During the 2024-2026 first cohort of the AMF Mentorship Program 5 mentees worked with the support of their mentors to develop deliverables in formats such as articles, personal essays, opinion pieces, policy briefs, and StoryMaps. The topics covered are of importance to the youth and include marine litter prevention, ocean conservation, food security, species protection, mental health, biodiversity, and Arctic diplomacy. Read more about the mentee and mentor pairs and have a look at their deliverables below.
Disclaimer: The deliverables were created as part of the Arctic Mayors’ Forum mentorship program, which is co-funded by the EU and Canada under the project Youth Together for Arctic Futures. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Canada or Arctic Mayors’ Forum.
Photo credit: Youth Together for Arctic Futures/Kari Fannar Larusson
Annie Marie Son Riley
Annie Marie Son Riley is a student and youth ambassador from the Arctic, passionate about mental health, sustainability, and Indigenous healing. Through her work, she hopes to uplift youth voices and stories of resilience. Annie was paired with mentor Asisaun Toovak during the program. Asisaun is the Mayor of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, a role she undertook in November 2022 following six years of service on the City Council. Drawing from her background in public health, children in need, and secondary education she takes a proactive approach to public health in her community. Utqiaġvik is an AMF member community.
Annie and Asisaun quickly realized that they had a lot in common since they are both Inupiaq (Inuit) and love their culture and take any opportunity to share it with others. During the program Annie had a unique opportunity to shadow Asisaun for a few days and meet other Mayors in Alaska.
The deliverable that Annie developed is an article exploring the connection between suicide, cultural and biodiversity loss and climate change in the North. In her article Annie identifies a need to approach the issue of youth mental health more holistically instead of over-reliance on an individual-focused approach. She also argues that community-led efforts need to rebuild systems of connection both to the land and intergenerational relationships. Annie believes that such efforts can contribute to psychological resilience even when environmental changes bring increasing levels of unpredictability and stress in the Arctic.
Annie’s deliverable
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Daniel Lyberth Hauptmann
Daniel Lyberth Hauptmann describes himself as 100% Greenlandic and 100% Danish. When he joined the program he was working on research coordination but he aspired to work in the field of diplomacy. Through global experience and local roots, he aimed to foster knowledge exchange and help Greenland find its voice on the international stage. Daniel was paired with mentor Joël Plouffe during the program, who is the Head of Strategy and Coordination at the Arctic Council Secretariat. Joël is originally from Canada and he holds a PhD in public administration and a background in Arctic governance and geopolitics and foreign policy analysis.
Daniel and Joël found that they had a lot to discuss and developed an active relationship where the mentorship took on a coaching style. During the first months of the program Daniel received a new job as part of the Greenlandic Arctic Council Chairship team and he now works closely with youth engagement and the Sustainable Development Working Group. The pair became colleagues within the Arctic Council and have used the mentorship period to share notes and ideas about developing the international collaboration.
In many ways Daniel says he is now living his deliverable, and he gives credit to Joël for helping guide him on his career transition into Arctic diplomacy. Daniel wrote a personal essay as his deliverable about this career change and what it has meant for him. He writes about the importance of working for your goals while also staying true to yourself. Through his work he now has the chance to work directly with other youth and he stresses the importance of truly engaging with youth and holding space for their voices.
Daniel’s deliverable
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Inès Hamila
Inès Hamila is an ocean activist and policy advocate for BLOOM association with experience at the European Commission and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco. Born in California and raised in the south of France, she’s a coastal soul with a deep love for the Arctic, sparked while studying above the Arctic Circle in Tromsø. Inès believes we are all deeply connected, from the rhythms of the ocean to the salt in our blood, and brings that understanding into her work and life. Inès was paired with mentor Mieke Coppes during the program. Mieke is a skilled facilitator, policy analyst and project coordinator. She is a freelancer and an associate for NVision.
Inès and Mieke successfully worked across multiple timezones and Mieke was able to help Inès build confidence with public speaking and networking in advance of some high-level speaking engagements. Inès spoke at the 2025 EU Ocean Days alongside Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, Kostas Kadis. Inès also joined the Arctic Youth Dialoge 2025 and spoke on a panel there.
From the beginning of the program Inès had a clear vision that she would focus her deliverable on ocean conservation. In her opinion piece she explores the current state of marine conservation and the pressures caused by extractive industries, particularly in the Arctic. She also explores EU subsidies related to commercial fishing and argues that communities, Indigenous Peoples and youth should have more influence on policies which directly impact them. Finally she uses the Central Arctic Ocean as a a test-case for how international agreements can be used to protect vulnerable ocean ecosystems.
Inès’ deliverable
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Johanna Franke
Johanna Franke is a M.A Polar Law graduate at the University of Akureyri in Iceland who focused on Indigenous rights and marine conservation during her studies. Her thesis on marine litter policies in Iceland and her work as the local beach cleanup coordinator has led her to speak at multiple events throughout the country and on a global scale on the often overlooked issue of marine litter. Currently she is working in the field of communications and social media and she wishes to pursue a career in science communication or policy. Johanna was paired with mentor Daniel Smirat during the program. Daniel serves as the Chair of the Municipal Council in the city of Luleå in northern Sweden and has over a decade of political experience within the municipality. He is also involved in the municipality’s international collaborations, holding positions such as Chair of the Barents Roads International Organization.
Johanna and Daniel discussed local and municipal politics and ways to tackle marine litter with policy change at these levels during the mentorship. Daniel was able to share insights from his background and experience from local politics, especially how to impact political processes and how cross-border collaboration in the Arctic can drive real change in environmental issues. Johanna in turn shared perspectives gained from her hands-on work mitigating marine litter and her ideas about how the issue could be tackled.
During the program Johanna designed a policy brief on marine litter focusing on the situation in Akureyri as her deliverable. In the future she hopes to further develop this brief into a template which can easily be used by NGOs and local organizations across Arctic communities. In the policy brief the issue is presented clearly along with data visualizations and then Johanna suggests policy changes which could help reduce marine litter. Johanna sees a need for more data and improved community-to-community collaboration globally about the issue and her long-term goal is to build a network to help organizations working on combatting marine litter to connect.
Johanna’s deliverable
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Nels Ure
Nels Ure is a graduate from University of Alaska Fairbanks in Climate and Arctic Sustainability, and is now pursuing a Master’s of Environmental Management at the Yale School of the Environment. His work focuses on protecting salmon as a foundation for people, the environment, and sustainable livelihoods.
Nels Ure is a graduate from University of Alaska Fairbanks in Climate and Arctic Sustainability, and is now pursuing a Master’s of Environmental Management at the Yale School of the Environment. His work focuses on protecting salmon as a foundation for people, the environment, and sustainable livelihoods.
Nels is paired with mentor Courtney Price from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group of the Arctic Council. Nels has extended his mentorship period with Courtney until autumn 2026 since he was awarded WWF community grant funding for the summer season 2026. This funding will be used to expand his program deliverable to include a storytelling workshop involving local Alaskan youth and the NGO SeeStories. During the workshop youth will learn techniques and practice using tools to tell the story of the connection between salmon and people in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
The final deliverable produced by Nels with input from the youth cohort will be featured here when it is submitted.