A group of 65 students and 25 scientists and educators from around the world will be spending Christmas morning making final preparations before leaving for Antarctica, where they'll spend two weeks studying in the harsh environment.
Geoff Green, executive director of the Canadian organization Students on Ice, told CTV's Canada AM the students will study environmental and polar issues first-hand, from Dec. 25 to Jan. 8
"In many ways, the Antarctic is the greatest classroom on Earth," he said.
"It's an incredible platform for so many issues, for science, for history, for culture, for flora and fauna. And it's a cornerstone of the global ecosystem. So taking a group of high school kids there, it's a way of connecting them with nature on a level that I've never seen before. It's a real life-changing journey."
The polar regions are the "barometres" of the planet's health, Green said, because the effects of climate change are being experienced in a more dramatic fashion due to the sensitive nature of the climate.
Green has taken more than 800 students to the Antarctic through eight years the Students on Ice program has been in existence. He said the experience of seeing the impact of climate change first hand, from the deck of a ship equipped to study the region, can be life-changing for the students who participate.
"When you see it with your own two eyes, especially a teen at the beginning of your life, it immediately makes it a personal and real issue," Green said.
"So we're hoping these kids are going to come back totally motivated and inspired as future environmental leaders."
The organizers of the expedition also hope the trip helps inspire a different type of change this year. Two students, one from the Palestinian territories, another from Israel, will be joining the group.
"It's a symbol of peace and understanding," Green said, noting that the Antarctic is the only region in the world that hasn't experienced war.
"Bringing these two kids from the most war-torn part of the world to this platform we're hoping is going to allow their voice of peace to be heard."
Besides Canada, the 65 students on the expedition come from 14 countries, including Iran, Mexico, Israel, the Palestinian territories and New Zealand.
The age range is from 13, right up to 86 -- the age of Dr. Fred Roots, a Canadian scientist whose expertise is in polar issues.
The organization's pledges to keep people updated on the participants' adventures while they are away, with photos, journal entries and expedition updates going up on the website on a daily basis.
