History - Journey 1
Pole to Pole was conceived by world- renowned expedition leader Martyn Williams, the first man in history to lead successful expeditions to the worlds three greatest extremes: the North Pole, the South Pole and Mount Everest. His goal in creating the Pole to Pole journeys and the Pole to Pole Leadership Institute that organizes them, is to inspire, connect and empower youth to confront todays critical issues.
Several years ago Martyn Williams trained and led the first international team of youth on Pole to Pole Journey 1. This first Pole to Pole expedition inspired millions of youth world-wide and initiated the concept of the Pole to Pole Expedition Team giving presentations on leadership and inspiring young people to take action on local social, economic and environmental initiatives.
Thousands of schools followed the team's progress on the web and the Pole to Pole Journey 1 Expedition Team spoke to 20,000 students at schools along the way about the power youth have to make a difference in the world. The team collected millions of promises of action from youth worldwide, such as commitments to clean up bicycle paths, to recycle, or to volunteer at Mother Teresa's Orphanages in India.
After this first journey the potential to mobilise far greater numbers of youth to take action was clear and so current plans are for Pole to Pole Journey 2 to have even more impact. This second journey aims to motivate one million youth to be involved in leadership initiatives that will result in positive change in their communities and their world.
