Drinking alcohol is synonymous to student life at university. IOGT-NTO is a temperance movement proving change for members of all age groups across Sweden and in Lund.
“I felt that Lund needed a place where you could go and have a nice, social environment that was an alcohol free oasis in the otherwise rather alcohol dependent campus life”, explains Lovisa Bengtsson.
She is the founding president of the first club in Lund targeted at students which aims to bring together a mixed group of IOGT-NTO and Youth Temperance Association (UNF) members. If one knew the basics of being a student in a university city, it is self-explanatory, behind which the city of Lund should have such a movement.
Tired of Alcohol
“A lot of students are very tired of the alcohol culture in the university because a lot of students feel that they have to drink alcohol in order to be a part of the whole norm… and then they feel left out if they don’t drink and some of them are finding it very difficult to participate in school”, highlights Anna Thoren, Organisation Developer at UNF Skane.
Her job, while promoting the cause of a non-alcohol and drug free society, is also to coordinate between UNF clubs across Skane. Although, before using any further acronym let’s look into the background of the movement.
IOGT-NTO Experience
The IOGT-NTO Movement has a vision to have “a society, a world where alcohol and other drugs do not prevent people to live a free and full life“. Independent Order of Good Templars was formed in USA in 1851. Having found its way into Sweden in 1879, today, the establishment’s modern history predates to 1970 through the merger of IOGT-Nationalgotemplarorden (NGTO) and Templarorden (TO) into IOGT-NTO (Movement). With over 32000 members across Sweden, IOGT-NTO Sweden is part of the international organisation called International Organisation of Good Templars.
As a student at Lund University, you may choose not to be slightly surprised on learning that a friend or classmate is an active member at Ungdomens Nykterhetsforbund (UNF, in Swedish), which is one of the four unions of the IOGT-NTO Movement.
Photo: Jens Hansen.
Pizza and movies
“It was kind of a coincidence, some friends and I were at a folk music concert in the IOGT building. Before the dance should start we went one floor up where UNF was having pizza and movie night”, recollects Ellen Rieloff, a Chemistry student at Lund University.
She continues, “we were invited to join and a guy spoke about the club and wanted us to become members. Since I was already not drinking alcohol and didn’t have any plans to start I thought why not, and became a member”.
Some of the recent activities at UNF gatherings in Lund include, a quiz night at the IOGT building, badminton at a local sports club, a picnic in Stadsparken and even an upcoming mocktail (alcohol free drink, opposite of cocktail) evening. Participation at a few of the gatherings confirms two things: you meet a lot of Swedish students studying a range of subjects and secondly, the enthusiasm of members reflects beyond a typical ‘non-drinkers’ club.
Democratic values
Besides following democratic values where activities of a club are decided solely by its members, members believe that personal abstinence from alcohol consumption or teetotalism is a way of life. It is possible to enjoy university life and “meet new people and participate in an alcohol free activity”, the belief of Rebecca Andersson, which urged her to join UNF.
A belief shared amongst youth at UNF, put simply by Rebecca Andersson:
“I don’t think that I should point my fingers and decide what other people should and should not do. But if I could wish people in general would drink more responsibly.”
