IQALUIT
Jennifer Amagoalik took part in a mock Arctic Council meeting at the Arctic Encounter Symposium held during COP21 (the Conference of the Parties for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), held during the first two weeks of December in Paris, France.
Jennifer Amagoalik attended the Arctic Encounter Symposium held during the COP21 gathering in Paris, France, and took part in a mock Arctic Council meeting Dec. 15 where she was tasked with speaking for the Arctic Athabaskan Council.
photo courtesy of Jennifer Amagoalik - photo courtesy of Jennifer Amagoalik |
Amagoalik is a first-year environmental technology student at Nunavut Arctic College. Prior to being chosen by her instructors and the Government of Nunavut, she gave a speech to her fellow students explaining why she was a good choice. This is where her two years at Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa came in handy.
"I told them I would be a good representative of Nunavut because I have a lot of background just living in Nunavut, being an Arctic College student. At Nunavut Sivuniksavut I learned a lot about Inuit history, contemporary issues and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement," said Amagoalik, who was one of five students interested in the COP21 experience.
Amagoalik was one of 47 youth from 26 research institutions located in 14 countries who produced a draft declaration sent to all COP21 delegates after a day-long meeting. They were assigned to represent member states, permanent participants, observer states and non-governmental observers.
Amagoalik, born and raised in Iqaluit, was tasked with representing the Arctic Athabaskan Council, which represents member First Nations in Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Amagoalik had to prepare and give a two-minute speech to the mock Arctic Council on behalf of the Athabaskan Council.
Amagoalik returned from her experience in Paris with fresh knowledge.
"Permanent participants (on the Arctic Council) do not have voting power," said Amagoalik of the indigenous organizations. "And if we did want to make amendments, the members had to vote if they were for it or not. It made me feel very powerless."
It's the eight member states - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States - who get to vote.
Amagoalik noticed her fellow participants were all very educated about the Arctic but many had never been to the Arctic.
"I think all of them ... had never been to the Arctic," she said.
"And they don't get the connection between indigenous peoples and the land. In terms of circumpolar, they don't understand that. It's all about opening of resources now and what we're going to do to develop. What strategies there are going to be to develop, all the resources that will be available because of the warming climate, rather than just climate change itself."
She says she gained an important perspective on how the rest of the world sees the Arctic.
"I don't want to say they didn't respect the indigenous point of view but a lot of them did not even come up to the indigenous organizations to ask, what do you guys want? How do you guys feel about this?"
That was the case with the real Arctic Council, too, said Amagoalik.
"I found out the permanent participants, which are indigenous organizations, had to ask to be a part of it. And no voting rights. That was the big thing for me."
Amagoalik also learned she's not cut out to be a politician.
"I think I have a lot of personal passion," she said. "I'm sensitive. Too passionate and sensitive. You've got to keep a really good grip on what you want and keep that face ..."
She said that when those proposing development and discussing finances speak, she feels strong personal reactions and has a hard time keeping a cool head.
"I'm still interested, but being one of the big people to be making decisions? I'd have to have a really good team to go through with that."
She is getting more comfortable with public speaking.
"We took a public speaking course at Nunavut Sivuniksavut. It helped with that. I was kind of nervous but once it was my turn to give my opening statement it went well."
Amagoalik says it was a great opportunity.
"I'm very thankful. And I really hope I represented the Arctic Athabaskans well."
And Paris was beautiful.
"I'm really happy to have been in Paris. I was really scared and nervous but I'm really glad I did it."
Along with a day in meetings, Amagoalik had a day of sightseeing.
