Travel, accommodations, and meals are provided at no cost to participants. Students must have or be able to get a passport and provide regular clothing and a sturdy pair of hiking boots. Extreme Cold Weather Gear for use at Summit in Greenland is issued in the field by the program.
The JSEP application is open during the winter (~December through January) before each JSEP (following summer). We will not make any exceptions for students who are not in 11th grade at the time of application.
All students must have or be able to obtain a U.S. passport before the expedition. Your passport will need to be valid for at least 6 months after the date of the expedition.
The JSEP program is run in English.
Students are required to be in good physical health because of remote travel and hiking in rugged terrain.
Food choices in the polar regions are limited. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not always available, and certain dietary restrictions may be difficult or impossible to accommodate. For example, there may occasionally be vegetarian or gluten-free options available, but they are not guaranteed. Please carefully consider this information in making your decision about whether you can safely deploy to Greenland.
Students who are selected for JSEP are among very few people in the world who have the opportunity to travel to Greenland. As such, we expect that each participating student will share their experience with their school or community after they return from the expedition. We recommend that you discuss some ideas for this project with a teacher or mentor. As part of your application, you will be expected to describe a project that you would complete if you participate in JSEP.