Monthly Archives: February 2024

Migration pressures in Scandinavia have been at “historically high levels,” with many new arrivals coming as refugees or asylum seekers. According to the data from Nordregio Magazine, spanning 26 years from 1990 to 2016, the population of the Nordic countries has experienced a remarkable 15 percent growth from a combination of both natural increase and positive net migration. This demographic shift shows the significant impact of migration on the region’s social, economic, and cultural landscape. 

In 2022, the largest group of migrants are coming from Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February. Finally, immigrants from Poland made up the third largest group. The influx of Ukrainian migrants following the Russian invasion underscores the profound impact of geopolitical events on migration patterns. At the same time, the significant presence of Polish immigrants highlights the enduring ties between Poland and Scandinavia. 

In order to reside in Norway, you need a visa and a residence permit. In fact, from reading some articles, it is easy to move to Norway if you have a valid reason for settling in the country, such as a job or school to attend. Norway is known as a safe country with very low crime rates and a high quality of living. They have impeccable healthcare, education, and safety all begin at a very high standard. 

“In 2015 and 2016, nearly 2.7 million asylum seekers arrived in the European Union, comprising the largest mass of movement in Europe since World War II,” the Migration Policy Institute states. Although nearly ten years have passed since this statistic, we can assume trends. Migration pressures have always been a debate in countries around the world. In 2021, Norway received 39,00 new immigrants on a long-term or permanent basis, most benefiting from free mobility or labor. 

Norway’s economy will benefit from the influx of migrants, particularly those with skills and education. Migrants fill gaps in the labor market, bring new ideas, and contribute to economic growth overall. New people and ideas bring progress and growth; both are needed for success, especially in today’s society.  

One challenge that may come with migration is integration into Norwegian society, a common struggle with countries that take in refugees. There also can be positives when I think of negative possibilities, like assimilation and loss of religious practice. With the progress of positive public opinion on migration issues and the role of political word choice when shaping attitudes toward migrants, their introduction can be safe and effective. 

Norway’s role in humane assistance is crucial to upholding international obligations to protect the rights of migrants and refugees. “Norway is a generous and reliable donor to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and has provided key support in protecting and providing an education to refugee youth children,” which is an easy way to tie in my group’s overall discussion and project on civic education in Scandinavia. Since Norway continues to protect vulnerable refugees after their journey from their countries and provides education, there must be a sense of admiration for their country. 

https://nordregio.org/nordregio-magazine/issues/migration-and-integration/the-cool-embrace-recent-migration-trends-into-the-nordic-region/#:~:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20migration%20flows,the%20countries%20have%20in%20place.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/newcomers-north-labor-market-integration-refugees-northern-europe

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/7879415d-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/7879415d-en

My experience with food consumption and insecurity in the United States is limited to my hometown of Bellingham, Washington, and the 28 states I have traveled to. While living in a town with a range of economic security in my schooling, I have seen many locations on the spectrum. 

The Food and Nutrition Service and the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) have established a federally recognized rule that allows students who meet eligibility criteria to receive free and reduced-price meals or free milk. These guidelines are used by “schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and USDA Foods in Schools), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program. In FY 2019, schools served over 4.8 billion lunches to children worldwide. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the National School Lunch Act”, a program that has changed many peers’ lives. 

Some children’s well-rounded meals and food come from their breakfast and lunch during the school year. This was an everyday stress for most of my community during the global pandemic. They did not have access to meals or produce. Luckily, a food drive was established, and meals were provided at select locations across the district. I hope that this continues, despite Covid-19 levels subsiding. 

On a different note, food overconsumption in the United States is reaching new heights. While reading an analysis of the work of Feeding America, I learned that people waste 80 million tons of food every year, which equals 149 billion meals. We throw away over $444 billion worth of food annually. Feeding America, an organization that partners with food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers, rescues food and delivers it to food banks. They rescued 4 billion pounds of groceries in 2023! 

