We reach Elvira Ajnnak at a friend's house before she has to take the bus home to Dráhkie/Gargnäs in Sorsele municipality.

- I was very sad, disappointed and frustrated when I heard that the Sami confirmation would not take place.

I had wanted to meet friends for life, which everyone has talked about doing at the Sami confirmation camp, she says.

Elvira Ajnnak hopes that Luleå Diocese will arrange so that the cohort of young people born in 08 can take a Sami confirmation, possibly later.

She wants to investigate it before she registers for the confirmation in her home parish.

- Taking confirmation with the people you meet every day is not the same.

Sami confirmation since the eighties

Sami confirmation has been conducted by the Church of Sweden since the eighties.

Eva-Maria Karlsson is diocese director at Luleå diocese.

She will soon have a meeting with Nils Johan Labba, who will lead the group that will review the Sami confirmation.

There has been criticism before, why are you doing this only now?

- We have gradually worked to improve the camp.

Edelvik has been Luleå Diocese's executor since 2014. The first year was weak, but since then it has been good, before the pandemic we had good evaluations.

Reviews goals, guidelines and placement

They will now review goals, guidelines and the location of the camp.

The plan is to investigate and lay down a structure to then run a Sami confirmation in 2024, with the young people born in 2009. 

- The Sami camp symbolizes a lot for people, as they felt that the confirmation was the visible thing that the church did for the Sami, and then there are also a lot of expectations.

We will do this as well as possible, says Eva-Maria Karlsson, diocese director Luleå diocese.

The disappointment is great among the young people who will be without Sami confirmation now, can you arrange something for them in 2024 as well?

- I dare not promise that we can double anything in 2024, it would be wrong to go out and say that.

On the other hand, I have had contact with the parishes in the diocese that have the most Sami youth, and the parish priests have said that they want to raise the Sami in the local context.