Promoting sustainable economic growth and job creation in the north is in Norway’s national interest. Building resilient communities in the Arctic and making the region an attractive place for young people to live and work are important priorities for Norway. Further developing North Norway as a strong, dynamic and highly competent region is an effective way to safeguard Norwegian and European interests in the Arctic. I therefore give my full support to the city of Tromsø’s candidature.

It is the young people in Northern Norway who are the region’s future. There is a need for discussions about what it will take to make us want to stay here. We need more than just idle chatter and events. Young people in the north need things to look forward to, not just one-off events full of pomp and ceremony where everyone just leaves afterwards. Measures and activities must be of a more permanent nature. (…) Real youth participation is when our opinions are translated into practical policy. And the Norwegian Government must start to use ‘we’ and not ‘you’ when speaking about the north.

We consider the candidacy of the Municipality of Tromsø as the perfect venue to raise broad national awareness of youth-cooperation in legislative decision-making-processes. These projects will clearly contribute to establish general methodology for inclusion of youth in national legislative decision-making processes, which is necessary to fulfill the obligations enshrined in the Norwegian Constitution Article 104 on the rights of children and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since the inception of European Youth Capital in 2009, no Arctic municipality has yet been represented. While the human population in the Arctic is relatively small, youth in these regions are disproportionately affected by impacts of climate change and their voices are frequently overlooked by the dominant southern culture. We thus applaud Tromsø’s ambition to increase youth participation and young citizenship in both the city and surrounding region.

As our ongoing research shows Youth Participation is still a field filled with knowledge gaps and few structures for systematic and rigorous work, both in a Norwegian and Nordic context. We would therefore like to stress the importance of Tromsø’s visions and plans to strengthen youth participation work in the upcoming years. This will have ramifications not only in the region, but also on national and international level, as we believe it will open for a multitude of new stakeholders, institutions and engaged individuals to become partners in future research on the topic.

We challenge a negatively charged understanding of living in the north. From negative descriptions of the north, such as the outskirts, marginalized and a place without a future for young people, to the idea of the High North as relevant, with environmentally friendly resources where it is possible for people to live sustainable lives in line with the UN's sustainability goals.

Do we have to wait until the year 2026 to start with this?!? I think we should start the change immediately!

Now that I see the positive feedback from the politicians and the other stakeholders, I truly believe that we can become a real Youth Capital!

The High North is Norway’s most important peace project. We now focus on “High North – Low Tension”

There is a great deal of talk about the importance of making the region an attractive place to live. To make this happen, we need jobs, youth centres, sports halls, cultural centres, and innovative education possibilities. These are the kinds of things that will make us stay. When we are able to thrive, we do not feel a need to move away.

Being the largest bank in the region SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge sees this as important for both the city and Nord-Norge as a region. We fully support the city of Tromsø’s candidature for European Youth Capital.

I never felt like this with somebody I never thought I'd feel like I do I never felt this close with somebody Somebody, somebody but you

Young Scot is honoured to support Tromsø's bid to be European Youth Capital 2026… In addition to the positive benefits that being European Youth Capital 2026 would bring to Tromsø, the prospect of connecting our young people through collaborative projects to celebrate the year is incredibly exciting. These activities would enable us to strengthen further our bonds as north-western European neighbours.

I was attracted to Tromsø by the easy access to the wilderness, and the combination of extreme nature and a liberal, bustling town – and I’ve never looked back!

The Nordic Youth Council commends Tromsø's dedication to empowering young individuals and creating inclusive spaces for their voices to be heard… We are confident that Tromsø, with its strong commitment to youth participation and its innovative approach to youth development, will excel in hosting a series of impactful initiatives that will inspire young people throughout Europe.