Young people discussed politics on Utøya

The camp on Utøya was held for the fourth consecutive year and has become a valued event for young people involved in Nordic politics. Here, young people from different political backgrounds come together across political and party divides to develop – in the same vein as the Nordic Council – cross-border resolutions that set out their vision for the Nordic Region.

The Nordic Youth Council (NYC) is a forum for the political youth organisations in the Nordic Region. For many years, the NYC has played a role in the Nordic Council’s decision-making by participating in debates at Nordic Council meetings and contributing innovative resolutions and debate. Many of the NYC’s resolutions have their origins at the Utøya summer camp.

Utøya has a long history as a meeting place for young people with an interest in society and has hosted the Norwegian Labour Party’s youth organisation (AUF) summer camp for many years. On 22 July 2011, the island was the site of a terrorist attack in which 69 people, most of them young people, lost their lives. Since then, Utøya has evolved into both a place of remembrance and a political meeting place, welcoming more than 10,000 young people every year.

To kick off the work on new resolutions, the first day of the summer camp was dedicated to workshops. Participants discussed current issues such as security and preparedness, democracy, welfare, and education. Within these themes, they shared experiences and ideas on how society can be improved.

One of the scenarios explored was how society should respond to a prolonged power outage. Here, the Ukrainian participants brought valuable perspectives, as several had experienced such situations first-hand. Among the key conclusions were the importance of co-operation with neighbours and local shops, as well as maintaining a good level of individual preparedness.

Another highlight of the camp was the Country Reports session, during which participants from each country presented the political situation in their home countries and the challenges they face. The presentation from Ukraine was particularly well received, offering insights into the country’s culture and politics alongside personal stories, hopes, and visions for the future after the war.

Thursday was devoted to drafting resolutions based on the previous day’s discussions. During several intensive hours, participants produced more than 15 resolutions, which were then presented to one of the summer camp’s guests, Ville Väyrynen, President of the Nordic Council.

The proposals included resolutions to strengthen the role of youth councils across the Nordic Region, introduce compulsory school elections, improve education about both visible and invisible disabilities, and enhance cross-border co-operation between the emergency services of the Nordic countries.

The resolutions were warmly received by Väyrynen, who commented:

The resolutions developed during the summer camp included several creative and forward-looking ideas. A number of them may be presented at the Session of the Nordic Youth Council in Helsinki in October. If adopted there, they will be submitted through the NYC to the relevant committees of the Nordic Council for further consideration. This process gives young people a unique opportunity to influence Nordic politics directly – something that remains rare in many parts of the world.

This is why the Nordic Council supports the Nordic Youth Council and the summer camp on Utøya. Through the NYC, many young politicians have taken their first steps in an international political setting and discovered the value of Nordic co-operation.