The University of Tasmania has teamed up with the Antarctic Youth Coalition to help connect young people interested in the frozen continent.
Coalition co-founder Katia Macias Diaz is working with the Antarctic Studies team in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences to establish a chapter of the organisation in the Antarctic gateway city of Hobart.
Katia, a secondary school teacher, set up the Chilean branch of the AYC in her hometown of Punta Arenas. The ultimate aim is to have branches in all five Antarctic gateways, which also include Cape Town (South Africa), Christchurch (New Zealand) and Ushuaia (Argentina).
Katia first visited Antarctica in 2020, dropping in on the research bases of various nations, and returned in 2024, cementing her passion for the continent.
“When you get there, you get the feeling Antarctica is nothing like the current world we’re living in,’’ she says.
“Everyone works collaboratively, you can feel an international sensation – it’s another way of living. I really like that atmosphere, you could visit every country in the same place, all of the different stations in the same territory. It was very impressive for me.’’
The AYC’s mission is to create new connections between the gateway cities by building a network of young people who are interested in Antarctica and its protection.
Its vision is for cities to come together to embrace the values of Antarctica - international cooperation, care for the environment, and science and learning.
The membership-based not-for-profit organisation is for people aged between 18-35 who are living in one of the gateway cities.
Katia, who is 30, came to Australia on a working holiday last year, working in a school and also on dairy farm in Tasmania’s North East.
“I love teaching, but Antarctica is like my real, true love,’’ she says.
Her work is part of a collaborative project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR), involving the University of Tasmania, City of Hobart and the AYC in Punta Arenas.
Find more information or get involved here.