Humanist Youth

Humanistisk Ungdom (Humanist Youth) is a nationwide Norwegian youth organization for young people with a secular-humanist worldview, counted as part of the Norwegian humanist movement. It was founded on 16 August 2007 on the initiative of Human-Etisk Forbund (the Norwegian Humanist Association), the country's large life-stance community, although the youth organization is formally independent of its parent body. Membership is open to youth between 13 and 25 years old. In line with its purpose, the organization seeks to make all young people more conscious of their own worldview and to help young humanists practise their life stance actively in daily life. The organization is structured around a national congress (landsmøte) that adopts statutes and policy and elects a central board of eleven people, led by one leader, one political deputy leader and one organizational deputy leader. Below the central level, local branches carry out most member-facing activity; members who are not attached to a local branch are defined as direct members. As of November 2025 the organization had eleven local branches, and Adrian Wold Hansen became leader from 2026. Its office is located at Storgata 8 in Oslo. Humanistisk Ungdom is best known publicly for its campaigns and actions, often timed around its national seminars. These have included criticism of the KRLE school subject, a de-baptism campaign aimed at the membership registers of the Church of Norway, the "Nestekjærlighet" (neighbourly love) action against what it called inhumane asylum policy, and membership recruitment drives. Its December 2008 action against the practice of school worship services was its largest to date and was covered by most major Norwegian media under the slogan "Don't preach in my school, and I won't think in your church!". In 2010 it launched a new school-worship campaign titled "Skole for alle – uansett tro eller tvil" (School for everyone – regardless of belief or doubt), with a brochure sent to Norwegian lower-secondary schools in November 2011. In spring 2016 the organization ran the "Mer enn sex" (More than sex) campaign for better sexuality education in Norway, focusing on gender identity, variation in sexualities and boundary-setting while challenging old gender roles and poor norms; it culminated in a demonstration outside the Storting. In winter/spring 2017 it ran a critical-thinking campaign with an external and an internal part, the external part being a public vote called Tenkekassa awarded to a public figure or actor deemed to have misused their public position to spread claims not based on facts; Carl I. Hagen won. In late 2018 it invited all 169 members of the Storting to an "alternative arrangement" to protest a change in the guidance for school worship services that removed the recommendation of active registration; the event was held on 13 December 2018 in its Oslo premises, though no politicians attended. In 2025 it was one of 25 organizations behind a Norwegian consensus statement for inclusive feminism. The organization remains active, publishing news and events on its website, including support for an investigation into self-determined end of life. It is a membership-based, non-commercial civil-society organization rather than a conventional commercial brand, but it operates a public-facing organizational identity, website and trademarked name.