On a similar note, food waste also drives climate change. Rotting food contributes to extreme methane levels, a potent greenhouse gas and one of the driving forces behind global warming.

This topic has been a popular one since I was very young. When I was 12 years old, we were learning about food waste. In a class called Future Problem Solvers, we tried to come up with solutions to solve our world’s problems, yet food waste has been met with the most minor success. 

Norwegians eat three or four regular meals daily, usually consisting of a cold breakfast with coffee, a cold lunch at work, and a hot dinner at home. Then, they may have a cold meal in the late evening. Their meals include bread, milk, cheese, and carbohydrate-rich foods like meat or fish. Norway experiences a high level of food security! 

Norway continues to have minimal food waste and succeeds with its nutrition levels throughout the country. 

In conclusion, addressing food insecurity and overconsumption requires multifaceted solutions that encompass policy reforms, community engagement, and individual action. By drawing lessons from both the United States and Norway, we can only analyze both problems that are occurring all over the world. 

https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_cuisine

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/13/food-waste-united-states-climate-change/71537256007/

https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/reduce-food-waste#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20people,all%20the%20food%20in%20America.

For Meredith, Vivian, and me, our project will examine how civic education is taught in Scandinavia. We each decided to focus on a specific country within the area and compare and contrast our findings. I will discuss my country, Norway. 

We were all fascinated by the happiness levels present in Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia. We also all have some heritage residing from there and thought it would be interesting to learn more about their ways of life. 

We will unpack the styles of government and types of schooling, and then we will discuss how this contributes to the success of active citizenship. We want to understand how their residents are so happy and if their mental health correlates with education and citizenship.  

So far, while researching Norway, I have learned about their style of government and the primary school system. The Government in Norway is a constitutional hereditary monarchy, meaning a constitutional monarch is a hereditary symbolic head of state who mainly performs a representative and civic role but does not exercise policymaking power. With “hereditary,” this means that the role of the monarch is passed from one member of the ruling family to the next. King Harald VZ has reigned since January 1991, succeeding his father, Olav V. He is 87 years old! The next in line is Crown Prince Haakon, son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja; he was, from birth, the heir to the throne. The King’s constitutional role is mainly representative and ceremonial. “When the Constitution states that: “the executive power is vested in the King,” this now means that it is vested in the government” (Royal Court), which means that the King handles the formal opening of the Storting (Norwegian parliament) every fall. He lives in the royal palace, travels to other countries, and hosts foreign heads of State, and newly appointed ambassadors must present their credits to the King. The king is the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces and holds the rank of general in the Army and Air Force and admiral in the Navy. 

The educational system is also different from that of the United States. Their system is 13 years long, with Kindergarten, Primary and Lower Secondary Education, and Upper Secondary School, quite similar to the states, but their “accredited higher institutions are free of charge with 33 options. Also, during the Upper Secondary Education (years 11-13), teen students are divided into 12 programs: four general studies and eight vocational programs. Another option is Folk high schools, which are boarding schools with no examinations. School is free of charge and mandatory. The overarching people in charge are the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (NUCAS). The running and administration are municipal responsibilities. Compared to the United States, the Norwegian approach to education philosophy emphasizes equal access to higher education. Additionally, some recent reforms and challenges facing the Norwegian education system include curriculum revision in 2021, which aims to promote deep learning rather than “fragmented and surface-level learning.” They will promote, with increased focus, 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. 

I am incredibly fascinated with how students learn and have a future career goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. In order to teach and have a strong background, learning about other cultures and their school style is vital! 

Citations:

https://www.royalcourt.no/seksjon.html?tid=29977&sek=27300

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11191-022-00399-z#:~:text=In%20Norway%2C%20a%20new%20curriculum%20reform%20was%20recently%20implemented%20(2020,critical%20thinking%2C%20problem%20solving%2C%20and

https://www.britannica.com/place/Norway/Government-and-society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_V