{"id":339,"date":"2025-05-28T15:23:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T13:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/youngarctic\/?p=339"},"modified":"2025-06-05T13:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:58:48","slug":"ahmed-22-we-need-new-blood-in-politics-people-who-understand-our-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/youngarctic\/2025\/05\/28\/ahmed-22-we-need-new-blood-in-politics-people-who-understand-our-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Ahmed (22): \u201cWe need new blood in politics. People who understand our generation.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ahmed Iyad Hassan Algharib moved to Bod\u00f8 three years ago to study real estate at Nord University. He came north for education, but also for a change of environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He talks about the calm, the nature, and the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 It\u2019s a beautiful place to study. You become closer to nature, and you can\u2019t forget the northern lights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says life in Bod\u00f8 has given him focus. It\u2019s quiet, stable, and peaceful \u2014 the kind of setting that helps him concentrate on what he wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Everything is beautiful around here!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Wanting something steady<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As he nears the end of his degree, Ahmed is thinking about what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He enjoys living in Northern Norway, but isn\u2019t sure if it makes sense to stay. The job market for real estate is limited, and he wants more than just short-term options, he shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The real estate market is not the greatest here in Bod\u00f8. There are better opportunities in other places, he reflects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed isn\u2019t alone in weighing his future outside Northern Norway. Statistics show that the region has faced a steady outflow of young adults for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Nordland \u2014 where Bod\u00f8 is located \u2014 has one of the highest rates of young people (aged 19\u201329) moving away<\/a>, with a net loss of over 9% in this group from 2000 to 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also one in three people in Northern Norway say they are considering leaving within the next five years\u2014and most are looking to bigger cities in the south<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ahmed outside the main entrance of Nord University in Bod\u00f8.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like many young people, Ahmed dreams of having enough \u2014 enough to support himself, buy a home, and live with stability. But he\u2019s honest about how difficult that can be, especially in regions with fewer long-term opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 To be independent \u2014 to support yourself, live a simple life, own a house one day. That\u2019s what I want. But it might be easier to achieve that elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wants more young voices at the table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed has been politically engaged since he was younger, including time in the youth wing of the Labour Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013<\/strong> We need new blood in politics. People who understand us. People who think about our issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to numbers reported by V\u00e5rt Land<\/a>, the number of parliament members under 30 fell from 18 in 2017 to 13 in 2021, out of the total of 169 representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This even though 19 percent of Norway\u2019s population is under 30. By the end of the current term, only two representatives will still be under 30, as several will turn 30 during the period. Whether this downward trend continues will become clear after this autumn\u2019s election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Ahmed, young people in politics is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 We are the future<\/strong>, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This interview was done by Markus Thonhaugen from the High North Center<\/a>, Nord University as part of the YoungArctic project<\/a> \u2014 an initiative working to make the Arctic a more attractive place for young people to settle, work, and live.<\/em> Through our Instagram page<\/a> and this blog, we share stories from youth across the region \u2014 to better understand their lives, hopes, and challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahmed Iyad Hassan Algharib moved to Bod\u00f8 three years ago to study real estate at Nord University. He came north for education, but also for a change of environment. He talks about the calm, the nature, and the light. \u2013 It\u2019s a beautiful place to study. You become closer to nature, and you can\u2019t forget … Continue reading Ahmed (22): \u201cWe need new blood in politics. People who understand our generation.\u201d<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4],"class_list":["post-339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voices-of-the-arctic"],"yoast_head":"\nAhmed (22): \u201cWe need new blood in politics. 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