Call for participants: Study Visit to Iceland

The Nordic Youth Network Against Hate Speech project is organising a study trip for youth to Iceland on 5-9 of May! During the study trip Finnish and Norwegian participants get to know Icelandic society and meet with local organisations and decision-makers. We’ll meet with local youth and exchange experiences and opinions regarding hate-speech as well as experience a bit of what the capital has to offer.
reykjavik

Hate Speech threatens youth participation and inclusion in the Nordics. We therefore invite youth from all Nordic countries to create a safe arena to counter hate speech. Youth are both the organisers and the participants in this project aiming to create a Nordic Youth Network Against Hate Speech.

We will travel to Reykjavik on 5 May and stay in shared flats until 9 May. The travel costs, accommodation, food and official activities will all be covered by the Network. There is no participation fee. Any special needs related to accommodation will be taken into consideration.  

Dates5-9 May
PlaceIceland
Target groupActivists aged 15-25 with experience on human rights topics (please notice that Icelandic and Finnish participants will be age 18-30)
CostsFree participation with travel, accommodation programme and food covered
Places10 per country
Application deadlineApply before 1st of April!

Who can participate?

We will select 10 participants each from both Norway and Iceland. We’re looking for 15-25-year old active participants that are interested in and have experience in the topics of: Nordic co-operation, human rights activism, anti hate-speech, antiracism and being an active member of society. We’re looking for members that are motivated to become a part of the Nordic Youth Network Against Hate Speech in the future. The study trip doesn’t have any education requirements, but the participants need to be able to work in English.  

We strive to promote equality and accessibility in our recruitment process. Our goal is to form a diverse group that includes people from different ethnicities, language groups, gender and sexual identities etc as well as different backgrounds in terms of experiences and education. We believe that diversity in the group brings value to the conversations and helps us tackle the themes of hate speech widely. Your personal information is stored securely and will not be shared with other Network members.

Participants will get an opportunity to attend the Nordic youth conference in Norway and become a part of the Nordic Youth Network Against Hate Speech 5-9 September 2024 if you are motivated.

Why a Nordic Network Against Hate Speech?

Hate speech is a concerning phenomenon in all the Nordic countries. The rise of far-right political activity along with racism and discrimination are narrowing the public space for discussions on human rights and democracy. In order to counter hate speech and strengthen youth participation we need to be organised. 

With a Nordic network we wish to strengthen the participating youth’s sense of agency and the feeling of belonging to a community and tackle themes of discrimination, racism, far-right political activity and violent extremism among other topical issues.  

We aim to create a continuing Network organised by Nordic youth themselves, where we define the problems we face and the activities we need to engage in to solve them. The study visit is a place to develop the knowledge and understanding we need to succeed.

Goals of the Nordic Network Project

  • Create a sustainable Nordic Network that can continue its activities into the future
  • Jointly develop action plans and guidelines for network members
  • Create Nordic youth ambassadors against hate speech
  • Cultural and knowledge exchange through networking
  • Raising awareness of the network through social media

Who are organising the study visit?

The study visit is organised by a youth steering group consisting of in total 9 people from Iceland, Finland and Norway selected to represent the organisations SAFT, the Peace Education Institute and No Hate Speech Movement Norway (Stopp hatprat). The program is led by the three local Icelandic youth in the steering committee supported by the rest.

The project is funded by Norden 0-30, a funding programme for young people in the Nordic Region set up by The Nordic Committee for Children and Young People (NORDBUK).