14 places, 19 days, 1000 young people

This autumn, the True North 2026 team went on tour across Northern Norway to meet young people, listen to their perspectives, and build cooperation across the region.
Over 19 days, they visited 14 locations, from Honningsvåg in the north to Mosjøen in the south.


This autumn, the True North 2026 team went on tour across Northern Norway to meet young people, listen to their perspectives, and build cooperation across the region.
Over 19 days, they visited 14 locations, from Honningsvåg in the north to Mosjøen in the south.

Siste oppdatering 10. Feb 2026, kl. 9:30

Publisert 10. Feb 2026

The tour began in October with visits to Storslett, Alta, Hammerfest, Honningsvåg, Kirkenes, Karasjok, and Kautokeino. After a short break in Tromsø, the journey continued south to Finnsnes, Harstad, Sortland, Andenes, Bodø, Mo i Rana, and Mosjøen. In total, they met around 1,000 young people and established valuable partnerships at every stop.

True North 2026 has truly gained a foothold across the whole of Northern Norway!

Tour part 1

  • Storslett, Troms
  • Alta, Finnmark
  • Hammerfest, Finnmark
  • Honningsvåg, Finnmark
  • Kirkenes, Finnmark
  • Karasjok, Finnmark
  • Kautokeino, Finnmark

Tour part 2

  • Finnsnes, Troms
  • Harstad, Troms
  • Sortland, Nordland
  • Andenes, Nordland
  • Bodø, Nordland
  • Mo i Rana, Nordland
  • Mosjøen, Nordland

What engages young people in Northern Norway

Through dialogue and workshops, several themes clearly emerged.

The need for social meeting places and low-threshold leisure activities was a recurring topic, particularly safe, alcohol-free spaces where young people can meet after school. Culture and local identity were also central, with a strong desire for concerts, festivals and activities that bring life to local communities and help both young people and newcomers feel a sense of belonging.

Housing, transport and mobility were widely discussed. Better public transport, night buses, e-scooters and city bikes matter to young people. Many young adults also emphasised work, skills development and professional networks. Young people expressed a wish to improve existing activity offers and strengthen opportunities to benefit from the health advantages nature provides. Upgrading gyms, outdoor workout parks and sports halls were frequent suggestions. During the tour, we also met with a range of business associations offering young adult initiatives, recognised as strong arenas for sustainable and safe communities.

From idea to action

During the daytime, we visited upper secondary schools with an information stand, followed by afternoon workshops focused on idea development and project planning. The workshops were based on the funding scheme we run in collaboration with SpareBank1, giving young people tools and resources to develop and carry out their own projects.

Bilde fra workshop på Nord-Troms videregående skole.
From a workshop with students from Northern Troms High School. Here we used a workshop-method called diamond and timeline.

Strong youth engagement across the north

The journey across Northern Norway has shown that young people throughout the region have a powerful commitment to shaping their own communities through creating meaningful meeting places, strengthening local identity and taking responsibility for their own initiatives. They want to co-create the future of their local areas and are consistently driven by a strong desire to make a difference where they live.

Our tour was vloged and posted on Facebook and Instagram, check it out! Note: In Norwegian only.

News