Norges kristelige studentforbund

The SCM in Norway was one of the founding members of World Student Christian Federation, and it has been an independent Christian student organization from the very beginning. Our national board consists of student members only, aged 19 to 26. We also have a small staff at the head office in Oslo. We’re ecumenical, but most of our members are Lutherans.

Who makes up SCM Norway?

SCM Norway has between 50 and 100 active members in total. We have local student groups at the three largest universities in Norway. The student groups mainly focus their work on discussions about theological and social issues, and they celebrate mass together. The groups have close connections with the university chaplains. We also invite students to take part in contextual Bible study groups, dinners for foreign exchange students, outdoor activities, film festivals and community outreach to poorer people in the city.

At national level, all student members are invited for two weekends every year, for fellowship, debates and setting priorities for the coming year. This year’s main national level programmes are solidarity with Palestine and working with women’s and LGBT people’s rights in the church.

International work

As part of our exchange programme with SCM Palestine, we will have four visitors from Palestine attending our national weekend this autumn. Later on, we will send four Norwegian students to Palestine to learn more about the Israeli occupation. We also work closely with other Norwegian organizations to support Palestine, and we engage in solidarity fundraising. In addition, we will be celebrating the World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel together with YMCA and YWCA in Norway.

And that’s not all..!

We have campaigns to inform church members and church staff about LGBT rights in cooperation with the Queer Youth of Norway. We are planning for massive church participation in the EuroPride taking place in Oslo next year.

For the year ahead we will be focusing on capacity building for our movement, strengthening the local groups and attracting new members. Leadership training will form part of the programme.

Finally, we publish a student magazine, called Akt, three to four times a year. It is distributed to student members and Senior Friends and is also available online and in campus libraries. In the latest edition, one of our newest members, Anne-Marie, says this about the SCM in Norway: “The positive attitude I was met with right from the start, gave me an opportunity to relax and be myself. No one judged me no matter what. I really appreciated that. I hope to learn much from these people and to widen my horizons. They say that Christians are narrow-minded. I experienced just the opposite in SCM Norway.” �

Gaute Brækken is the Secretary General of the Student Christian Movement in Norway since August 2010. He belongs to the Church of Norway (Lutheran) and is politically active in the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party. He is a former head of the Programmes Department within the YWCA-YMCA Guides and Scouts of Norway.