The Polar Academy

General information

The Polar Academy is the brainchild of, and will be run and managed by, Craig Mathieson. Appointed ‘Explorer in Residence’ by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Craig has been involved in many Polar Expeditions, both to the Antarctic and Arctic.
The Polar Academy conducts visits to High Schools and youth programmes to deliver the message of “Inspiration through Exploration”. It will then offer a selected number of the youths between the ages of 14 and 18 years old a truly once in a life time opportunity to be part of an Arctic Expedition to East Greenland.
This journey of discovery will change the lives of the participants and their families and have a wide ranging and positive impact on their communities, as each participant will give back to their peers and community a programme of positive outcomes. This will generate a cascade effect through the creation of true community role models who will inspire and motivate others to fulfil their potential.
Passionate about inspiring the next generation, Craig has shared his experiences with many schools. The replies he received to questions such as “what do the pupils aspire to?” and “what motivates and inspires them” led him to conclude that irrespective of social background, many young adults in Scotland have very little self-confidence and motivation and are of the general opinion that they will not be able to achieve anything significant in their lives. Craig decided to do something about this and in 2006 successfully trained and guided Chris, a 16 year old schoolboy, to the North Pole. It was out of this experience that the concept of the Polar Academy was born.