No children should be left on the sidelines
Imagine this: You are ten years old and love football. You’ve been training all season, looking forward to the away game and heard your friends talk about the bus ride, cheering, the team feeling. But you already know that you should not join. The deductible is too high. Your parents have said it straight: It doesn’t work. And while the team is traveling, you sit at home. Not because you don’t want to, but because your family’s wallet isn’t going. You are standing on the sidelines – alone.
This is the reality of many children in Alta.
Between 150 and 200 children in the municipality live in relative poverty. Behind the dry number, there is an everyday life where leisure activities – something most people take for granted – becomes a luxury good. It’s not just about finances. It’s about outsiders. About children who cannot join football training, corps exercise or cultural school. About children who lose more than one activity – they lose the opportunity to belong. It’s not just a lost leisure time – it’s a lost part of childhood.
A societal problem – not just a family challenge
Child poverty is not an individual problem. It is a societal problem. When children are kept out because the parents cannot afford, we all carry a responsibility. A child who falls outside today risks losing valuable social training, mastery and community – building blocks for the future.
Alta municipality has already taken some steps. The quota box supports quotas and participation, and is an important offering for children and young people up to 18 years. But it has clear limitations: It does not cover equipment, not travel, not deductibles. And for many children, it is precisely these expenses that are the biggest obstacle.
Alta recognizes the seriousness – but it must be followed up with action
On Friday, February 16, 2024, the Alta municipality gathered selected representatives to point out what public health challenges will be prioritized in the years to come. Of 90 indicators, seven were selected to receive extra attention. One of these is child poverty.
The municipality thus acknowledges that child poverty is not only a financial challenge, but a key factor that affects children’s mental health, school performance and social development. It is an important signal. Now it has to be followed up with specific measures – and here we can draw inspiration from Hammerfest.
Polar Bear Fund – a low -threshold measure that works
Since 2018, the Polar Bear Fund has ensured that children and young people can participate in sports, culture and leisure – regardless of the family’s finances. No documentation is needed here, no bureaucratic forms. The application process is confidence -based, and the help comes quickly.
The fund covers everything from football shoes and lift passes to deductibles for rallies and tournaments. Around NOK 100,000 is awarded each year, funded by local business and voluntary forces. The Polar Bear Fund has become a powerful tool for equalizing differences and building communities.
A fund for Alta – because participation should not be a matter of finances
Alta is a sports and cultural community. We have a living association life, active corps, sports teams and cultural school. We have children and young people who dream, train and practice – and we have parents, coaches and volunteers who spend countless hours for the community. But we also have children who fall outside. Children watching but not allowed to join.
And we have something more: a strong, committed and socially conscious business community. Over the years, the business community in Alta has repeatedly shown a willingness to contribute – whether it is sponsors, partners or supporters. This effort deserves praise. What we are missing now is structure. A common, organized solution is needed that channels this engagement where it really is needed – into a fund that ensures that no child falls outside due to finances.
We have both the need and the capacity. Now we have to gather the forces – the municipality, voluntary and business – and establish a fund that gives children real opportunities to participate. Not just on paper, but in practice.
Such a fund must cover quotas, equipment, travel and deductibles. It must meet the children where they are and remove the economic obstacles that stand in the way of community and belonging. It’s not just about sports or culture. It is about children’s right to join. Right to feel seen. Right to succeed.
An investment we cannot afford to let be
Giving children the opportunity to participate in leisure activities is not a cost – it is an investment. In health, mental well -being, social competence and future participation in society. Children who join, build networks, learn collaboration and experience mastery. This is how we build robust, safe and inclusive communities.
Let Alta become a municipality where all children are allowed to participate – regardless of financial background. Let’s go together – the municipality, business and volunteer – and establish a fund that lifts our children and reflects our values. Let’s show that we do not accept that finances determine children’s opportunities.
The next time you see a child in training, in the corps or at the cultural school – think of those you don’t see. And ask yourself: What can we do to change it?
Because in Alta, no children should be left on the sidelines.
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