Young people from across Canada's North will be invited to write, photograph, draw and paint their way into International Polar Year research by taking part in a time capsule project that aims to document the region through the eyes of its youth.

The time capsule is part of the current International Polar Year research project, which launched in March 2007 and runs until 2009. It is being organized by IPY's Canadian youth steering committee, which includes Yellowknife native Julia Christensen.

"It's the youth that are going to inherit this world, and it's the youth whose perspectives, you know, really need to be heard in this International Polar Year," said Christensen, currently a post-graduate student at McGill University, in an interview.

"Its main aim is really to provide a snapshot of what life is like in the North from the eyes of northern youth, so that 50 years from now, during the next International Polar Year, we can look at that perspective and understand sort of how far have we come."

Christensen said the time capsule will seek photography, artwork and creative writing from youth, so that their views are documented alongside those of scientists, politicians and other community members.

"We're sending art supplies and also disposable cameras, so that we can get some grassroots projects where youth will go out with cameras and with their art supplies and basically provide us with a visual snapshot of what, you know, a day in the life of a young person is in a northern community," she said.

The capsule, once completed, will tour northern communities before being stored at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife, where it will stay sealed for the next 50 years.