Vanessa Kamga speaks about identity and belonging at Theresa Day

Swedish discus thrower Vanessa Kamga will be visiting Gävle University of Applied Sciences when the Theresa Day event takes place on 23 September. During the day, she will share her experiences of identity and belonging – issues that lie at the heart of this year’s theme.

Theresa Day is being held for the fifth year running and highlights issues in international social work. This year’s theme is ‘Between Cultures: Navigating Identity and Belonging – Dilemmas of Second-Generation Immigrant Children in Culturally Diverse Societies’.

One of this year’s keynote speakers is Vanessa Kamga, one of Sweden’s leading discus throwers, who grew up in Gävle. During Theresa Day, she will speak about identity and belonging in a culturally diverse society, drawing on her own experiences.

– “It feels important to me to take part because I think we need to encourage more discussion about how we can give young people better opportunities to believe in themselves and have the courage to take their place in society. I strongly believe in the power of role models,” she says.

“Dare to go your own way”

She will talk about her own journey in sport and how she went from taking up athletics relatively late in life to reaching elite level.

– I’ll also be talking about the importance of daring to go your own way, finding your inner strength and not letting other people’s expectations or limitations define what you yourself believe is possible.

Vanessa Kamga’s parents have been involved in humanitarian work in her father’s homeland, Cameroon, for many years.

– I’ve grown up surrounded by that work, and it has shaped who I am and what drives me today.

Aiming to boost young people’s self-esteem

Theresa Day explores social sustainability from several perspectives. Alongside Vanessa Kamga, participants include Fereshteh Ahmadi, Professor of Sociology, who will speak about diversity, second-generation immigrants and strategies for managing integration processes in a Swedish context.

The programme also includes panel discussions, group discussions and shared reflections.

– For me, social sustainability is very much about people having the opportunity to feel good, to feel included and to believe that they have a place and a future. I think we need to get better at giving children and young people the right conditions from an early age, particularly when it comes to self-esteem, a sense of community and having the confidence to believe in their own abilities. I want to help create environments where young girls can feel strong, seen and valued just as they are, where the focus is on what the body can do rather than how it looks,’ says Vanessa Kamga.

Text: Anna Sällberg