C3 expedition changed Charlottetown man's perspective

Thinking it would be an amazing trip,Charlottetown's Dana Kenny says he filled out an application to jointhe Canada C3 expedition on a whim.

"The reason Ireally wanted to do it was probably just when are you going to have the chance to go to the north and really experience that side of Canada?" he said.

Kenny, who works inworks inmarketing and communications at UPEI,was accepted and spent 21 days aboard The Polar Prince.

Kenny, along with the voyage's other Island representative, Mathieu Arsenault, shared their experience at the StartUp Zone in Charlottetown Tuesday night.

"We were leg 12 of the expedition that was divided into 15 legs, ours being the longest of all 15," Kenny said.

The leg he was on started in Tuktoyaktukin theNorthwest Territories and went around Alaska before ending in Prince Rupert, B.C.

No snow

"I expected to see snow and there was no snow," he said. "I learned that in the western Arctic at this time of year there isn't snow or ice or icebergs floating around, that would be more eastern Arctic."

Kenny said the program expected participantsto be fully present and engaged.

"We took the Canada 150 themes and we adopted them for this project, thisexpedition. We discussed diversity and inclusion and everything that can mean."

Other subjects included reconciliation, engagement with youth, environment and climate change.Kenny said he led one of the discussions as did Arsenault.

Shared experiences

"We felt young and we talked about the different experiences we've had."

Kenny said the trip broadened his perspective about Indigenous people and what happened to them. Hesaid everyone has diverse opinions and people didn't agree all the time.

"Over the last couple of years, the dialogue has slowly become a large conversation nationally, to be aware,but to be stuck on a boat where you can't walk away from itWe had to work together and find harmony with one another even if we didn't agree."

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