Verdde Thematic Network

Verdde Thematic Network 2021 project for virtual exchange activities

The aims of this project are built on the aims of UArctic Verdde Thematic Network, which was established 2004, and will work to strengthen and develop collaboration, embrace the perspectives and knowledge of northern Indigenous Peoples through teacher education, and support participatory approaches to the production and sharing of knowledge. The collaborating institutions are Sámi University of Applied Sciences (Lead), University of Alaska Fairbanks (U.S.A.), Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), and University of Greenland. The project is coordinated by the Sámi University of Applied Sciences.

The four collaborating higher education institutions goal is to develop virtual activities motivating and preparing students for future physical exchange.The exchange activities in this project will mainly be implemented and integrated into the partners institutions curriculum, courses and programs. The students will collaborate online to complete various tasks/assignments related to the course content under supervision of a host university teacher.

The focus is to develop and exemplify culturally relevant teaching and teacher resources through situating within local knowledge, incorporating the land as a source of learning, and recognizing the vitalization of Indigenous languages as an integral part of education. Indigenous learning discourses need to be addressed and the academic content will be built on Indigenous research.