In these columns, we are introducing people: students, staff, former staff, and governance members of RCN. Today meet Oline Lykke Grand, our second year student from the Faroe Islands. Oline is passionate about human rights and humanitarian issues and as such she is one of the leaders of the Amnesty International youth group in our College. You can also see her to walk or run along the roads and she is part of the Interval training group since her arrival to RCN. These are traits that easily make her worthy of publishing a story about Oline but there is a special occasion we should mention: a book about human rights she wrote and published in Faroese.

“Until 2024, it has been almost impossible for the Faroese youth to find information about international and universal human rights in their own mother tongue, Faroese. It can create a distance to human rights when it is only possible to read about them in foreign languages and it is therefore paramount to give the Faroese youth the opportunity to read about their human rights in Faroese and in a Faroese context to enhance their understanding and ability to protect their own rights. My book, The Faroe Islands for Human Rights, therefore seeks to change this by explaining each article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the importance of the additional declarations on Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights and Rights for Persons with Disabilities as well as how climate change is affecting human rights. I am a huge believer in the power of education, and the book is therefore cost-free for students and teachers and comes with a teacher’s guide, showing how teachers can use the book as a part of the curriculum in the subjects Faroese and social studies. The teacher’s guide also includes different tasks that the student can solve through using the book. The aim of this book is to get the students engaged in the Faroese and international human rights discussion by enhancing their understanding of human rights.
At the beginning of my first year at UWC RCN, one of the older students made me aware of the organisation “The Changemaker Project”, which seeks to encourage young people to create their own projects. The goal of the course was to come up with our own projects, and I therefore started to work on my book, The Faroe Islands for Human Rights. I used free online platforms and started to write about human rights and created illustrations for the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the declaration on Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights and Rights for Persons with Disabilities as well as how climate change is affecting human rights. I pitched my idea at international crowdfunding events to get funding to copy and distribute the book. For example, in April 2023 I wrote a report to the organisation “GoMakeADifference x UWC Initiative” through which I gathered 1000$ to print my book.
Reflecting on the past one year and a half I have spent here at RCN, it is clear how this community has shaped the person I am today. Besides teaching me the value of learning from different perspectives and cultures, RCN has taught me to take initiative and believe in “the power of you”. As the co-leader of the school’s Amnesty group, I have experienced how our humanitarian activism can have a meaningful and paramount impact on our community in Flekke and beyond such as when we organised the very first pride parade ever in Dale, the neighbouring town. Furthermore, I am incredibly grateful for all the teachers at RCN who have taught me to think critically and speak my mind. This has encouraged me to take matters into my own hands and write my book, The Faroe Islands for Human Rights.”

Please flip through the this groundbreaking book by Oline Lykke Grand, a student of UWC Red Cross Nordic, fills a crucial gap for Faroese youth. For the first time, they can explore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related declarations in their own language, making these fundamental rights more accessible and understandable. The book is accessible, offers engaging activities and a local context in Faroese languge with the help of eye-catching illustrations. The book is also available in hard copies.

You can hear Oline’s thoughts about her motivation and work in Asta Nuka’s podcast, the Point of View, on Spotify!