Sámediggi sávvá ráfálaš juovllaid ja lihkolaš ođđa jagi 2022!
Sämitigge tuáivut rávhálijd juovlâid já luholii uđđâ ive 2022!
Sääʹmteʹǧǧ tuäivat rääuhlõs rosttvid da leklvaž ođđ eeʹjj 2022!
Saamelaiskäräjät toivottaa rauhallista joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta 2022!
Season’s Greetings!
Are you a current or recent student studying art, animation, computer graphics or film? Walt Disney Animation Studios are inviting students from Sápmi to apply as an intern for the Summer Internship Program in May 2022.
As a Talent Development intern, you will have the unique opportunity to work directly with a Disney mentor as you explore all aspects of art, storytelling, and filmmaking.
Walt Disney Animation Studios Summer Internship Program is a 10-week program, paid experience designed for students studying art, animation, computer graphics or film. Please note, the safety and well-being of our teams is very important to us. We will be determining whether this program will be in-person at our Burbank, CA studio or virtual in the coming months based on government recommendations.
Read more about their internship program and requirements here:
The deadline for applications is 16.01.2022, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time (Notice the time difference)
The internship form Sámi areas can apply for a10.000$ travel grant, funded by The Saami Council and the Sámi parliaments. The applicant must have Sámi background, meets Disney’s requirements for internships and should have a plan for how to bring the knowledge back to the Sami community, such as through social media, lectures etc.Write an application, max 1 page, explaining your applicant basis and how to meet our travel grant requirements.
Send your application for travel grant marked with “WDAS internship” to: kmr@saamicouncil.net. The deadline for travel applications is 16.01.2022, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time (Notice the time difference)
Christina Hætta, Sámiráđđi
+47 48021734
christina@saamicouncil.net
In its session on 28 October, the Government appointed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People. The work to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has continued in line with the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government.
The matter has been prepared in close cooperation with representatives of the Finnish state, the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Sámi Siida Council. The aim of the commission is to collect Sámi people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities and to make this information visible to the public.
“I wish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission the best of success in its important work. Our common goal is for the commission’s work to increase dialogue and trust between the Sámi and the state. Only by understanding what the Sámi have experienced can we truly find solutions for the future,” says Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
“Today marks the start of an important undertaking to investigate the discrimination experienced by the Sámi and the consequences of state assimilation policy. There are still barriers to the recognition and implementation of the rights of the Sámi as an indigenous people in Finland. I hope that this difficult process will result in concrete measures that genuinely advance the status of the Sámi in Finnish society,” says Tuomas Aslak Juuso, President of the Sámi Parliament.
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi people will do important and also very difficult work. The start of the commission’s work follows several years of careful preparations aiming to increase understanding and trust between the Sámi and the state. We hope that the commission will be successful in its work and will have sufficient resources to ensure that success,” says Skolt Sámi Elder Veikko Feodoroff.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an impartial and independent body. It consists of five Commissioners, two of whom are appointed based on a proposal from the Government, two based on a proposal from the Sámi Parliament and one based on a proposal from the Skolt Sámi Siida Council.
A further aim is to ensure that, as a result of the truth and reconciliation process, the state of Finland will bear responsibility for its actions and, together with the Sámi Parliament, the Skolt Sámi Siida Council and other Sámi operators, will work to strengthen the realisation of the rights of the Sámi people in Finland. Psychosocial support is an integral part of the implementation of the truth and reconciliation process.
The commission will draw up a report on its work that includes proposals for measures. The report will be submitted to the Government, the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Sámi Siida Council by 30 November 2023.
In Finland, the status of the Sámi as an indigenous people is guaranteed by the Constitution. By virtue of section 17, subsection 3 of the Constitution, the Sámi, as an indigenous people, have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture.
The international institution of truth and reconciliation commissions emerged in the 1970s. Internationally, truth commissions or truth and reconciliation commissions refer to processes that examine collective injustices in history. Truth and reconciliation commissions have been established in about 40 countries.
