Youth and Democracy
Utøya has a long-standing tradition as a meeting place for young people engaging in political, civic and democratic issues. It is a place for international solidarity and peace work, based on democratic values and principles.
After the terror attacks 22 July 2011, Utøya was re-established as a place for civic and democratic engagement. Young people come to Utøya from all over the world to share experiences and collaborate to promote democratic values and practices. It has become a powerful and inspiring example of young people’s resilience to extremism and terror.
The programme on Youth and Democracy acknowledges and promotes the importance of young people for sustainable democracies. It encourages democratic participation, activism, training and networking through workshops, seminars and conferences aiming to empower young people to make their voices heard and count.
YOUTH & DEMOCRACY PROGRAMMES
The Thorvald Stoltenberg Seminar is an annual training course at Utøya to support young people’s actions to foster co-existence, trust and dialogue among people living in diverse societies.
The young experts seminar will gather 50 young experts, practitioners, civil society leaders, and other actors aged between 18-35, who are involved in political activism, human rights, arts, media and technology at Utøya.
The Survivor Tree Youth Program aims to connect and support these young people to strengthen our common fight against extremism and for peaceful coexistence.
