Speech at the announcement of the new Sami Pathfinders

Dear friends!

It is always a pleasure to present the new Sami Pathfinders.

The young people who will act as Pathfinders for the coming year are:

• Anna Cicilie Somby Westerfjell, from Snåsa
• Anne Margaretha Kuhmunen Oskal, from Nordland
• Ánde Trosten, from Tana

I would like to thank you for taking on this important task. You have an exciting and challenging time ahead of you!

I am very impressed by the work of the young Pathfinders.

The Pathfinders have been outstanding representatives of Sami youth and the Sami community. They have done an excellent job in sharing knowledge about the Sami People and the Sami society. 

Pathfinders talk about being a young Sami in Norway, referring to their own experiences. This makes it especially relevant to other young people.

This is the reason why I think it is such an advantage that you work as a team, and that the members of this team come from different parts of Sápmi and different sectors of Sami society. This shows the great diversity of the Sami community, which is one of our strengths. It is important to help others become aware of this diversity.

The Government believes that knowledge about the Sami - their language, culture and way of life - promotes positive attitudes towards the Sami community as such. This is why the direct contact between the Pathfinders and other young people is so worthwhile.

And this is why the Government decided to make the Sami Pathfinders project a permanent arrangement. The work of the Pathfinders is not a replacement for Sami subjects at school, it is a supplement. This is an important point. School pupils who are visited by the Pathfinders gain more from meeting them if they have become familiar with aspects of Sami society on beforehand. I am pleased to see that a growing number of schools are preparing their pupils in this way. It is the Government’s goal that all children in Norway should learn about the Sami.

I would like to thank Sami University College for their successful organisation of the Pathfinders´ scheme. It gives a necessary background as well as a strengthened sense of personal identity for those working as Pathfinders.

I would also like to thank the three Pathfinders who are stepping down – Gry, Sagka and Maret – for your valuable work in the past year. I would also like to wish the three new Pathfinders – Anna Cicilie, Anne Margaretha and Anders – every success in the important work you will be doing during the coming year!