Northern Irish student Rebecca Wilson, from Banbridge, has just embarked on an epic expedition to the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand. Rebecca is a student at Banbridge High School, who, earlier in the year, was part of a team who won an all Ireland Cape Farewell Local to Global Video competition run by the British Council.

The Cape Farewell Arctic Voyage from 7-20 September 2008 is an innovative arts and science project focusing on climate change.  Workshops, resources and support have been provided to the winning schools, Banbridge High School and Saint Conleth’s College in Dublin.  'Ground crews' of 5-7 students have been formed to develop projects in each school and community and to help the two chosen voyagers before and during the September expedition.  

In Banbridge and wider afield, Rebecca and her ground crew have been helping to raise awareness of climate change in preparation for the Arctic adventure.

The voyage from Dublin to the Arctic began on 1 September when Rebecca and George from Ireland flew form Dublin to Toronto, Canada and participated in a number of orientation workshops and training at Lake St. George Toronto & Region Conservation Authority. Rebecca then transferred to Reykjavik, Iceland where she and the other voyagers boarded the ship and began their amazing journey to the tip of Greenland, ending at Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Canada. The ship is MV Academik Shokalskiy, a Russian research vessel built in 1983 and modernised to high standards of safety, accommodation, food preparation and other services. The ship is small, nimble, and ice-strengthened capable of reaching the nooks and crannies that many larger ships cannot. She is the perfect vessel for research and play, equipped with a lecture hall, library, lounge, sauna, open bridge, kayaks and zodiacs. She spends her summers sailing the Arctic and winters in Antarctica. Three weeks later, Rebecca will return to Ireland where she will be able to enthuse others with her experience.

The ship’s company consists of 28 students, aged 15-17 from across the world; and 17 adult mentors, scientists, educators and staff. In addition the ship’s master and crew of 30, including a doctor, are active members of the expedition, and highly experienced in Arctic voyages. The students come from Canada (13), Great Britain (7), Germany (2), Ireland (1), Northern Ireland (1), India (1), Mexico (2) and Brazil (2). In each country students were selected after competing in national competitions similar to the competition that Rebecca Wilson and George Voronov won in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Speaking ahead of the expedition Liz McBain, British Council Northern Ireland said “Climate change is a core strand of the British Council’s work. We are delighted that Rebecca and George will be embarking on this journey and we look forward to hearing from them as the expedition progresses. Cape Farewell is all about increasing the understanding of the case for tackling climate change and the expedition will enable the participating schools and local communities to engage at a local level to contribute to a global issue affecting us all”.

Click here to follow Rebecca’s journey and to find out what the pupils in Banbridge High School are getting up to.