People

Ebba Åkerman

Sweden

Biography

Ebba ran into one of her students on a train and asked him whether he enjoyed living in her country. She found his ambivalent answer deeply disturbing. It became clear to her that most of her students lived in immigrant neighborhoods and had virtually no contact with native Swedes. This motivated Ebba to create United Invitations, a Swedish platform that promotes inclusion of immigrants in European societies. The idea inspired dinners in which she hosted immigrants and longtime Swedish residents who came to know each other, and is fast becoming a movement.

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“Empathy comes from shared experiences. At a dinner table, we meet as equals. We look at each other in the eye, we build trust and I believe we have better conversations.”

Ebba Åkerman