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Fort Smith teen heads to High Arctic with Students on Ice Wednesday November 4 2015 13 By DALI CARMICHAEL Just because youre a kid from the North- west Territories doesnt mean you know ev- erything about life in the North. That was the lesson Shawn Tourangeau 17 took away from his Students on Ice SOI expedition July 27 to Aug. 10. Theresstillabigdifferenceformebecause coming from here you dont see as many of the things you see up North the lifelong Fort Smith resident said. Everybody spoke their language in Nunavut. Stop signs would have syllabics on them things like that. It was a bit of culture shock for me. InapresentationhostedattheNorthernLife Museum and Cultural Centre last Thursday Tourangeau said he was inspired after trav- eling with some 130 international students and 80 instructors from a variety of fields. Its definitely given me a broader perspec- tive on whats out there and what types of things I can do he said. The group started out in Ottawa before boarding a flight to Kangerlussuaq Green- land. From there they traveled through fjords and ice fields steering their expedition vessel along Greenlands west coast before crossing the Davis Strait to Nunavut. Coming from the subarctic seeing the dif- ference between the landscape at home and the Arctic was a transformative experience Tourangeau said. I remember getting out during our first landing. I climbed out of the Zodiac boat and there was a mountain to the left and a mountain to my right. I went up a small hill it was really spongy he said. I remember I felt so small and insignificant but I was com- pletely OK with it. I felt like I didnt have to do anything I could just be there. Tourangeau who worked at Wood Buffalo National Park over the summer was one of several students sponsored by Parks Canada to attend the excursion. SOI expeditions are described as an oppor- tunity for youth to acquire first-hand insight intoclimatechangetraditionalknowledgesci- entificresearchandinternationalpolicy.Using a holistic approach attending youth learn not onlyabouttheArcticbutaboutitsplaceinthe ecosystem and in global politics. For 15 years SOI has been sending students on educational expeditions to the polar re- gions. Following the trips alumni are encour- aged to stay connected working together to create a network of global citizens. To others interested in taking their own SOI trekTourangeauofferedwordsofencouragement. Justdropeverythinganddoithesaid.Its one of those once in a lifetime things where you wont forget it. The connections with the people you meet makes it so amazing some of these people that I see now that Im friends with theyre doing great things. EDUCATION STUDENTS ON ICE PhotosShawnTourangeau Elders from Pond Inlet leading workshops in an area known as Button Inlet. Here they are removing fat from a seal skin. Fort Smith student Shawn Tourangeau was sponsored by Parks Canada to attend the Students on Ice 2015 expedition through Greenland and Nunavut. The crew checks out Beechey Island the last known whereabouts of the Franklin Expedition. An iceberg located off the coast of Greenland. The Students on Ice passed by many of these even stopping by the Ilulissat icefjord otherwise known as the iceberg factory of the North. A polar bear peers out from Dundas Harbor an abandoned RCMP post. The group was supposed to do a landing but couldnt as three of the white bears circled the area.