Saajve – Stories, teaching, learning and arts in a Saami preschool

Saajve aims to develop knowledge and pedagogical practices on how educators, children, architects, and artists can work together to strengthen Sami themes in preschool. The goal is to create pedagogical approaches where Sami storytelling traditions and language become part of children’s play.

The project will design the preschool yard at Ottfjällets preschool in Östersund with Sami themes and generate knowledge that can be used in other preschools, as well as contribute to international research on language didactics and indigenous pedagogy.

The project is carried out in three phases: an initial phase with listening conversations, a middle phase with the construction of the yard, and a final phase with pedagogical activities in the finished environment. The studies will be conducted through participatory observations and interviews, focusing on artistically oriented research. The project is led by David Kroik, a lecturer in South Sami at Mid Sweden University, with the support of Viktor Magne Johansson, a professor of pedagogy at Nord University, and researcher Berit Frogner, a doctoral student in pedagogy at Nord University. Artists Joar Nango and Eystein Talleraas from Vuogas studio are also participating in the project.

The project starts in January 2025 and ends in June 2026, and includes fieldwork, workshops, and presentations of results. The total budget is 899,214 SEK, and the costs include personnel costs, indirect costs, other costs, purchase of services, and local costs. The communication plan includes internal communication through lectures and teaching materials, as well as external communication through presentations, scientific articles, and popular science texts.