A Nordic collaboration we have applied to launch — and would love to bring to life
Nordic Civic Voices is a proposed collaboration between TEDx organisers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The project is designed to strengthen how we discover civic voices, share knowledge across borders and build more open public knowledge arenas.
We have applied for funding through the Demos programme at Nordic Culture Point.
Current status: Application sent
Expected reply: May/June 2026
Planned project period if funded: June 2026 – May 2027.
This is a project application led by TEDxArendal Community together with TEDxGöteborg, TEDxOdense and TEDxFredrikstad. If funded, the project will include digital collaboration, local speaker labs and Nordic gatherings to develop a shared method for curation and outreach.
Nordic Civic Voices grows out of the volunteer-driven TEDx communities behind TEDxArendal, TEDxGöteborg, TEDxOdense and TEDxFredrikstad. Across these events, people contribute their time, skills and networks to create open public arenas for ideas, learning and dialogue.
What connects the partners is a shared belief that strong communities, diverse voices and knowledge-sharing matter. This project builds on that foundation by bringing organisers together across borders to learn from each other, strengthen volunteer-led collaboration and explore new ways of discovering civic voices worth elevating.
I love everything about TEDxArendal. The creativity beforehand, the excitement during the event, and most importantly, working with people who think outside the box.
TEDxArendal (Norway) – Applicant / Project Lead:
A long-running, volunteer-led TEDx organiser and holder of TED’s top-level invite-only Legacy License (held by only 20 of ~4,500 TEDx events globally). Over the years, TEDxArendal has built strong organisational capacity. The organisation has a dedicated programme committee and speaker curation function of 8 experienced volunteers. The pilot builds on this structure to develop a shared Nordic curation method. TEDxArendal has a strong focus on partner collaboration and a well led volunteer crew, producing a full-day, 12 hour experience for volunteers and audience. In this project, TEDxArendal takes responsibility for coordination, facilitation, documentation and delivery of Toolkit v1, and hosts the Norway gathering linked to TEDxArendal 2026 as a structured peer-learning site visit.
TEDxGöteborg (Sweden) – Partner:
An experienced TEDx community active since 2009, bringing long-term practice in curating themes and civic voices for public audiences. TEDxGöteborg strengthens this project by bringing a “big-city lens” on themes, networks and audience relevance. They host this project’s Sweden gathering (closing summit) where learning from all partners is consolidated into Toolkit v1 and the phase-2 blueprint.
TEDxOdense (Denmark) – Partner:
A volunteer-led TEDx organiser with a documented history of events starting in 2017 and multiple past editions. Odense adds value through structured programme thinking and organiser experience. This is useful for sharpening the shared curation criteria, templates and routines that make the pipeline practical and repeatable.
TEDxFredrikstad (Norway) – Partner:
A newer TEDx initiative (first event in 2025) and provides an important “real-world test case” for how a shared Nordic method supports quality and consistency as teams grow. Fredrikstad contributes by testing the approach locally and feeding practical learnings back into the common toolkit.
