It was after the camp in the summer of 2022 that Luleå diocese decided to pause the Sami confirmation camp last year and do it again, after criticism from parents, among others.
But now the camp is back and 39 confirmands have for two weeks gathered in Saxnäs where the young people were confirmed on Saturday in Stensele.
SVT Sápmi visited the camp where several of the young people talk about their experiences.
– It has been a lot of fun and you have met many new friends. It has also been instructive where you learned a lot about culture and language, says Lovis Tinuviel Nästén from Skellefteå.
“Will bring the culture with me”
One of those who traveled the furthest to be confirmed was Edvin Asplund from Uppsala.
– I would describe this camp as fun, lively, and a lot of socializing where you were with everyone. I will bring with me a lot of friends and culture from here that I have never experienced before, he says.
Some of those who participated also did so in order not to stand out from the rest of the family.
– You don’t want to be the black sheep in the family and break all traditions. It has almost been like a school, but I thought it would be more fun, says Samuel Sparrok from Hotagsbygden.
Watch camp manager Nils Johan Labba tell us what’s new at the Sami confirmation camp this year:
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Nils-Johan labba is director of the Sami confirmation camp in Saxnäs. In the clip, he explains what is new for this year. Photo: Ida Åstot
– My cousins have taken the Sami confirmation and I thought it would be exciting to do that too. I have gotten to know many new friends and learned about the culture, says Per-Johannes Nutti from Porjus.
Several changes this year
Nils-Johan Labba is the camp director and he is satisfied with the camp in its new form.
– I hope that we are back in a big way and can have these big summer camps in the future, he says and talks about what has been changed for this summer.
– The place is a big change and we intend not to grow stuck here in Saxnäs, but we should be able to jump around between different places. We have also introduced a pre-camp where all confirmands got to meet each other for a weekend during the spring. We did that so that you wouldn’t come here as nervous without already knowing someone.
At the same time, Labba believes that there is more to work on for next year.
– If you’re going to be a little self-critical, it’s something that doesn’t appeal as there were 55 who had registered for the camp but only 39 came, there were an unusually high number of dropouts and it must be due to something, he says.