Useful information about Valborg, volunteer opportunities, and bad news for smokers. Swedish news is sometimes hard to come by. Lundagard’s international edition gives you a short summary of local, regional and national news every week.
What you need to know on valborg:
More police and medical personnel 
will be on hand this year to ensure a safer Valborg. Buy your alcohol ahead of time, as all of Lund’s Systembolagets will be closed on Monday. Shops in neighboring towns will, however, remain open.
Get acquainted beforehand with the Stadsparken layout with this map, as navigating the park will be difficult come Monday.
And contrary to what news outlets have stated, Lund’s law student union will not be holding a Valborg barbecue in Stortorget due to city permit issues. “We hope for this barbecue to become a tradition in the future,” said Johan Samuelsson, the union president.
Not only the nations hold volunteer opportunities in Lund. The city’s volontärförmedlingen offers chances for volunteers to spend time with senior citizens. The services requested are helping with small tasks and providing friendly company. Exchange students frequently volunteer as it offers them a window into a new culture through an experienced generation.
A community group from the Klostergården neighborhood received a prize for their work towards integration. The 20,000 kronor prize is awarded to a group that fosters cultural integration among people of all backgrounds through local activities. An example of their projects was revamping a neighborhood football field.
Lund youth committed to equality posed questions to Sweden’s political parties on Thursday afternoon. In a city hall panel dealing with issues of racism and other forms of discrimination, young students questioned political representatives about their party’s attitudes and strategies towards fighting discrimination. To some students’ surprise, the different parties generally appeared unified in their opinions.
Lund politicians want to punish smokers who toss their cigarette butts on the street. Police already hold the authority to fine other forms of littering, so this new law would extend such punishments to smokers. Malmö politicians do not believe, however, that this action will not change people’s behavior.
