also seen groundbreaking advances. The EALLU Indigenous Youth, Arctic Change and Food Systems project, an initiative by and for Indigenous youth, focuses on the preservation and sharing of traditional food knowledge and the cultural heritage of Arctic Indigenous Peoples.

EALLU involves a series of community-based youth workshops about food as well as traditional knowledge and local knowledge. By documenting traditional practices and connecting youth with elders, EALLU fosters a deeper understanding of the cultural and environmental importance of Arctic foods by bridging generations, experience, and understanding across the Arctic.

The SDWG has also expanded its efforts into the digital realm with the Digitalization of Linguistics and Cultural Heritage of Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic project. Using digital tools to document and revitalize endangered Arctic languages, this project also underlines the importance of education in maintaining Arctic Indigenous identities, revitalization programs, and educational resources for younger generations.

Complementary in scope, the digitalization project leverages modern technology to safeguard traditional languages, traditional knowledge, and local knowledge. Cultural practices documented in efforts like EALLU are preserved and promoted through the NOMAD Indigenous FoodLab, built as an innovative technology solution for youth engagement with Indigenous traditional foods.

By creating interactive repositories and educational platforms, these projects help bridge traditional and modern methods of cultural preservation, allowing younger generations to engage with their heritage in innovative ways.

A Framework for Impact

The work of the SDWG is committed to people and communities, cultural relevance, and circumpolar collaboration. A cornerstone of this commitment is the collaboration between Arctic Indigenous Permanent Participants and Arctic states.

From empowering youth and preserving cultural heritage to Indigenous food labs and advancing remote energy networks, these projects highlight the transformative power of collaborative action. The impact of these projects extends beyond Arctic borders. By serving as a living laboratory for sustainable development, the Arctic offers valuable lessons to the global community. The emphasis on collaborative, culturally attuned solutions is a model that can inspire initiatives worldwide.

As the Kingdom of Denmark assumes the Arctic Council Chairship in May 2025, its priorities will build on the foundation laid by the Norwegian Chairship. This continuity ensures that the Arctic’s unique challenges are met with innovative, inclusive, and sustainable solutions – a vision that the SDWG will continue to champion in its work across the circumpolar North.

 

Photo: Arcticdesire.com Polarreisen / Unsplash