Inquiries:
Nina Brander, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 347, Maiju Ranta, Coordinator, tel. +358 29 160 272, Prime Minister’s Office
Tuomas Aslak Juuso, President of the Sámi Parliament, tel. +358 40 687 3394
Veikko Feodoroff, Skolt Sámi Elder, tel. +358 50 396 1297
The project aims at creating responsible and ethically sustainable collaboration and marketing network for Sámi tourism together with Sámi community. Sámi Parliament in Finland has received funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland for a new Sámi tourism project which is implemented in 2022–2024.
In general, visitors have limited knowledge on Sámi culture. This, in turn, makes it more difficult to recognise authentic Sámi tourism products. The new project aims at highlighting responsible and ethically sustainable Sámi tourism products, so the visitor has an opportunity to choose one that supports the Sámi community.
– Sámi tourism and what is understood as an authentic and ethically sustainable Sámi tourism product or service have given rise to much discussion both within Sámi community as well as the majority population. The project aims at finding answers to this question in order to make it easier for Sámi entrepreneurs and other actors to consider tourism as livelihood and source of side-income also in the future. In the field of Sámi tourism, I hope there will be extensive collaboration, which is based on multilateral mutual understanding and respect, says Tuomas Aslak Juuso, the President of Sámi Parliament in Finland.
In 2018, Sámi Parliament in Finland adopted ethical guidelines for Sámi tourism. In the new project, a certificate will be determined in order to ensure supportive environment for competitiveness of responsible and ethically sustainable Sámi products. In addition, the project improves the knowledge base for Sámi tourism through pooling of responsible Sámi entrepreneurs and other actors in tourism field.
– There are Sámi actors in tourism sector who have expertise for productisation of Sámi tourism. The aim is to sit down together and think about good practices and criteria for responsible and ethically sustainable utilisation of Sámi culture. In addition, Sámi community and interest groups are consulted on commercial utilisation of the culture, says project Sámi tourism project co-ordinator Kirsi Suomi.
Sámi Parliament in Finland received 200 000 € fund from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland to implement the new Sámi tourism -project in the years of 2022-2024. The aim is to have a complete collaboration network in 2025, when the first European Indigenous Tourism Conference is held in Inari. The conference is organised by WINTA (World Indigenous Tourism Alliance), Sámi Parliament in Finland and University of Lapland.
More information:
Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President of Sámi Parliament in Finland
+358 40 687 3394
tuomas.juuso(at)samediggi.fi
Kirsi Suomi
Co-ordinator
+358 40 594 5492
kirsi.suomi(at)samediggi.fi
The Conference on the protection of traditional knowledge and Intellectual Property of Nordic Indigenous peoples, namely the Sámi and the Inuit of Greenland, is organized as part of the Finnish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. The protection of traditional knowledge includes i.a. traditional cultural expressions, such as handicrafts, oral expressions, names and symbols. The goal of the conference is to discuss these topics from the point of view of the indigenous peoples and to increase Nordic cooperation and capacity on these matters in both short and long term. The cooperation focuses especially on how the existing IP system protects traditional knowledge (TK) and on ways to address gaps. Regional measures are expected to positively influence the international negotiations in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Time: Thursday 11 November 2021 at 9 am – 5 pm CET
Place: Sajos, Inari, Sámi homeland Sápmi, Northern Finland
Languages: The languages of the Conference are English and North Sami. Interpretation will be available in Northern Sami, English, Scandinavian and Finnish. Please find more information on the Dialogue Portal.
Note: Due to Covid-19 restrictions and recommendations, the conference will be in hybrid form. Compliance with guidelines on good hygiene and safe distances are ensured at the venue.
Number of available seats are restricted. Please register your participation here by Wednesday 21 October here. Welcome!
Photo: Outi Pieski, Cuolmmadit. EMMA 12.9.2018 – 6.1.2019. Photo: Ari Karttunen / EMMA
We acknowledge the climate crisis and demand immediate action to mitigate changes in the environment. We have the right to a future and the future should be our own.
The declaration of the Sámi youth shows their worry for the condition of nature in Sápmi and the future. It also brings together suggestions for action. Sámi youth demand actions to mitigate climate change and actions to help adapt to it. Sámi youth are worried about the effects of climate change especially on traditional Sámi livelihoods and culture.
