From 19 August to 5 September 2025, IFWEA General Secretary Saliem Patel travelled to Sweden, Norway and Finland on a study visit that included intensive discussions on the worker education movement and international collaboration within workers’ education associations. He speaks about the study visit here:
Who invited you to the Nordic countries?
I was invited by the workers’ education associations in Sweden and Finland – the ABF and TSL respectively. These were founding members of IFWEA in 1947, and their history goes back to the early 20th century. The ABF also accompanied me to Norway, where I had discussions with LO Norway. The workers’ education association in Norway (AOF) shut down due to financial difficulties last year and we had to reestablish relations to ensure that worker educators from Norway continue to find a home in IFWEA.
What was the purpose of your study visit?
The purpose was twofold. The first was to promote and report what IFWEA was doing to the broader constituencies of our Swedish and Finish affiliates – specifically to the trade union and worker education movement. The second reason was to understand how the context in each of the countries has changed and what challenges this poses for workers’ education and to discuss what support IFWEA can provide and what role we can play to build the workers’ education movement in this region. I did my best to promote the need for internationalism and international collaboration within the workers’ education associations, and I tried to address various audiences in these countries on this.
Picture: Saliem Patel and TSL
Who did you meet during your study visit?
In Finland I met with staff and board members of TSL, our affiliate. I also met with the international departments and educators from trade unions like JHL and the Industrial Union to get a sense of their local education programmes and also to explore how IFWEA could add value to their international education programmes involving trade unions in countries where we have affiliates. I also met with the Finnish Trade Union Solidarity Centre, SASK, and we explored opportunities to add value to existing and future programs, especially those related to IFWEA affiliates in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. I met briefly with the Social Democratic Party of Finland who were keen to hear about our international programs and I met with the KSL, which is a leftist worker education association interested to hear about and explore future relations with IFWEA. Finally, there was a YGAP reunion bringing together the Finnish participants that attended YGAP between 2012 – 2024. This event was emotionally inspiring – hearing the stories of how YGAP impacted on the lives of participants, made us realise that we do need to have a regular forum for the YGAP alumni.
In Sweden I met with national and local leaders of the ABF. I was fortunate to be able to address about 80 local district representatives about the challenges of workers’ education and the need to promote worker to worker contact internationally in a context of rising nationalism, racism and xenophobia. I also addressed the VISA Conference which gathers every two years attended by about 100 educators coming from trade union affiliates of the LO Sweden, local ABF educators and educators from the Folkhogskola. I stressed the need for educators to share their knowledge and see IFWEA as their space to build the global knowledge community and was glad to hear people in the conference talking about the need for this space and thinking about how IFWEA can add value to the international dimensions of their education programs. I also met with the Olof Palme Centre and the international departments of several trade unions like Handels, SEKO and the trade union federation, LO-Sweden. FAF (the federation of the labour movement folkhogskola), is a recent affiliate of IFWEA and we brainstormed a few ideas that could benefit both our organisations. In fact all the meetings I had during my visit provided concrete ideas for future collaboration which I jotted down and will work on during this year.
In Norway, I attended the Geneva School coordinating committee and heard about the benefits and achievements of this program. It was a good experience to see, first hand, how education associations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden work together on education programs. The priority, however, was to meet with the LO-Norway and the meeting with the international department was very fruitful as they already have close partnerships with IFWEA affiliates in Asia, Africa and Latin America. I also spent time with the educators who were incorporated into LO-Norway after the demise of AOF. The AOF was our affiliate and one of the IFWEA founding members in 1947. We discussed at length the challenges facing workers organisations and what this meant for the future role of workers’ education. Finally, I met with a member of LO-Norway board, that was elected in their congress earlier this year. He was very inspiring and talked about how unions in Norway are embracing new ways of organising and using popular education to build workers’ power from the ground upwards. Before I left Norway, I visited the Peoples Corner – an open space established by LO Norway for youth and other organisations to meet and have discussions or host cultural activities. It was established to encourage democratic education among youth. I enjoyed playing the digital game that was developed to introduce the values of the labour movement and the role the movement played in bringing about social, economic and political change in Norway – this game attracts lots of schools and organisations focussing on youth education. I left Norway filled with hope observing how much was being achieved and the commitment by all the people I spoke to, to struggle for the unity of workers and to be part of the international workers’ education movement.
Picture: YGAP reunion in Helsinki.
Your programme seemed very full. Did you get to do or see anything related to your personal interests?
My programme was full and I did not make any other plans. However, TSL made sure I go for a much-needed swim and sauna in Helsinki where I dipped myself in the terrifyingly cold sea pool next to the harbour. I also attended a musical show in the ABF Stockholm building which has a huge theatre that can be used by community organisations. An IFWEA Executive Committee member, who is a parliamentarian, indulged me with a tour of the Swedish parliament. Oh, and I travelled on a big boat from Helsinki to Stockholm that had performances and entertainment throughout the night. What left an indelible mark, however, was the accidental visit to the Helsinki Library after the YGAP reunion. This is a newly built library that opened in 2018. The architecture from the outside and the inside is mind blowing but what caught my eye most was how full of people it was despite it being a sunny Saturday afternoon. There was such an intergenerational mix of people doing diverse activities – you will not believe it if I tell you but there is nothing that you cannot do in that library short of launching a space craft, and perhaps even this is possible!!
Have you had time to think about what you learnt or the key findings of your study visit?
Over the next couple of months, I will be scrutinising the notes I made of all the observations and the honest and critical discussions with people who gave their time freely. I really met a lot of people, many of whom I did not know before and who agreed to meet because we shared an interest in workers’ education. It is obvious that there is a strong commitment in these countries towards our vision of accessible free and voluntary democratic education, especially education that empowers workers to play a leading role in the social, economic and political development. Early indications are that today the Nordic region is facing formidable challenges to democracy, working conditions and workers’ education unlike they have seen for decades. The workers’ education associations have been and continue adjusting and repositioning themselves as well as building new alliances and organising in different ways to address these challenges – they are likely, therefore, to emerge stronger, bigger and better.