To become an ‘Akureyringur’
“Isn’t it nice to live in Iceland?” my colleague asks. And with an energetic “Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be here!” I place myself among the many people of foreign origin who have found a home in Akureyri.
Akureyri brings people together through its beautiful surroundings, its strong sense of community, and its welcoming spirit. People choose this town as their home, a place to live, work, and raise a family. Today, more than 10% of the population has a foreign background. They bring cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as valuable knowledge, skills, and experience. This diversity is one of Akureyri’s strengths and an important part of its future.
A strong community is built when people feel seen, included, and able to participate. Diversity enriches the town and strengthens its future. Inclusion comes to life through practical steps: clear information, accessible public services, strong support for participation, and real opportunities for all residents to become active members of the community.
Building a town where people feel welcome, included, and able to participate requires vision, commitment, and practical action. Important steps have already been taken at both national and local level. At the national level, Iceland now has an important vision in the White Paper on Matters of Immigrants, A Society for Everyone, which sets out a future policy framework until 2038. At the local level, Akureyri has already taken valuable steps, for example through the Plan for Reception of Residents of Foreign Origin prepared by the Multicultural Information Center. These are strong foundations. Just as important are the goodwill, openness, and courage among local people to continue on this path and move toward deeper recognition and inclusion of the diversity that already exists in our town.
The Icelandic language is a key element in building a strong local community. Much has already been done over the years to support newcomers in learning and practising Icelandic, and even more can be achieved. The municipality can help create more opportunities for language practice through employment matching, job placements, or internships within municipal institutions, and through stronger cooperation with local employers. Mentoring or cultural mediation programmes, developed together with lifelong learning providers, could also strengthen language learning in the workplace.
Stronger cooperation with the University of Akureyri could help the town collect better data, identify integration gaps, and shape local policies more effectively. At the same time, broader involvement of immigrants in local decision-making would strengthen recognition, participation, and a sense of belonging in everyday life.
Our goal is simple: to help build an Akureyri where everyone feels welcome, valued, and able to contribute, both now and in the future.
Höfundur, Zane Brikovska, skipar fimmta sætið á lista Samfylkingarinnar á Akureyri.