THE 2017 OPOP VANCOUVER CONFERENCE

On March 4, 2017, the first ever Our Poles Our Planet Vancouver Conference will take place as a part of a series of conferences happening in five cities across Canada. Our event aims to educate youth about various polar topics by bringing in guest lecturers, workshop leaders, and mentors who will speak about their personal work or experiences in the poles. It is an amazing opportunity for curious, driven students from all across Greater Vancouver to delve head-first into a wide range of issues concerning the Arctic and Antarctic. Through this dialogue, our conference intends to inspire youth with the desire to live and act with a new respect for our polar regions.
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Details

Date: March 4, 2017
Time: 9AM - 3PM
Cost: Free for youth (high-school and undergraduate students)
Food will be provided to attendees.
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No prior experience is required to participate in the OPOPV Conference, just the motivation and willingness to learn! 

Our Venue

The Dutch Urban Design Centre
(1445 W. Georgia St, Vancouver, BC  V6G 2T3)
In partnership with the City Hub Initiative

The Dutch Urban Design Centre (DUDOC) is a beautiful platform in downtown Vancouver, for Dutch companies to promote business cases for sustainable development. Through co-working space partnerships with local organizations, they foster discussions and community around sustainability, urban development, green building  & technology, architecture, socio-economic development and more!

Our Speakers

ERIC SOLOMON

Eric Solomon is the Director of Arctic Programs at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre (VAMSC). Dedicating much of his career toward improving the communication of complex science and environmental issues to public audiences, Mr. Solomon focuses on creating greater public awareness of and engagement on the important issues facing Canada’s Arctic. He is the lead for Ikaarvik: Barriers to Bridges, a program that works with Inuit youth to be the bridge between scientific research and Arctic communities, and a Laureate of the Arctic Inspiration Prize. He is an expert on integrated approaches to building and communicating scientific and locally-derived knowledge about the Arctic and Arctic issues. Mr. Solomon holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Marine Ecology, and advanced graduate studies in Science Education.

SARAH GUTZMANN

Sarah Gutzmann is a fourth year Environmental Science (Applied Biology) and Environmental Toxicology student at Simon Fraser University. She is an active educational program volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium, and has participated in an international student summit on oceans and coasts. By working for Parks Canada this summer, she was able to connect Vancouver with the Arctic through educational programming and outreach  (and had the incredible opportunity to experience the Arctic for herself!) 

KIM MATHIEU

Kim Mathieu works at Parks Canada in the sector of Northern outreach and engagement. In her position with the National Parks, she creates educational programs about the Canadian Arctic and teaches youth about climate change and its impact on the Arctic parks and on people living in the Arctic. She specializes in Environmental Health at McGill University and was a Youth Ambassador for World Vision where she travelled to Rwanda to take part in global youth development strategy workshops.

MAYA BURHANPURKAR

​Maya Burhanpurkar is a seventeen year old student who will begin undergraduate studies at Harvard in 2017. Maya has traveled to the Arctic to produce an open source documentary about climate change featuring many notable guests. She has twice won the Grand Platinum prize at Canada’s national science fair, represented Canada at the Intel International Science Fair, and taken honours at the Google International Science Fair. She was also named one of Canada’s “Top 20 Under 20”, the national Brescia Emerging Female Leader of the Year, and was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee medal.

Why should you join us?

Come for the People

Engage in meaningful discussion with renowned experts and network with other likeminded youth!

Come for the Education

Examine the intricacies of the issues concerning the poles and what you can do to solve them!

Come for the Fun!

Enjoy the event in an intimate setting with speakers, workshops, films and more!

Meet Our Team

​All of Our Poles Our Planet Vancouver's team members are youth, fulfilling our philosophy that supporting young leaders
​to engage their peers is the most effective way to enact change.

Denise Lee

OPOP Co-Founder and Vancouver Chair

Denise Lee is a porpoise enthusiast, mediocre guitarist and future scientist from Vancouver, Canada. Inspired by her participation in the 2016 Students On Ice Arctic Expedition, she yearns to explore the diverse wonders of the world and share it with everyone she encounters. She hopes this conference will enable her generation to develop a more holistic perspective of the polar issues she hopes to solve.

Contact: vancouver.ourpolesourplanet@gmail.com

Minh Truong

Communications Coordinator

Minh Truong is a senior at Collingwood School in West Vancouver, Canada, with a passion for social change. Through her personal research, she was introduced to the wide range of issues concerning the poles, and developed an urgency to change them for the better. Within this conference, she hopes to enable both those who are already leaders, and welcome those with the potential to be strong polar advocates. She hopes you enjoy this event as much as she did creating it!

Contact: communications.opopv@gmail.com

Gillian Shaw

Sponsorship Coordinator

​Gillian Shaw is a junior at Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge, Canada. Her studies in Hong Kong didn't provide many opportunities to learn about the poles, so when she returned to Canada this year, she involved herself in fields she had not tried before. Her fascination with marine life led her to volunteering at the Vancouver Aquarium and she continues to raise awareness on environmental issues through this event. She hopes to bring back to Hong Kong all that she's learned and continue making change there.

Contact: sponsorship.opopv@gmail.com

Nicole Ma

Logistics Coordinator

Nicole Ma is a senior at Little Flower Academy in Vancouver, Canada. While volunteering for the Vancouver Aquarium, she developed an interest in marine life, which lead her to learn more about the polar regions and the issues around them. She hopes that this conference will teach others about the importance of the polar regions, and that it will inspire them to take action in the future.

Contact: logistics.opopv@gmail.com

Contact Us

Email us with any questions at vancouver.ourpolesourplanet@gmail.com