BEAC - Barents Euro-Arctic Council
BEAC - Barents Euro-Arctic Council
10/02/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2025 07:20
Generation Barents 2025 - The Biggest One Yet
Generation Barents 2025 was the fourth installation of the youth conference - and the biggest one yet! The event brought together 80 engaged young people from the Nordic regions and beyond to discuss pressing issues of the Northern communities. Once again Generation Barents provided a platform for engaged youth to come together and learn, exchange ideas and most importantly contribute to positive change in local communities. Through the conference new friendships were formed, networks were expanded, and through it all the Generation Barents team worked tirelessly to foster a strong sense of community.
The conference was opened by BRYC Chair Kaljdi Dedej, Emma Munters of Skogsungdomarna, and Advisor at the Norwegian Barents Secretariat Elizabeta Vassilieva. The opening session set the stage for a day of collaboration, ideas, and inspiration. The importance of youth engagement in shaping a sustainable and united future for the region was particularly highlighted.
The day continued with sessions on youth engagement, civil security and preparedness, explorations of skills for the future, and workshops on priorities, ideas, and visions for the future. In addition to these sessions, the day was broken up with fun and games - from "Barents Jeopardy" where participants could test their knowledge of the region, to informal coffee chats during the breaks.
The final session of the day looked towards the future of youth cooperation in the Euro-Arctic region. At the end of an engaging discussion, the BRYC representatives from the three BRYC countries Sweden, Norway, and Finland, as well as BRYC's indigenous representative signed the Umeå declaration. The participants of the conference were then invited to sign as well. The declaration reaffirms Finland's motivation to participate in the BRYC cooperation, despite Finland's withdrawal from the Barents Euro-Arctic Cooperation. The day was wrapped up with a conference dinner, with good food, good company, and beautiful music by Swedish singer Natalie Carrion.
The following day was focused on the management of the boreal forest in Sweden. The participants were taken on an excursion to two forest areas to learn about and reflect on how the forest could be managed to balance the various values and needs of future generations. Participants were taken to two similar, but different forest locations, where they were encouraged to take in the effects of nature, and learn about how the forest is being managed.
One of the forests was the city forest of Umeå, Gamlia. Here the participants were taken on a walk through the forest to learn about the history of the forest, its use as a recreational space, and how the forest is maintained. The other forest was one owned by Svarte Swartling who together with his colleague Lina Selina from Norra Skog spoke about forest management in Sweden, and the life cycle of the forests. Here the participants also learned about reindeer husbandry, and the importance of the forests for the indigenous population of Sweden.
During the excursion, the participants listened to engaging presentations on the Swedish forestry model, production and ecosystem needs, reindeer husbandry, preservation, conservation, and the recreational use of forests. The day ended with future-oriented discussions on forest usage, and how to balance biodiversity, climate, indigenous rights, and other resource needs. These results were then presented to Staffan Norin, Head of the Forestry Department at the Swedish Forest Agency. The conference ended with a final dinner, where participants were able to further explore the networks they had made during the conference and continue some of the engaging discussions.
Pictures courtesy of the Norwegain Barents Secretariat.
The Barents Regional Youth Council (BRYC) was established in 2004 and serves as a spokesperson for youth within the Barents Cooperation. Youth representatives are from all of the counties within the Barents Region, and their mission is to enhance youth collaboration in the region and empower young individuals to actively participate in their communities. BRYC often works closely with the International Barents Secretariat (IBS) on projects and events relevant for youth. The IBS also operates as the administrative body, secretariat and coordinator for the Barents Regional Youth Council.
BEAC - Barents Euro-Arctic Council published this content on October 02, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 02, 2025 at 13:20 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]