Youth Futures with Project CREATeS
Giving youth space to imagine and describe possible futures allows them to bring their current experiences and knowledge to consider their hopes for the youth of the future.
A Vision for Tomorrow, Written by Arctic Youth
In November 2025, Project CREATeS partnered with the Arctic Mayors’ Forum, a team of scholars from the Fulbright Arctic initiative, and the Harvard Kennedy Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, to bring together a group of youth from seven Arctic States to explore their aspirations for Arctic youth of the future.
These 14 youth identified Arctic Indigenous knowledges; infrastructure that supports Arctic youth, including community-led development of technology; relationship to the environment and climate resilience; and culturally relevant youth mental health support, as key areas for development and investment. That workshop culminated in youth collectively drafting a “Letter to the Future.”
Watch this short film of the workshop and access the letter via the button below.
Turning Vision Into Action
A Project CREATeS digital storytelling workshop was then held in Iqaluit, Nunavut from March 24 to 27, 2026, bringing together 13 youth from across Arctic States to further explore these themes. The workshop was co-led by the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) of the Arctic Council and the Arctic Mayors’ Forum. SDWG co-leads included the Kingdom of Denmark, current Chair of the Arctic Council, Iceland, and Canada. The Chairship Youth Committee was actively involved in planning and participating in the workshop.
Stories of Strength and Resilience
Participants reflected on the importance of identity, belonging, and connection to self, to community, to culture, to place, and to the land. Many stories also spoke to the challenges that Arctic youth face, while at the same time emphasizing hope, strength, and the possibility of change. The digital stories conveyed a desire for futures in which youth feel valued, supported, and able to thrive, and in which systemic inequities and colonial harms are addressed. These themes highlighted both the complexity of their experiences and the creativity, resilience, and vision they bring when given the space to tell their own stories.
Finding Voice Through Story
The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Allison Crawford through HeartLab, who has designed and led Project CREATeS since 2017. Participants were supported to reflect on their experiences, write personal narratives, and create original digital story videos. The workshop was designed as a creative and participatory space where youth could express their ideas, experiences, and hopes for the future through storytelling. It also created opportunities for connection, reflection, and skill-building through writing, story development, voice recording, editing, and story sharing.
Watch a video about the workshop below:
The stories
The digital stories below showcase the voices, experiences, and aspirations of Arctic youth from across the Circumpolar North. We invite you to explore this collection and hear directly from the young people helping shape the future of their communities.
