Greenlandic parents use faith, culture and open dialogue to calm children’s fears as Trump’s ambition to acquire the Arctic island creates uncertainty.
NUUK: Parents in Greenland are working to reassure their children amid unsettling international rhetoric. The focus follows Donald Trump’s return to the White House last year with a renewed ambition to acquire the Arctic territory.
In a Nuuk coffee shop, lawyer Lykke Lynge watches her four children. She relies on her Christian faith to navigate the global turmoil. “Even if we love our country, we have even higher values that allow us to sleep soundly and not be afraid,” she said.
Greenlandic authorities published a guide titled “How to talk to children in times of uncertainty?” just one week after Trump’s 2025 inauguration. UNICEF contributed to the guide, which advises parents to remain calm, listen, and limit news consumption.
Tina Dam, chief programme officer for UNICEF in the Danish territory, explained the need for the guide. “When somebody says they will come to take our country or they will bomb us or something, then of course children will get very scared,” she said.
Social media, particularly TikTok, has become a primary news source for young people. Dam notes children access information not meant for their age. “The rhetoric is quite aggressive,” she added, emphasising the need for protective adult guidance.
Reassuring children is complicated by unanswerable questions. Consultant Arnakkuluk Jo Kleist talks extensively with her 13-year-old daughter, Manumina. “Sometimes there are questions she’s asking… that I don’t have any answers to,” Kleist admitted.
Greenland’s Inuit culture provides a framework for coping with uncertainty. “We have a history… where sometimes things happen and we are used to being in situations that are out of our control,” Kleist explained. The approach focuses on adaptation.
Some children are using social media to voice their concerns directly. A video by seven-year-old Marley and his 14-year-old sister Mila went viral on Instagram. “Dear Donald Trump, I have a message for you: you are making Greenlandic kids scared,” the boy states.
The serious yet lighthearted video features the children telling Trump, “Greenland is not for sale.” Their mother, Paninnguaq Heilmann-Sigurdsen, sees it as a coping mechanism. “It’s kid-friendly, but also serious,” she told AFP.
