Parks Canada

Parks Canada is a proud sponsor of the Students on Ice program, which provides unique learning experiences for 13 young Canadians. Each year the expedition will showcase one of Canada’s Northern national parks as part of the Arctic expedition. This is a thrilling educational opportunity for Northern and Southern Canada’s youth to connect to Parks Canada places in Northern Canada.

Students on Ice and Parks Canada are working collaboratively to provide Canadian and international youth with an opportunity to personally experience and appreciate these important national protected places. Programs like Students on Ice are important to Parks Canada to meet its mandate of presenting and protecting our national treasures today and for future generations. As part of the on-site visit to one of our northern national parks, Students on Ice participants will share with local Aboriginal partners and gain an understanding of the Northern culture.

Canada’s vast Northern landscapes contain unparalleled beauty where polar sea ice meets the land, rugged mountain ranges soar into the sky and where the eye can see forever. Our northern national parks offer visitors an opportunity to experience the majesty of the Arctic with its sweeping glaciers, coastal fiords, fertile river valleys, alpine tundra, and seacoasts that define our country’s borders. National parks are home to many species of birds, fish and mammals that have supported Aboriginal Peoples for centuries and continue to support their way of life to this day.

“We share Students on Ice’s passion for connecting youth to nature through this unique experience to discover Canada’s Arctic. I hope that this exceptional educational experience will inspire our leaders of tomorrow to become environmental stewards and that they will share the stories of Parks Canada places in northern Canada as well as the stories of the people who make up these special places. We look forward to another successful year of partnering with Students on Ice.”
– Daniel Watson, CEO Parks Canada Agency

In 2014, Students on Ice and Parks Canada presented the following inspiring film at the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia. This film showcases the importance and impact of connecting youth to nature and the role of Canada’s national parks as a platform for understanding and appreciating nature and the people who call these national parks home. The film features students from SOI’s 2014 Arctic Expedition exploring the Torngat Mountains National Park.

Canada’s National Parks: The Greatest Classrooms on Earth