For three days in May, Region Sörmland’s folk high school Åsa will be more than just a place for learning. That’s when the school launches its first-ever democracy festival, Åsadalen.
– Åsadalen is part of our ambition to reclaim the role that folk high schools were given from the very beginning: to create opportunities for course participants and local citizens to take part in shaping society – for example by engaging in politics, says Daniel Berton, principal of Åsa and the initiator of the festival.
No bickering
From 22–24 May, the school in Sköldinge will be buzzing with discussions, lectures, cultural activities and inspiring encounters.
The festival programme is guided by the conviction that the will to create change is a force that can unite people – even when opinions differ.
– It’s not about gathering people just to bicker with each other, says Berton. It’s about bringing people together who are ready to exchange experiences and see what they can learn from one another that could lead to something better. That’s the kind of democracy we strive for.
A democratic three-step rocket
Åsa is already running several initiatives to encourage greater civic engagement. In the so-called democracy patrols, participants and staff learn more about practical politics by attending municipal and regional council meetings and meeting decision-makers on their own turf.
The School Council has also been strengthened and now has the form of a political decision-making body. Great emphasis is placed on showing how everyone can practically take part in developing the school.
Åsadalen is the next step, where staff and course participants together create the programme. The festival is also organised in collaboration with the Sörmland County Education Association and Eskilstuna Folk High School.
Åsadalen day by day
Day 1 is dedicated to Åsa’s course participants and invited local politicians from Katrineholm, Flen and Vingåker. Divided into smaller groups, they will discuss both visions of the society of the future and current political issues that matter to them.
Day 2 sees Åsa joined by its sister school Eskilstuna Folk High School as well as more invited guests, including politicians from Region Sörmland. The programme will include idea-driven conversations, workshops, panel debates and cultural elements.
Day 3, Saturday 24 May, the festival is open and free for the public. A number of prominent debaters, opinion-shapers and cultural figures have been invited to lecture and take part in panel discussions. There will be live music and theatre, dance and art. Food will be available for purchase on the school grounds, and associations and organisations will have the chance to present themselves.
“We cannot rest on our laurels”
Very soon, you will be able to see the emerging Saturday programme here on our website and through other channels.
The hope is that the festival’s varied programme will inspire greater engagement in building a socially, ecologically and sustainably sound society.
– We cannot rest on our laurels, says Daniel Berton, stressing that democracy is by no means a finished project.
– We are facing the climate challenge, multiple societal problems and fundamental tests for democracy itself. There are plenty of reasons to have a vibrant democratic debate again. That’s where folk high schools, together with adult education associations, have an important role to play.
Text and photo: Henrik Wising