Aurora partners with education platform & expands into French-speaking markets

Captured at Port Lockroy on 20Mar, 2020 by Matt Horspool @Etchd Photography.
By James Harrison


Aurora Expeditions has hired Nicolas Bilek for business development with French-speaking markets and is partnering with UpSchool, an Australian-based education platform to educate students on the global importance of the Arctic.

Bilek has more than 22 years’ travel industry and expedition experience and aims to use his trade and industry network to grow awareness and drive sales of Aurora Expeditions voyages with French-speaking adventure travellers. 

Nicolas Bilek – Business Development Manager Europe and Quebec at Aurora Expeditions

“I am thrilled to be joining the Aurora family, and to have the opportunity to grow and market this unique product within these emerging markets,” commented Bilek.

“Aurora’s spirit of true adventure and its understated, relaxed and friendly atmosphere is something I strongly believe will appeal to the markets that I will be helping to develop.

“We have already begun to see an increase in interest in our active and life-changing voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic from French speakers, and I am confident that by working with our valued trade and media partners, this will continue to grow.”   

UpSchool provides free courses and resources for children and teachers and is currently being used by over 1,000 teachers in 110 different countries, with around 30,000 children attending class each week including in countries such as Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine.

The next project for UpSchool is a June 2022 trip to the Arctic, in partnership with Aurora Expeditions.

This will result in a brand-new 10-week course exploring the role this region plays in the lives of every human being on earth, and educating on how everyday choices we all make are putting pressure on the health of our planet.

Children participating in the course will be encouraged to make a plan to change the way in which their community lives, to help contribute to positive environmental change.

“We are proud to be partnering with UpSchool on this incredible project that will help to raise awareness of the pivotal importance of the Arctic to the health of our planet,” commented Michael Heath, CEO at Aurora Expeditions.

“Enrichment, education, deepening connections to the remote regions we visit, and creating ambassadors for the protection of the environment is of huge importance to our company, and this partnership is one of many actions we are taking as part of a farreaching sustainability in action plan.”

UpSchool also partners with the United Nations Association of Australia, Canva and
the Jane Goodall Institute.

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