Nordic Youth Conference 2026 – The rise of extremism:  How can we protect democracy from hate?

Why this conference?

We invite you to join the conference and become a part of a Nordic youth network and community working together to counter the rise of hate speech through networking, knowledge sharing, awareness raising and educational and campaign activities on a local, national and international level.

Hate speech is a concerning phenomenon in all the Nordic countries. Polarisation and the rise of extremismist political activity, along with racism and discrimination, is narrowing the public space for protecting human rights and democracy. In order to counter hate speech and strengthen youth participation, Nordic youth need to be organised.

This event is led by a team from the No Hate Nordic Network and is our biggest yearly event. This will be the third inaugural Nordic youth conference about hate speech. The conference is a cooperation between No Hate Nordic, Stopp Hatprat and Utøya AS.

The conference focuses on hate speech in the Nordics and how to fight against it, with emphasis on the theme of extremism.

What will you gain?

At the conference you will gain knowledge about hate speech and extremism, share experiences and take part in workshops and non-formal educational activities. You will expand your network and meet other young people who wish to engage in countering hate speech and explore together how young people in the Nordics can counter hate speech and extremism. 

There will be parallel sessions in the topics of democracy, extremism, and countering hate speech to networking and capacity building. 

After the event, you can take part in the No Hate Nordic Network and help us work against hate speech in the Nordics.

Objectives

The objectives of the conference are:

• Strengthen youth participation in democracy as a response to hate speech
• Learn how to counter extremism and disinformation
• Share tools and best practices on countering hate speech
• Networking and building the capacity of the participants
• Strengthen and develop Nordic cooperation and the No Hate Nordic network

Participant profile

As a participant:

• You should have a connection to or an interest in countering hate speech in the Nordics. 
• You do not need to be a part of the No Hate Nordic Network from before to participate. 
• You need to be between 15 and 30 years of age at the time of the conference. 
• You need to live in one of the eight Nordic countries and autonomous areas.
• You should be interested in the topic of hate speech in the Nordics. 
• You should understand and be able to communicate in English

Read more about expectations to the participants in the application form.

About No Hate Nordic

No Hate Nordic was started by a group of Nordic young people at the Nordic Youth Conference on Utøya in 2024. It is managed by a steering group consisting of young people from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland. 

No Hate Nordic wishes to strengthen the participating youth’s sense of agency and the feeling of belonging to a community and tackle themes of discrimination, racism, and violent extremism, among other topical issues.  The network is run by Nordic youth, and we define the problems we face and the activities we need to engage in to solve them. 

We hope you will join us in building the network and shaping our futures together. 

About Stopp hatprat

Stopp hatprat launched in Norway  in 2014 as a part of the Council of Europe’s No Hate Speech Movement. Its primary goal is to combat hate speech, online harassment, and discrimination by raising awareness, educating young people, and encouraging counter-narratives that promote human rights and inclusive democracy.

The movement consists of youth ambassadors who do human rights education against hate speech for and with young people. It also has an open youth network for organisations and individuals who support the movement’s purpose. 

About Utøya

On the 22nd of July in 2011, the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people: 8 at the government quarter of Oslo and 69 at the summer camp of Workers’ Youth League (AUF). He saw the young people as traitors because they supported a multicultural and diverse society. He was inspired by right-wing extremist ideologies and hate speech online. Since then, the island has been reclaimed and is today a place for young people to remember, learn and engage with what happened, and continue the spirit of the youth who fell victim to the terrorist attack.

To visit can be a strong experience, it also creates a meaningful context to work against hate speech and for human rights. A visit always starts with a tour where you learn the history and the context of the island as a camp place of the labour movement to the place to learn about democracy and human rights it is today.

Travel, food, and accommodation

We cover the most reasonable travel to Utøya from your place of residence according to the Erasmus+ travel rates. Utøya is located one hour from Oslo, and bus transport is organised from Oslo Central Station to Utøya and back. Food and accommodation on the island is covered by the organisers.  Accommodation is organised in basic cabins at Utøya, and food is prepared and enjoyed at the cantina according to food preferences and allergies. 

Organisers and funding

The conference is led by a preparatory team of five people from the No Hate Nordic steering group, supported by staff from No Hate Speech Movement Norway (Stopp hatprat) and the Utøya island.

The training is funded by Erasmus+ Youth in Action and The Savings Bank Foundation DNB.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Contact information

If you have any questions about the event, please contact nohatenordicnetwork@gmail.com.