Program

Conference moderated by Elin Saga Kjørholt, Dánjal Augustinussen and Ingvild Østli.

Wednesday 4 June 2025

10:00 Registration opens

11:00 Opening session

• Youth participation in the Nordic co-operation, Konsta Lindi, representing the board of The Nordic Council of Youth and Viggo Kalman, Youth representative in The Nordic Committee for Children and Young People, NORDBUK

11:20 Research findings and lessons learned

• Involvement and participation of children and youth in the Nordic region during the pandemic, Jakob Trane Ibsen, Chief Analyst, VIVE – Danish Center for Social Research
• Welfare among Children and Young People in the Post-Pandemic Nordics, Bethina Strandberg-Jensen, Senior Adviser and Coordinator of the Nordic research funding initiative on children and young people at NordForsk

12:00 The right of children and young people to be heard, seen, and involved in the Nordic region

Anders Adlercreutz, Minister of Education and Nordic co-operation, Finland

12:10 Lunch

13:30 Recommendations for future crisis

• Recommendations on participatory structures for decision makers, insights from Nordic youth, Lisa Sjöblom, Child Rights Expert, Fasil
• Youth leisure - a key to resilience in times of crisis, Monica Johansson, Rapsod
• Empowering student councils and youth participation in schools, Ragný Þóra Guðjohnsen, Assistant Professor at the University of Iceland and Eva Harðardóttir, Assistant Professor at the University of Iceland
• Status on the right of children and young people to be heard in the Nordic region, the Nordic Children’s ombudsmen and Kirsten Sandberg, Professor Emerita, the University of Oslo

15:00 Coffee break

15:30 Workshop session

Main workshop: How can we strengthen children’s right to participation in the Nordic region – and improve crisis management for the future?

Join a powerful, youth-led workshop where young people, government representatives, and Children’s Ombudspersons from across the Nordic region come together to explore how children’s voices can be better heard—especially in times of crisis.

🔹 When? During the Nordic collaboration event

🔹 Who? Youth, policymakers, and child rights advocates

🔹 Why? Because children’s perspectives are essential for building resilient societies

The insights and recommendations from this workshop will form a dedicated chapter in the upcoming Nordic report on the implementation of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child — highlighting how children and adults can work together to shape more inclusive crisis responses.

💬Let’s make participation real — by listening, learning, and acting together.

Parallel Workshop 1. Youth leisure as a resilience builder - How to safeguard youth access to leisure in times of crisis

Leisure activities are vital for young people's well-being and resilience, especially during crises. In this workshop, we’ll explore how lessons from the pandemic can shape future responses – ensuring that all young people have access to meaningful leisure opportunities.

Participants will be invited to share their experiences and feedback to the recommendations we have gathered so far, contributing directly to our Nordic mapping.

The final recommendations will be e-mailed about a week before the Helsinki workshop – giving you time to reflect and prepare.

Parallel Workshop 2: Strengthening student councils for real participation

Join us for an engaging workshop where we, together with young participants, will explore how student councils can become truly meaningful and inclusive platforms for democratic participation in Nordic schools.

Using a model for student council participation we will reflect together on the key factors that enable student councils to foster civic engagement, equality, and real influence in school life.

We look forward to seeing you and working together to empower student voices across the region!

💬 Let’s empower student voices and shape the future of school democracy together!

17:30 Savory snack buffet & mingle

Thursday 5 June 2025

09:00 Presentations from workshops

• Plenary presentations from yesterday’s workshops, Unlocking Better Crisis Management: Recommendations to decision makers on strengthening children’s right to participation in the Nordic region
• Wrap up and warm up for the Hybrid Event
• Self-organised time: for bilateral meetings, discussions, work, check out

11:00 Lunch wrap

12:00-15:00 Hybrid Event: "Better Crisis Preparedness through the Involvement of Children and Young People in the Nordic Region"

Those of you unable to attend this part of the program on site can follow it online, register here for online-participation.

• Unlocking Better Crisis Management: The Power of Youth Involvement, Nordic Youth
• How to manage child and youth participation during crisis: Recommendations for decision makers in the Nordic region on Child Rights, Lisa Sjöblom, Child Rights Expert, Fasil
• What went wrong with youth involvement during the pandemic and what worked? Jakob Trane Ibsen, Chief Analyst, VIVE – Danish Center for Social Research
• How and why, you need to involve student councils in your crisis preparedness, Ragný Þóra Guðjohnsen, Assistant Professor at the University of Iceland and Eva Harðardóttir, Assistant Professor at the University of Iceland
• Youth leisure - a key to resilience in times of crisis, Åsa Gunvén & Monica Johansson, Rapsod
• Recommended actions for Nordic unity: Ensuring children's rights in times of crisis, The Nordic Children’s Ombudsmen and Kirsten Sandberg, Professor Emerita, the University of Oslo
• Concluding remarks, Alexander Winge, the president of The Nordic Council of Youth, Viggo Kalman, Youth representative of The Nordic Committee for Children and Young People, NORDBUK, and project manager Merethe Løberg, The Nordic Welfare Centre