SHA and Ergi hosted two events during Queer Festival in North East Iceland
The Student Association of the University of Akureyri and Ergi, the Northern Queer Student Community, hosted two events in connection with the Queer Festival in North East Iceland, which took place in June. The events were Hinnblástur and Voices Against Hate: A Workshop on Counterspeech.
The events were well attended by students, staff from the University of Akureyri and members of the local community. We were delighted with the participation, and the events sparked important and meaningful discussions about the experiences of queer people, social responsibility, visibility, solidarity and ways to respond to prejudice and hate speech.
Hinnblástur was a creative and empowering event where participants came together to discuss queer issues and work towards greater visibility and solidarity in the lead-up to the festival. The aim was to create a warm and open space where students and other participants could share ideas, get to know one another and take part in a constructive programme rooted in the spirit of the queer community.
At Voices Against Hate: A Workshop on Counterspeech, participants explored how to respond to hate speech, prejudice and harmful discourse through counterspeech, education and active dialogue. The workshop was held in collaboration with Samtökin ’78, Iceland's national LGBTQ+ organisation, who sent an educator north to Akureyri. Representatives from the board and office of Samtökin ’78 also took part in the event and contributed to the discussion.
In addition to these events, SHA and Ergi were, of course, proudly represented in the Pride march and celebrations in Hrísey. Despite the rain and cold, the atmosphere was joyful and vibrant. The weather did not stop participants from celebrating, and everyone enjoyed a colourful and festive day.
SHA and Ergi would like to express their sincere thanks to Samtökin ’78 for their collaboration, education and valuable contribution to the event. We also extend our warmest thanks to the supporters and organisers of the Queer Festival in North East Iceland for the support and funding that made it possible for SHA and Ergi to host these events.
The events clearly showed how important it is to create spaces where queer students, university staff and the wider local community can come together, learn from one another and strengthen solidarity. SHA and Ergi see the strong participation as encouragement to continue working together to promote education, visibility and support for queer people in North Iceland.
We thank everyone who attended, participated and helped make the events a positive, educational and empowering experience.