Solid Ground, Clean Water, Living Culture: Speech by Juhán Nikolaus Wuolab Wollberg at EU Arctic Forum 2026

Foto: Fanny Larsson-Auna, Saami Council.

At the EU Arctic Forum, Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue, and Arctic Youth Dialogue 2026 in Brussels, reindeer herder and youth facilitator Juhán Nikolaus Wuolab Wollberg addressed decision-makers on behalf of the Arctic Youth Dialogue. Connecting personal experiences of Sámi cultural heritage with policy recommendations for the EU and Arctic states, he calls on leaders to listen to Indigenous voices and invest in intergenerational collaboration.

Read his full speech below.

Dear distinguished guests, excellencies, colleagues, friends, and my fellow youth.

My name is Juhán Nikolaus Wuolab Wollberg.

Today, I stand before you as a representative for the Arctic Youth Dialogue 2026 cohort. 

In the months and days leading up to this forum, I have been one of two head facilitators for the Arctic Youth Dialogue 2026, where 33 youth from the Arctic and Europe have worked together to create policy recommendations for the EU and the Arctic states to implement. In 2025, I was a sub-group facilitator during Arctic Youth Dialogue in Levi. And in 2024 I was a participant in the first Arctic Youth Dialogue, here in Brussels.

You would think that I have been advocating for a long time given my track record with the Arctic Youth Dialogue, and this is true. A truth with a sliiight modification. The Arctic Youth Dialogue was the first time I shared space with Arctic and European youth. We talked about the Arctic and Arctic policy making. We discussed with and handed our policy recommendations directly to the hands of decisionmakers. 

My advocacy career started way earlier though, when I was thirteen years old. My parents brought me to a protest against the Gállok mine in late 2013. The protest was held in the capital of Sweden, Stuehkie - Stockholm. I don’t remember much, besides the slogan: “Fast mark, rent vatten, levande kulturarv”. It roughly translates to: solid ground, clean water, and living culture. I stand by those words to this day. I want to have healthy lands, I want to have clean, drinkable water. I want to live my culture.

My entire life has revolved around living my Sámi culture. I speak my language, I hang out with my elders and learn from them. I do Sámi duodji, traditional Sámi handicrafts. I forage for berries, plants, and mushrooms. I herd reindeer and I fish with my uncle. For me, all these threads tie back to one thing: reindeer herding. Those who have worked with me, know that I am not only a reindeer herder, I am also a reindeer nerder. It’s a fun little fact I like to share to set the mood, but also to affirm my values. I am a reindeer herder, not just by culture or upbringing, but also by education. My diploma hangs proudly at home. I know reindeer. My culture is important. My lived knowledge is important. However, the majority society does not believe so. And actively tries to make me believe so. 

In middle school my brother and I were told to not speak North Sámi during recess. The reasoning was something along the lines: in Sweden we speak Swedish, and to succeed in life, you need to improve your Swedish. As a child I did not understand the implications or importance of this “policy”. Luckily my mother did.

She showed us her love, her way. She advocated for us and started to work with the school to change this policy. Who else could? Who else would? Our lived culture, our way of life, our human rights, are viewed as less than and thus are negotiable. Not all Arctic Indigenous Youth, or Arctic Youth are able to voice nor advocate for themselves. We have to listen to and respect their voices and opinions. This is one of the reasons WHY I am standing here today. This is me doing my part, and to show love for my fellow Indigenous and Arctic Youth. 

I want to end my speech by highlighting the importance of lived knowledge and platforming Arctic Indigenous Youth and Arctic Youth. I call for funding for cross-cultural, cross-border and intergenerational collaborations.  I want to live my culture. I want our future generations to live their culture.

Ollu giitu. Thank you.