The International Institute for Sustainable Development has made a commitment to engage and train emerging leaders in the North to ensure that the work that is being done today is continued into the future with fresh insights and new directions. In 1999, IISD, in cooperation with the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council, initiated the Circumpolar Young Leaders program. The Circumpolar Young Leaders program is an experiential training program for northern youth between the ages of 20 and 30. It gives northern youth entry to--and experience with--key organizations in other circumpolar countries and in southern Canada working on northern issues, providing the foundation for a career in sustainable development policy and practice, and the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to northern sustainability.