Humanistisk Ungdom was founded on 16 August 2007 as a deliberate effort by Human-Etisk Forbund, the Norwegian life-stance community, to create an offer for young humanists. Although initiated by the parent association, the youth organization is formally independent of it. Membership is open to youth between 13 and 25 years old, and the organization describes itself as a nationwide Norwegian youth organization for young people with a secular-humanist worldview, counted as part of the Norwegian humanist movement. Its purpose is to make all youth conscious of their own worldview and to help young humanists practise their life stance actively in daily life. The organization's highest body is the national congress (landsmøte), which adopts statutes and policy and elects the central board responsible for day-to-day operations. The central board consists of eleven people and is led by one leader, one political deputy leader and one organizational deputy leader. Local branches carry out most member-facing activity, while members not attached to a branch are defined as direct members. As of November 2025 the organization had eleven local branches, and Adrian Wold Hansen became leader from 2026. Its office is at Storgata 8 in Oslo. Humanistisk Ungdom has often carried out actions in connection with its national seminars. These have included criticism of the new KRLE school subject because, according to the organization, the academic change from KRL was too small; a de-baptism campaign criticizing the membership registers of the Church of Norway; the "Nestekjærlighet" (neighbourly love) action against what it called inhumane asylum policy; and membership recruitment. Its December 2008 action criticizing the practice of school worship services was its largest to date and was presented in most major Norwegian media, under the slogan "Don't preach in my school, and I won't think in your church!" — a lightly modified version of the American atheist movement's slogan, with "pray" replaced by "preach". In 2010 it launched a new action on school worship services titled "Skole for alle – uansett tro eller tvil" (School for everyone – regardless of belief or doubt); a brochure was produced for the campaign and sent to the country's lower-secondary schools in November 2011. In spring 2016 the organization started the campaign "Mer enn sex" (More than sex), a campaign for better sexuality education in Norway. The campaign sought sexuality education with more focus on gender identity, variation within sexualities and boundary-setting, while also working against old gender roles and poor norms. Outwardly it relied heavily on shared images via Facebook and reader opinion pieces, and it concluded with a demonstration outside the Storting where a new form of sexuality education was held. In winter/spring 2017 Humanistisk Ungdom started a campaign on critical thinking. It was two-part, with an outward-facing part and an internal part focusing on humanist confirmands. The outward part was mainly a vote on public figures and actors; the award was called Tenkekassa and goes to the candidate who has misused their public position to spread claims not based on facts. The vote took place at Tenkekassa.no. The nominees were NAV, Nettavisen, TVNorge and Carl I. Hagen; the winner of Tenkekassa was Carl I. Hagen. In autumn/winter 2018 Humanistisk Ungdom invited all 169 of Norway's Storting representatives by letter to an "alternative arrangement"; Prime Minister Erna Solberg additionally received a video published via Facebook. An unknown number of local politicians were also invited, including all city council representatives in Bergen, with a requirement for a signature from the Mayor of Bergen. The arrangement was a demonstration against a change in the guidance for school worship services for Norwegian public schools, where the recommendation of active registration was removed. Previously active registration was recommended; the new guidance no longer takes a position on whether there should be active registration or deregistration for school worship services or the alternative offer. The organization wanted to show Storting politicians how it felt to be automatically registered for something one does not want. A possibility for deregistration was also presented, requiring a signature from the President of the Storting, which could be avoided by challenging the government on this change. A small number of politicians deregistered, including Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre and Prime Minister Erna Solberg; none of the deregistrations contained the President of the Storting's signature. The event itself was held on 13 December 2018 in Humanistisk Ungdom's premises in Oslo; representatives of its central board were present, but no politicians attended. In 2025 Humanistisk Ungdom was one of 25 organizations behind a Norwegian consensus statement for inclusive feminism. The organization remains active, publishing news and events on its website, including support for an investigation into self-determined end of life.

• Humanistisk Ungdom is founded on the initiative of Human-Etisk Forbund.

• Largest action to date against school worship services, covered by most major Norwegian media.

• Launches the school-worship campaign "Skole for alle – uansett tro eller tvil".

• Campaign brochure sent to Norwegian lower-secondary schools.

• Starts the "Mer enn sex" campaign for better sexuality education.

• Runs a critical-thinking campaign including the Tenkekassa award; Carl I. Hagen wins.

• Holds "alternative arrangement" protest over school-worship guidance; no politicians attend.

• One of 25 organizations behind a Norwegian consensus statement for inclusive feminism.

• Organization has eleven local branches.

• Adrian Wold Hansen becomes leader.

A nationwide, membership-based secular-humanist youth organization offering community, activism and life-stance education for Norwegians aged 13–25.

• Membership (13–25 years)

  Open to youth between 13 and 25; members not in a local branch are direct members.

• Local branches

  Eleven local branches as of November 2025, carrying out most member-facing activity.

• National seminars

  Includes Høstseminar, Skoleringsseminar and Landsmøte.

• Humanist confirmation

  Internal campaign focus on humanist confirmands.

• School worship service actions
• De-baptism campaign
• Nestekjærlighet
• Mer enn sex
• Tenkekassa

1. 1Humanistisk Ungdom | Oppdag, Engasjer, Bli Medhumanistiskungdom.no
2. 2Humanist Youthwikidata.org
3. 3Humanistisk Ungdomno.wikipedia.org