– In the declaration we request that traditional Sámi knowledge would be considered an equal source of knowledge when we speak of or research climate change, land use and traditional livelihoods. The IPCC report tells us harsh facts about the climate crisis. We have been speaking for years already about the consequences of climate change and the difficulties our community faces. We cannot stop the impacts, and we need to start adapting so that we can secure our culture, languages and livelihoods, say the chair of the Finnish Sámi Parliament’s youth council, Anni-Sofia Niittyvuopio and the chair of the Swedish Sámi Parliament’s youth council, Maria Unnes, who both participated in writing the declaration.
The declaration states that cooperation between Sámi youths needs to be secured through common events and gatherings, and cooperation between Sámi across borders and with other indigenous peoples needs to be strengthened and increased.
The Sámi youth have prepared the declaration as a part of the Nordic Sámi Youth Conference. The declaration acts as a tool for Nordic Sámi youth cooperation and it is an action plan against climate change across borders.
The Nordic Sámi Youth Conference was held as an online event on the 26th of August 2021. The main organiser of the conference was the youth council of the Sámi Parliament and it was organised in cooperation with youth agents from the Sámi Parliaments from Norway, Sweden and Finland. During the conference we heard speeches from the Finnish Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Krista Mikkonen, the chair of the Sámi Parliamentary Council, Aili Keskitalo, the chair of the Sámi Parliament, Tuomas Aslak Juuso and young reindeer herder Jussa Seurujärvi. Workshops were held by social media influencer Emmi Nuorgam, artivist Pauliina Feodoroff and the global youth organisation Youth4Nature. The theme of the conference was climate change and the declaration was made as part of the conference.
Anni-Sofia Niittyvuopio
Chair of the Sámi Parliament Youth Council of Finland
+358 40 7082 072
anni-sofia.niittyvuopio(at)samediggi.fi
Maria Unnes
Chair of the Sámi Parliament Youth Council of Sweden
maria.unnes(at)sametinget.se
Elli-Marja Hetta
Youth Secretary of the Sámi Parliament of Finland
+358 50 382 5179
elli-marja.hetta(at)samediggi.fi
Date and time: 31 August and 1 September 2021 at 12.30 – 16.00 EEST both days
Venue: Online seminar
How do we respect and implement rights of indigenous peoples with disabilities in the Nordic region?
What are the challenges to meet the needs of indigenous peoples with dementia in sparsely populated areas?
This two day online event will focus on the rights of indigenous persons with disabilities, while taking special account of people with dementia. The first day of this webinar will raise the issue of how the human rights intersect, highlighting key human rights obligations and recommendations from the perspective of both indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities. The second day of this webinar will focus on a vision and provision of future language- and culture-sensitive services particularly in sparsely populated areas, with a life cycle perspective.
The seminar is organised in cooperation between Nordic Welfare Centre, Nordic dementia network, Council of Nordic Cooperation on Disability, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Finland, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the Sámi Parliament in Finland, SámiSoster, Finnish Advisory Board for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities VANE and Finnish Human Rights Centre.
The event is open to anyone interested but registration is required (by 31 August at 12.30).
The program, more information and link to registration:
Indigenous peoples: language, culture, and life cycle (link to Nordic Welfare Centre’s website)
https://nordicwelfare.org/en/evenemang/indigenous-peoples-language-culture-and-life-cycle/
An Expert Workshop to assess proposals for amending the Sámi Parliament Act in Finland will be held at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland on Thursday 2 September 2021. The Worksop is organized in collaboration with the Sámi Parliament and the Ministry of Justice. The organizer of the workshop is Professor Martin Scheinin in his capacity as part-time professor in indigenous peoples’ rights at the University of Lapland. The main purpose of the event is to provide a forum for a range of international, Finnish and Sámi experts to provide and discuss their assessment of the draft by the drafting commission.
The President of the Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso will participate in the seminar and give one of the opening speeches. – The reform of the Sámi Parliament Act is a very current topic and I look forward with great interest to the expert workshop. It is important that the workshop provides a forum for international human rights experts to evaluate and discuss their assessment of the draft by the drafting commission, says Juuso.
The members of the drafting commission appointed by the Sámi Parliament will also attend to the workshop.
The event will be organized in hybrid mode, so that speakers and other participants will be able attend either in person or remotely through online videoconferencing. Registration to the workshop has ended on 15 August. Registered participants will receive materials and logistical information related to the event.
