Youth Participation in Norway - From Youth Councils to Utøya
ABOUT ACTIVITY
My name is Dora Maravić, and if my name reminds you of that journalist from Poreč, you’re right! That's me! I am originally from Trogir, but I love spending time in Poreč as part of the team of journalists of the Croatian School Sports Federation. That wasn't enough for me, so I eagerly embraced the role of the president of the Youth Advisory Board / Youth Council of the City of Trogir. And as they say, my ambition took me further. Together with Info zona (with our Antonia Kuzmanić), the Association Delta from Rijeka (Sara Sušanj), a member of the Youth Council of the City of Pazin (Ana Brubnjak), the president of the Youth Council of Osijek (Saša Milaković), and employees of the Association of Cities of the Republic of Croatia (Lucija Jusup and Mario Žuliček), I was invited to a Study Visit to visit the Norwegian youth councils / advisory boards, where I learned a lot (or at least I hope so!).
Youth councils / advisory boards as a place of youth participation: Croatia vs. Norway
It all began on Wednesday, April 26th, when I changed the sun for snow. The Croatian delegation didn't know each other well, and we were from different areas of Croatia, but I can say we hit it off very quickly. Antonia and I spent the first day travelling, while the rest of the team was already enjoying and getting to know the first city we stayed in (we changed three hotels!) and its hosts, who had already been guests in Croatia at one of the youth council conferences.
On Thursday we spent half a day visiting the City Hall of Mandala, where our hosts showed us examples of good practices. To better understand the function of this advisory body, we exchanged different experiences and packed some of them in our suitcases to ensure they travel safely and contribute to our beautiful country.
I already gained a more than positive impression of both the organisation and the whole country of Norway on the first day. Besides that, I made new acquaintances that I will forever cherish in my thoughts. At the end of the day, we headed to the heart of Norway, Oslo – a metropolis with slightly better lighting than Osijek. There we admired all the buildings touched by the minds of the greatest architects, with the indescribable view of the Opera impressing us the most... We sealed the day by going to a nearby fast-food where we almost started speaking Norwegian!
When tragedy turns into empathy and unity
It's already Friday, and the Croatian delegation set out to meet the rest of the youth council with whom they would spend the day on the island of emotions - Utøya. We were welcomed by a crowd of smiling young people and their cheerful leaders who "woke us up" with icebreaker games. Even though we like to laugh and we're not always serious, the visit to the island made us sad for a while. At the same time, we felt honoured because we had the privilege to be there. The painful past leaves an indelible mark on anyone who has experienced it, or even just heard about it. The island is a place of emotions but also a place of learning. Today, the programmes held on the island teach young people how to succeed in the field they have chosen as their current path, and they learn how to be brave, just as their peers were when existence was most challenging.
Unspoken words, words too heavy in the moment, we impressed into the "cloud of words" and thus left a piece of ourselves to them. After this wonderful gesture, presentations were held in which each youth council / advisory board presented their work. Our Kvarner representative, Sara Sušanj presented the Croatian context. And so, that was our last stop on the trip except for the one where, at four in the morning the next day, we waited for the train.
I will gratefully attribute my unforgettable Scandinavian experience, new friends, new acquired knowledge, and the whirlwind of emotions to my dream team – Antonia, Sara, Sanja, Mario, Šaša, and Ana, as well as the hosts! I look forward to new encounters and the joint discovery of some new European and world countries through projects!
Written by: Dora Maravić
The project "Youth Councils - What's Next?" is supported through the Active Citizenship Fund, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway under the EEA Grants.
