Our Cultural Education Programs
Arctic Education Foundation believes that cultural youth development programs foster creative expression and identity while supporting core social and emotional skills. We also believe our cultural programs can be a way for communities to form stronger bonds, for youth to learn invaluable knowledge of their culture, and for the traditions of past generations to be passed on to our future generation.
These cultural programs are an important piece to building and maintaining a connection to our youth and their traditional hunting, language, art, and knowledge of the land.
–Igliġurriñiq Kiŋuniiksraptignun-
Guiding the way for our future generations!
Under the Cultural Education Program, AEF offers:
Regional Culture Camp: This culture camp provides an educational opportunity for youth to become familiar with subsistence hunting, processing of traditional foods and plants, traditional knowledge of land areas, Arctic weather, survival education, preparing camping gear and camp set up, Iñupiaq language, song and dance, and traditional arts and crafts.
Youth Traditional Plant Education: These workshops provide education on local traditional plants and processing methods, medicinal plant use, berry picking, and more. Topics may include salve-making, cooking, methods to prepare different plant varieties, and more.
Youth Traditional Art Education: These workshops provide education on traditional Iñupiat art styles and techniques, including drum making, skin sewing, jewelry-making, ivory and baleen carving, and others taught by local artists from the North Slope region.
Whaling Workshops: These workshops focus on sharing and revitalizing cultural knowledge and practices in preparation for spring whaling. Taught by local community experts, workshop topics may include, sled-building, sewing, amiq (sewing of seal skins for the skin boat), ivalu-making, and tool-making.
For more information regarding the Cultural Education Program please contact AEF’s Cultural Education Program staff by email at kroseberry@asrc.com or trpaul@asrc.com, or by phone: 907-852-0512
Quyanaqpauraq to all the community members who supported AEF Cultural Education in 2024, serving as mentors and teachers, camp staff, those who helped coordinate village community workshops and whaling workshops. AEF expresses its sincere gratitude for the support!
Quyanaqpak to our 2024 Cultural Education Program partners!
Application and Deadlines
The 2025 Culture Camp application deadline is May 15, 2025.
