Program
| 12.00-12.30 pm |
Sampling of Norwegian food |
| 12.30 pm |
Introduction by the Norwegian ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen |
| 12.45 pm |
Lecture by polar explores Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft |
| 1.30 pm |
Announcement of essay contest winners who will win an exciting trip to the arctic city of Tromsø |
Liv Arnesen
Liv Arnesen’s rich life experiences, both on and off the ice, have made her an internationally recognized leader and role model for women and girls. Through her diverse roles as a polar explorer, educator and motivational leader, Arnesen ignites passion in others to reach beyond their normal boundaries and achieve their dreams by sharing her own stories about exploring some of the most remote places on earth.
Amongst many expeditions Arnesen is most famous for being the first woman to trek solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
After her South Pole trek in 1994, Arnesen founded her own company, "White Horizons", which she has changed to a shareholding company called "Liv Arnesen AS" provides motivational lectures and team-building programs to kids and adults.
She is author of “Snille piker går ikke til Sydpolen” (Nice Girls do not Ski to the South Pole), which is about her 1994 expedition. She has authored a management book with Norwegian Jon Gangdal, “Kan jeg? Fra drøm til virkelighet” (Can I do it? From Dream to Reality) and recently authored a kids book "Sydpolen" (The Soutgh Pole).
Beyond exploration, Arnesen has taught and coached high school and college students for more than 20 years and is involved in the rehabilitation of drug abusers.
Ann Bancroft
Ann Bancroft is one of the world’s pre-eminent polar explorers. Through her various roles as an explorer, educator and sought-after speaker, Bancroft believes that by sharing stories related to her dreams of outdoor adventure, she can help inspire a global audience to pursue their individual dreams.
Bancroft’s teamwork and leadership skills have undergone severe tests during her polar expeditions and provided her with opportunities to shatter female stereotypes. The tenacity and courage that define her character have earned Bancroft worldwide recognition as one of today’s most influential role models for women and girls.
Bancroft’s other achievements include founding and leading the Ann Bancroft Foundation, a non-profit organization that celebrates the existing and potential achievements of women and girls.
Bancroft is a spokesperson for the Learning Disabilities Association, Wilderness Inquiry and Girl Scouts of the USA. She serves on the board of Youth Frontiers, co-chairs the Wilderness Inquiry capital campaign and is a judge for the Nuclear-Free awards and the National Women´s Hall of Fame inductions. Bancroft also is on the advisory board of the Melpomene Institute and Medica.
Since the Bancroft Arnesen Expedition, Bancroft and Arnesen’s inspirational story has helped shape Bancroft Arnesen Explore, designed to share Ann and Liv’s stories with audiences around the globe through multi-media presentations, short films, workshops, curricula and lectures as a way to motivate people to reach for their own dreams, particularly women and girls.