The arctic tern is a migratory bird that travels the longest route out of all the birds in the world. It travels an estimated 90,000 km per year, which is more than twice the circumference of the earth. In it’s lifetime, it flies approximately, 400,000 km, which is the same as 3 times the distance to the moon and back, or more than half the circumference of the sun! Arctic terns don’t travel in a straight route. Instead they take long detours, selecting the best weather and feeding grounds on their way. The arctic tern manages to visit each continent and every ocean in the world in one year! It experiences the most daylight out of all animals because of its travel habits. Arctic terns don’t travel alone. They travel in large groups called colonies, being inherently social creatures that benefit off traveling together.
Like arctic terns, ArcticTerns are travellers. We try to travel as much as we can and are interested in every country, every ocean, every spot on the earth. We would even love to travel to the moon and back. Like arctic terns, we also don’t travel in a straight route, taking detours to select the best weather and most interesting travel places. ArcticTerns do not travel alone, we bring likeminded people from all over the world together to socialise and create connections with. We create our own colony that is beneficial to everyone in it. We do this by gathering in a community complex where we live close to each other and join activities together especially designed to create community. This way, we provide educational experiences, social connections, and personal growth, through cultural immersion.
Emmy is the co-founder of ArcticTerns. She’s the Worldschooling mom of Derisha and Dominic, whose need for community is the inspiration for the Worldschooling programs. What started out as a small gathering of Worldschoolers grew beyond what she had imagined. Emmy learned from the experiences along the way and became an expert in group dynamics and community building. She kept adjusting the program according to the community’s needs, which led the ArcticTerns programs to become a life changing experience for many, inspired a wave of Worldschool hubs and still stands out for its truly unique experience.
Emmy still thrives from connecting with the participants and from the activities themselves.
During the hubs she acts as the program manager, and outside the hubs she works on ArcticTerns year round. Besides running the hubs, she also commits herself to the Worldschool community and to Worldschool hubs in general.
Derisha is the junior co-founder of ArcticTerns, and the sole junior founder of the IQ Teen Camp. She is the main inspiration for the foundation and the development of its programs. As a full partner she has been involved in all aspects of the foundation.
In the programs that she created, Derisha met some amazing friends, who will remain part of her life forever. After 13 years of Worldschooling, she is now starting full time university in the Netherlands. Even with this new step, she will remain part of ArcticTerns.
Dominic has been part of ArcticTerns from the very beginning. He started Worldschooling when he was just two months old and became part of ArcticTerns when he was 7, starting with Worldschooling Bansko. He’s made lots of friends through the programs and joined many of the activities over the years. Now that he’s older, he’s started helping out with small tasks and can’t wait to do more. He hopes ArcticTerns will still exists when he has kids of his own.
