SygtStærk goes nationwide: Young people with chronic illness gain new communities across Denmark
Young people living with chronic or serious physical illness face far greater challenges in completing an upper secondary education compared to their peers. SygtStærk wants to change that. With a grant of DKK 22 million from the Egmont Foundation and a newly established board, the organization will, in the coming years, expand communities and activities for young people with chronic illness throughout Denmark.
SygtStærk began in 2023 as a signature project under Egmont, based in Copenhagen. Here, young people with chronic or serious physical illness have benefitted from online communities, group sessions, and events where they can meet peers and receive support to manage their illness in everyday life while holding on to their education and youth. Now, these experiences will be scaled nationwide. The first step will be Funen in 2026, before the initiative expands to other regions in the coming years.
“I look forward to continuing SygtStærk’s work in creating communities for young people across the country. With the Egmont Foundation’s grant, we gain a solid foundation. I am especially excited that we will now have our own professional board to help us bring the concept nationwide,” says Carolina Magdalene Maier, head of SygtStærk.
As part of this expansion, the project will, as of 1 September, become an independent organization. This week, a board of strong profiles has been established which, together with SygtStærk’s secretariat and the young people themselves, will lay the foundation for the new organization.
“It is a great pleasure to take SygtStærk further and create communities for many more young people living with illness. With dedicated young people in the lead and a strong board at their back, SygtStærk is now ready to grow and support even more young people across the country,” says Heidi Sørensen, Director of the Egmont Grant Administration and chair of SygtStærk’s new board.
The background for the initiative is well documented: Nearly one in four young people with serious physical illness receives no education after lower secondary school. Strengthening and supporting young people in their educational ambitions is therefore at the core of SygtStærk’s work as the organization scales nationally in the coming years.
For more information
Communications Consultant at SygtStærk, Line Krag Mortensen, tel. +45 2183 0120, email lm@egmont.com
Head of Communications and Press at the Egmont Foundation Secretariat, Tine Pind Jørum, tel. +45 2711 6896, email tj@egmont.com
FACTS
About SygtStærk
SygtStærk was established in 2023 as Egmont’s signature project focusing on young people aged 13–24 living with chronic or serious physical illness. SygtStærk is a mobilizing and transformative community that aims to give young people the courage to take new steps in life, particularly in pursuing an upper secondary education.
Link: https://www.sygtstaerk.dk
About Egmont
Egmont is a commercial foundation with a dual purpose: to run a media business and to support children and young people facing difficult life circumstances in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Link: https://www.egmont.dk/stoette-til-boern-og-unge
About the grant
As of 1 September, SygtStærk will transition from being a project under Egmont to becoming an independent organization. This is based on a four-year grant from the Egmont Foundation of DKK 22.4 million. During the grant period, SygtStærk will expand its activities to two additional regions in co-creation with young people from the target group. The grant will also be used to develop a sustainable business model for SygtStærk’s long-term work.
SygtStærk’s Board Members
Heidi Sørensen, Chair of the Board. Sociologist and Director of the Egmont Grant Administration. Heidi also serves on the boards of Egmont Foundation’s former signature project Lær for Livet and the analysis agency Analyse&Tal.
Sara Gry Striegler, Vice Chair. CEO & Founder of Kindred Lab and Chair of the Board of the Academy for Social Innovation.
Helle Vibeke Carstensen. Municipal Director in Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality, with experience from several boards, including the disability center Gl. Tarup Præstegård.
Thomas Frandsen. Project Director at Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital, board member of the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation (Børnecancerfonden) and the Danish Child Accident Prevention Foundation (Børneulykkesfonden), and former Secretary-General of the Nordic-Baltic Association of Pediatric Oncologists.
Niels Krarup. Founder and CEO of odagroup, working with AI and health technology, and former CEO of FFW.
Olav Hesseldahl. Director of GRUNDLOVSFESTEN and former founder and CEO of UNGDOMSBUREAUET. He serves on several boards, including Roskilde Festival’s Board, and is Chair of the Board at the think tank Frej.
Samuel Johan Jull Karlsen. Member of the SygtStærk Committee and Storytelling Corps, as well as part of SygtStærk’s target group as a young person living with chronic illness. Samuel has volunteered at Rigshospitalet teaching doctors and nurses about youth perspectives. He works as a barista and event coordinator at Blind Coffee, and is also a board member of the HPN Foundation.
Marie Holt Hermansen (Alternate). Debater and writer, and part of SygtStærk’s target group as a young person living with illness. Marie works as a student assistant at the Danish School Students’ Organization (Danske Skoleelever) and has engaged in voluntary political work, including as Chair of Danske Skoleelever and board member of MOT Denmark. She was also a member of the National Well-being Commission (Trivselskommissionen).
