Antarctic expedition requires lots of cold cash

MIRIAM DEWAR

Orla Osbourne and Ashley Tufts pore over a binder in an Iqaluit coffee shop. It’s stuffed full of type-written sheets of information, sealed addressed envelopes and colourful brochures adorned with images of icebergs, penguins and smiling faces.

The images aren’t of the Arctic, where Tufts was born and Osbourne now resides, but of Antarctica — specifically images taken during student learning expeditions offered by an organization called Students On Ice.

Students On Ice provides youth aged 14-19 from around the world the opportunity to travel to the Arctic or Antarctic on a research ship with world-class guides, scientists and lecturers to learn about each region.

The organization’s mandate is to help foster understanding and respect for the planet by bringing the students to these areas and letting them form their own personal connection. They have to fill out application forms and provide three reference letters.

Trips to either pole are expensive and so students are also asked to raise funds and help pay for the excursion.

Osbourne and Tufts, two 16-year-old Grade 11 students at Inuksuk High School, need to raise $10,900 each to take part in a two-week adventure to the other end of the Earth and they are committed to making it happen.

“We wrote a bunch of letters asking for sponsorship and we’ll send them out now that we’ve done a bunch of interviews,” Osbourne explains, gesturing to the sealed envelopes in her binder.

“I think we have about 37 (letters) so far,” Tufts adds. Later this week they will be giving a presentation at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Legion in Iqaluit.

Osbourne explains that while on board the ship, students will learn about climate change, global warming and the history, politics and flora and fauna of the continent. They will even visit a British base and be able to send mail home, postmarked from Antarctica.

“That’s pretty cool,” Tufts says, smiling. “But we may get home before it arrives.”

The two have no delusions. They know the trip is not a vacation, it’s a learning opportunity and raising $21,800 between them won’t be easy. That’s why they’re starting now.

“I received my acceptance about two weeks ago,” Tufts says, and they started planning fund-raising activities then, starting with contacting media outlets for publicity.

Along with writing to organizations for sponsorship and doing interviews, the girls are planning to give a slide presentation and talk when they return from the trip and to offer promotional picture opportunities to businesses to garner more sponsors.

“We could wear a T-shirt with their logo on it or whatever and then have our picture taken standing with a bunch of penguins,” Osbourne says. “Then they could use that photo as part of their promotional material.”

They are also hoping that one of the Northern airlines will offer tickets to Toronto, as the $10,900 only covers the costs between gateway cities.

“We need to come up with any additional money after that,” Osbourne explains.

Being familiar with the Arctic also gives them an interesting perspective, the two say. They know how to dress appropriately for the weather and already have an appreciation for the environment, but they want to compare the two ends of the globe and share their experience with others.

The trip that runs from December 17-31 will see them miss both Christmas and New Years with their families and friends, but they don’t seem to mind. There’s the potential to spend it with 75 other people on the other side of the world.

“It’ll be a Christmas we never ever forget,” Osbourne says.