In May 2021, a government-appointed Drafting Commission chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and composed, in equal numbers, of persons nominated by the Sámi Parliament in Finland, and the five political parties forming the government coalition, delivered a draft for amendments to the Sámi Parliament Act. The proposed amendments would recognize Sámi self-determination, implement Final Views issued by the UN Human Rights Committee related to the criteria and procedure for determining who may be included in the electoral roll of the Sámi Parliament, and strengthen domestic law provisions related to the principle of free, prior and informed consent, as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The full report exists only in Finnish but the summary and the proposed legal texts are included also in Sámi and Swedish languages. Persons who register for the 2 September workshop will be sent English-language excerpts, as far as they already exist or will become available.
More information:
Tuomas Aslak Juuso
The president of the Sámi Parliament
+358 40 687 3394
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi
The Nordic Sámi Youth Conference will be organised on 26 August 2021. The theme of the conference is climate change and the conference will be organised virtually. The conference is free of charge and open to all Sámi youth.
“It is great that Sámi youth can once again discuss current and important matters across international borders. I believe that we will come to important realisations about climate change and how to battle it, but also realisations about how we can adapt,” rejoices the chair of the Youth Council, Anni-Sofia Niittyvuopio.
At the conference we will hear interesting speeches from the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Krista Mikkonen, the Chair of the Sámi Parliamentary Council, Aili Keskitalo, young reindeer herder Jussa Seurujärvi and the Chair of the Sámi Parliament in Finland, Tuomas Aslak Juuso. The conference also includes workshops. The workshops will be held by the youth-led global organisation Youth4Nature, social media influencer Emmi Nuorgam and activist, director and screenwriter Pauliina Feodoroff.
“We hope that the young people participate boldly in the workshops. In the workshops, we will try to find everyone a suitable way of making an impact. Climate change can feel overwhelming, but we want to encourage people to find common strength and a message in the societal work against climate change,” explains the project worker of the conference, Milla Pulska.
Arctic indigenous peoples experience climate change most drastically and Sámi youth are worried about the impacts of climate change on the traditional livelihoods and culture of the Sámi people. At the conference, we will compile a declaration against climate change and plan shared operation models for Sámi youth across borders.
The Youth Council, which is under the Sámi Parliamentary Council, organises the Nordic Sámi Youth Conference every two years. The conference is organised in cooperation with youth from the Sámi Parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The main organiser of the conference is the Sámi Parliament’s Youth Council. The goal of the conference is to encourage Sámi youth to develop Sámi society.
More information about the conference: www.nuor.fi
Anni-Sofia Niittyvuopio
Chair of the Sámi Parliament Youth Council
040 7082 072
anni-sofia.niittyvuopio(at)samediggi.fi
Milla Pulska
project worker
040 669 5295
milla.pulska(at)samediggi.fi
When: 26.8.2021 Finnish time from 9:00 to 15:00
Place: Zoom
The conference is free of charge and open to all Sámi youth. We will divide the attendants into workshops and we strive to base this on their wishes. The conference will have simultaneous interpretation. All attendants will be sent a t-shirt designed by artist Arsi Keva.
The theme of the conference is climate change. The indigenous peoples of the Arctic are most affected by climate change. Sámi youth are especially worried about the impact of climate change on the traditional livelihoods and culture of the Sámi people. As a part of the conference, the Sámi youth will outline a common declaration against climate change and plan operation models for this.
The Youth Council, which is under the Sámi Parliamentary Council, organises the Nordic Sámi Youth Conference every two years. The conference is organised in cooperation with youth from the Sámi Parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The main organiser of the conference is the Sámi Parliament’s Youth Council.
Registration before 25.8. Finnish time 12.00: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/762D510FDD3DA894
9:00 Start
9:15 Speech: Chair of the Sámi Parliamentary Council, Aili Keskitalo
9:30 Speech: Young reindeer herder Jussa Seurujärvi
9:45 Speech: Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Krista Mikkonen
10:00 Workshops
12:00 Lunch break
12:45 Speech: Chair of the Sámi Parliament in Finland, Tuomas Aslak Juuso
13:00 Declaration workshops in groups
14:14 Wrapping up
15:00 End
project worker Milla Pulska
tel. +358 40 6695295
e-mail: milla.pulska(at)samediggi.fi