We were delighted to hear that Emma Denton, our scholar of the week, continues to share her Canadian Arctic experience with fellow students and so many others. Emma will be a featured speaker in an upcoming Royal Geographic Society event, and she has so much to share about what she says was a life-changing trip.

Emma is a geography student at Queen’s University, Belfast, and last year she was one of four students and academics we chose to send on the Students on Ice expedition. Students on Ice is an Ottawa-based global charity dedicated to Canadian Polar education, and we partnered with them in November last year. Our shared aim is to educate young people from the United Kingdom about the importance of the Canadian Arctic regions and to inspire global sustainability initiatives from a young age. In August 2019 SOI took more than 100 students and academics from Kangerlussuaq to Resolute Bay on an expedition ship and connected them with peers, elders, scientists artists, musicians and Indigenous, Inuit and business and opinion leaders, all as part of building a lifelong commitment to both environmental preservation and global citizenship

Emma says: “Having the opportunity to go to the Arctic was an eye-opening experience. It has enhanced my education by making me highly conscious of the issues impacting the biodiversity and people there, including the changes being brought about by climate change and the need for immediate action. Our expedition to the Arctic is still a huge influence in my daily life also. I find myself thinking about how the ice feels in the salty water. The echoes of women throat singing on the ship. And the friends that I have formed genuine and heart-touching connections with during that journey. I can truly say that Students on Ice was the best decision I've ever made and I would urge anyone to apply. I am forever thankful for the Canada-UK Foundation for funding this incredible opportunity.”

Emma will be reflecting on her experiences on February 4th at the Royal Geographical Society. For more information on registering for the virtual seminar please visit this link. The Students on Ice 2020 expedition was cancelled in an effort to protect the health of local people during the COVID pandemic. Students on Ice has exciting new plans for both Blue Ocean endeavours alongside planning for 2021 expeditions. Check out this important Canadian partner charity here and do be in touch with us for more news.

2020 CBC Poetry Prize Winner. Join us in congratulating poet and photographer Matthew Hollett, who recently won the CBC Poetry Prize for Tickling the Scar. Written in the first wave of the pandemic just as he recently moved to Montreal from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Hollett channeled the experience into writing. He told CBC Books, “The pandemic felt viscerally close at hand and yet strangely distant, as I had only recently moved here and didn't know anyone directly affected. Walking the canal became a way of grappling with this abstraction, and with how quickly the world was changing.”

Ice at Côte-Saint-Paul Locks. Photo: Matthew Hollett

The canal to which he refers is the Lachine Canal, which passes through the southern part of the island of Montreal. The poem provides an evocative tracing of springtime and the surreal experience of early 2020 among other layers of meaning. Hollett’s photography also echoes a poetic capturing of daily solitary walks; and, vice versa, his visual arts background spills into his poetry (see more of his photography here).

Bicycle dredged from the Peel Basin in Montreal. Photo: Matthew Hollett

The jury said, “This is a poem without a false step, gliding smoothly between the topical and timeless.” The jury included poets Stephen Collis, Dionne Brand, and Kaie Kellough (who won the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize).
Read Hollett’s poem, or listen to him recite it at this link. For more insight on the writing of the piece, peruse some of the background topics shared here.

Call for Applications Now Open. The Canada-UK Foundation welcomes statements of interest from prospective applicants for the 2021/22 academic year. Details on the application criteria and process are available on our website. The application deadline is January 31st, 2021, at 11:59pm.

The Canada Memorial Scholarship offers full scholarships, available to British and Canadian students applying for any year-long postgraduate (Masters-level) course with an accredited Canadian or UK Institution. For further information, visit their website. The application deadline is January 31st, 2021, at 11:59pm.

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