Communities
Many communities participate in the Polar Pairs initiative; they are spread across the two widely separated regions of the North Slope of Alaska and the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire and city of Aberdeen.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States, more than twice the size of Texas. Like Hawaii, Alaska is not bordered by any other US states, in fact, more that 500 miles of Canada separates Alaska from its nearest US neighbour, Washington State.
At this stage, the Alaska side of the school exchange focuses on schools in the North Slope Borough. This Borough occupies the northernmost stretch of Alaska, that occupies large tracts of Arctic territory. It has a population of less than 7,500 people, as many as 4,000 of whom live in the Borough capital, Barrow. The climate is polar and travel between towns is only possible by air.
The majority of the population of the North Slope Borough are of Inupiat Eskimo descent, and the Inupiaq history and culture is a very important element of day-to-day life within the communities.
While the early stages of the exchange have focussed upon schools in Barrow, the programme will be extended to Kaktovik, Atqasuk and Point Hope, and hopefully on to the neighbouring Borough of Northwest Arctic.
Scotland
Scotland occupies the Northern third of Great Britain. Aberdeenshire has been characterised by the presence of the oil industry since the mid-twentieth century, which has made Aberdeen, and the region as a whole, the centre of Europe’s petroleum industry. It is now anticipated that the North Sea has reached, or even surpassed, its peak production rate. The area is therefore now seeking to develop itself as a research and development hub in order to maintain the local economy.
Doric is the local dialect of North East Scotland although it has become a marginalised language despite having the support of a number of high-profile authors, journalists and politicians who claim that it has continued relevance in contemporary Scotland.
Schools in Aberdeenshire have been involved in the Polar Pairs exchange programme since 2006, both hosting visits and participating in trips to Alaska.