Fredrik Lundh Collection
Ung Örn since 1988
The exciting thing about Fredrik Lundh Sammeli is that he has been involved in Unga Örnar at all levels. As an 11-year-old, he was asked if he wanted to be an assistant leader in a floorball group. This became Fredrik's active entrance and what he describes as "when he became a conscious eagle."
"Then it turned out in retrospect that I was also a member as early as 6-7 years old when I was involved in Unga Örnar's children's activities. I was born in a small village outside Älvsbyn, and there it was natural that Unga Örnar, the church's children's hour and the local sports club
had activities and which you varied between.”
The commitment eventually led to his being elected as a trustee, and in the years 2007–2016, Fredrik sat as chairman of the federal board.
"I have varied my commitment between being a participant, leader and elected official. I have always had many mentors and people who have supported me. I had the opportunity quite early to be elected in our local department and in our örn municipality. I joined the district board early and got a lot of responsibility there."
"There have been fantastic role models during my years, especially when I was young and needed it most, to dare".
Today, Fredrik Lundh Sammeli is a horse father with three children and sits in the Riksdag as chairman of the justice committee. The step to become an association person and the commitment to children
rights he thanks Unga Örnar for. Fredrik leads the cross-political children's network in the Riksdag, where all parties except the Sweden Democrats are members. He believes that the commitment to children's rights has always been there.
"Children's rights have always engaged me and are an issue that still engages me."
We ask Fredrik if he can share a specific memory from his time as an eagle and he tells us about when he went as a leader to an international camp where he was given responsibility for some rowdy youngsters from Luleå.
"It was a test all the time as the young people had difficulty relating to a group and following rules and the like. But we solved it and still had a good camp in Hungary. Above all, it has meant a lot to me in retrospect when I have met in various contexts the young people.”
Fredrik says that the feedback he has received from the young people afterwards made him understand that you really make a difference like an eagle. "Every now and then and for many, you have made a difference, perhaps for their whole lives". Although at times he found it difficult.
Of course, we are curious about Fredrik's time as elected representative. When we ask if he can tell us about a memory from his time as chairman of the association, he tells us about the work Unga Örnar did to get the Convention on the Rights of the Child as law. In connection with Håkan Juholt becoming party leader of the Social Democrats, his colleagues contacted Unga Örnar to discuss important issues concerning the situation of children. Fredrik, who was then chairman of the association, made it clear that the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a law was an important demand that Unga Örnar had made.
"Right then and there in that conversation, he decided to pursue that issue and today the Convention on the Rights of the Child is law and it would never have happened if Unga Örnar had not so actively pushed for the issue."
We round off the conversation and Fredrik adds:
"I hope we are good at asking people to join.
And that when it's at its toughest, remember that we actually make a difference for a lot of people. In the long term and for a long time.”
"I've been part of ups and downs," says Fredrik and laughs a little. He adds that he has been active in children's issues in various ways, but that Unga Örnar is best at involving children on their own terms, something he became increasingly proud of during his years as chairman of the association. He believes that this is the coolest thing about Unga Örnar.
English 
Svenska