Mariann Lörstrand Blind from Arvidsjaur is one of the parents, her son was one of 51 confirmands from all over Sápmi.
She believes that during the actual confirmation service, the Sami languages were barely heard and that the Sami had a subordinate role at all.
Something that does not strengthen the Sami youth's identity and Sami spirituality, she says.
- Our young people must be allowed to strengthen their identity so they become strong as Sami and feel secure in being Sami.
Our Sami life and language are as important as everything else, she says.
The Sami confirmation camp has existed since the 1980s and has grown over the years.
The confirmation is popular and brings together Sami young people from all over Sweden and sometimes also from Norway and Finland.
For many years, the camp alternated between Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Jämtland and then it was held in the mountain areas such as Nikkaluokta, Ammarnäs and Vålådalen.
Since 2014, the Church of Sweden has commissioned Edelvik Folk High School to carry out the camp and the confirmation, and since then the camp has been held at Edelvik Folk High School in Burträsk in Västerbotten.
Requires retake
But now Mariann Lörstrand Blind demands that a retake of the Sami confirmation camp must be made.
- I demand that it is the Sami themselves who will decide and control the Sami confirmation camp.
Now it is Edelvik's folk high school organization that is responsible for the confirmation and it feels like within that organization there is no knowledge and understanding of our needs and how we think about spirituality and Christianity, she says.
Another parent, Ylva Gustafsson, with her own experience of working for many years as a confirmation leader both at camp and in the parish and also an educator in Karasjok parish, believes that there are several reasons why it has not worked completely.
- It is clear that if you have more than a week on you, you have time to both learn songs and lyrics and become more confident with each other in the group.
The camp was too short and it may have affected the service, but mostly the group process you can experience at a longer camp, says Ylva Gustafsson.
Responsible principal Per Larsson at Edelvik Folk High School replies in an email that he does not stand for an interview to respond to criticism in the media.
He also writes that their reality is to plan and carry out the mission in a constant noise of strong emotions, public statements and harsh criticism and that the sad thing is that the positive is rarely seen and heard even if it is a fun and popular camp they organize.