How do you build research and programs that genuinely serve northern communities? The answer is often simple: show up and listen. 

Faith Rahman, Blue Futures Pathways (BFP) regional coordinator and StraightUpNorth (SUN) team member, did just that this past spring with her visit to Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) and Iqaluit. Supported by travel funding from BFP, her goal was to learn about sea ice mapping for community-based monitoring, understand local research priorities and explore ways to support youth travel safety.

Through this, Faith was able to refine her research direction through preliminary feedback. Her work contributes to the SUNTeam’s Sustaining Northern Community-Based Monitoring project (CBM), which identifies key sustainability factors across Indigenous-led CBM programs, including infrastructure, funding, and data management.

Alongside her research, Faith visited local schools as part of her year-long Mitacs Accelerate internship with BFP, connecting youth with education, training, mentorship, and employment opportunities in the Sustainable Blue Economy.

Below are top highlights from her travels.

Mittimatalik (March 13-27, 2026)

Faith’s first week in Mittimatalik began with SmartICE‘s Remote Sensing Workshop where she learned how Community Knowledge Coordinators create weekly sea ice maps using satellite imagery and local land knowledge.

“Learning about the basics of remote sensing and sea ice mapping was eye-opening as I began to understand how to read sea ice maps, the complexities and intricacies of ice, the local landscape, and community-based monitoring. It felt like scratching the surface, just the tip of the iceberg, of all there is to learn.” – Faith Rahamn

Following the completion of the workshop, Faith turned her focus to meeting local contacts while continuing to learn more about local programs and SmartICE’s work. One of her visits included speaking to Nasivvik High School’s Gr. 11-12 classes about BFP’s learning materials focused on the Sustainable Blue Economy, mentorship, free training workshops, and funding opportunities. 

Iqaluit (April 27-May 6, 2026)

A month later, Faith returned to Nunavut to meet with a wide range of partners and collaborators in Iqaluit. Through these conversations, she was able to gain valuable recommendations to help further define her research objectives. At Inuksuk High School and Nunavut Arctic College, she highlighted BFP internships that fund students pursuing water- and ocean-related careers.

This particular trip also coincided with the Nunavut Research Gathering, which is hosted by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) and the Nunavut Research Institute (NRI). This gave Faith another opportunity to connect with local agencies for feedback on a research approval decision-support tool she is creating for the NRI, improving its clarity for researchers navigating licensing in Nunavut.

Faith’s travels and learnings offer a powerful reminder of how much can be achieved when researchers step into communities to listen, learn, and collaborate face-to-face. To read Faith’s full recap in her own words and see more of her photography, click here.