The Youth Summit 2024 took place in Vilnius on September 27-28, marking the first time the summit was held in a Baltic country. Vilnius, Lithuania, was an ideal location for the event, as the country is home to the world’s happiest youth, according to the World Happiness Report.
Building on the success of previous summits in Oslo (2022) and Reykjavik (2023), the Nordic Youth Summit has now evolved into the Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit, aiming to inspire and foster collaboration across the regions. The summit brought together 250 representatives from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Åland, and the Faroe Islands to address common challenges and strengthen regional collaboration.
The two-day event featured 15 workshops led by over 60 experts from organisations such as Nordregio, the Nordic Welfare Centre and the World Health Organization, all aimed at encouraging youth engagement and empowerment. The agenda of the summit was youth-driven, with the Nordic-Baltic youth councils deciding on the topics and themes through a survey conducted by LiJOT – Lithuanian Youth Council. Participants engaged in discussions on critical issues impacting the region’s youth, including democracy, climate, youth well-being, peace, security and governance. To transform these discussions into concrete outcomes, the participants collaborated in policy groups to draft actionable recommendations, ensuring that the summit directly influences decision-making across the region.
Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers highlighted the urgency of youth involvement in her opening speech:
“You are here as you have valuable contributions to give. As you know, our world is changing rapidly: Peace is challenged, we have an increasingly aging population, an anxious youth, a climate crisis and digital transition that demand new solutions while simultaneously a declining trust in central institutions. This requires a strengthening of our Nordic model, and fundamental, bold, changes to our society”.
One key project showcased during the summit was “The Nordic-Baltic Youth Initiatives for a Better Future”, a collaborative effort between European Movement of Latvia (EML) and the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Latvia. This initiative engaged 40 youngsters from Finland, Norway, Latvia and Lithuania tasked with making a concise database of exemplary real-life initiatives that have been introduced and executed by youngsters. The idea behind the set of initiatives was to showcase the difference that the youth can make on the matters relevant to them and to inspire others to do the same. The participants had their own booth in the “networking hub”, where summit attendees could learn more about the project and find inspiration.
Summit was organised in partnership with the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania, LiJOT and the National Council of Swedish Children and Youth Organisations (LSU). The decision to expand the summit to include the Baltic region was initiated and funded by the Nordic Children and Youth Committee (NORDBUK) and the Nordic Council of Ministers, aiming to strengthen Nordic-Baltic relations, particularly among youth. The summit adhered to the highest sustainability standards, including serving only vegan food to minimise its environmental footprint, in line with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ 2030 Vision. Such event is set to be an annual occurrence, with the next gathering already planned in Finland 2025.
Video retrospective is available by following this YouTube link.
Photo: Federico Proietta, Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Lithuania
