To our youth

Our youngest are back at school and we are all happy about that.

But I would like to talk about our young ones.

Those who are still waiting, still longing.

I would like to say to our young ones that you are not forgotten!

Our goal is to have them back at school before summer.

 

Many thanks have been given during this period of lockdown.

It's about time we thank our young ones.

They have sacrificed a lot.

 

Many adults have been in despair these weeks.

Some of them have been frustrated because they could'nt stay at their cabin.

Others have been frustrated about working from home.

I understand the frustration!

But your cabin is still there – it's waiting patiently for you to arrive.

And your job is pretty much the same when you return.

That is not the case when you are young.

 

The spring you turn 14 is not patiently waiting for you to arrive.

It's not possible to return to the summer when you are 17.

Celebrating graduation cannot be played on repeat.

 

We who are adults talk about next summer.

But next summer is for middle-aged men who buy minced meat and toilet paper on sale.

Next summer does not exist when you are young.

 

When you are young, you care about today and tomorrow.

You dream of the summer ahead and this spring.

 

You dream of the football cup where you will score a goal like no one has done before.

You dream of the field trip where you finally have the courage to flirt with the cutest boy in class.

You dream of the school formal where your will dance the night away in the way to expensive dress that you had to nag about for a year.

 

You dream of celebrating graduation with your friends.

Then came the virus that killed dreams.

There is no football cup, no field trip.

There is no formal and no graduation.

 

In addition it is completely impossible to concentrate during home-school since your parents are talking too loudly during their Skype-meetings with the office.

There is nothing more I would like to say to our young ones that everything will be the same as before.

But I can't.

 

This spring will be different.

This summer will be different,

This year will be different.

 

You are the young ones who has to do things different.

You have put your lives on hold in order for others to save their lives.

 

I hope you will dance even without a school formal.

I hope you will score fantastic goals even without a football cup.

I hope you will flirt with cute girls and boys even without a field trip.

I hope you will have a great time celebrating graduation even though it will be different.

 

These are different days – I still hope they can be nice.

 

Thank you to all Norwegian young ones.

Thank you to the graduating classes of 2020

 

We are proud of you!