Born 1945, Swedish, PhD in sociology and co-founder of TFF.

Defended her PhD in sociology in October 2001 “With foreign luggage. Thoughts and experiences told by young people with roots in other cultures or The postmodern strangehood.” (Department of Sociology, University of Lund). For a description see TFF PressInfo 138.

She has been engaged in anti-nuclear activism since the 1960s and member of TFF’s conflict-mitigation team to former Yugoslavia. She is also a co-author of some Kalejdoskop articles and annual statements with her husband, Jan Oberg.

Christina cares for a series of practical everyday tasks such as billing, dispatching ordered publications, doing book keeping, proof-reading and editing and participates as a founder in all meetings, although she is not a member of TFF’s Board.

But much more than that.

In this short video, Christina talks about her experience in war-torn Sarajevo in the 1990s, about football, how to understand conflicts – and peace.

From 2003, she participated in the foundation’s project related to women in Iraq (together with then board members Else Hammerich and Kerstin Schultz).

From 2004-2005 she conducted an EU-financed research program that aims to improve the integration of refugees into municipalities in Southern Sweden, a continuation with practical implementation, of her dissertation. It takes place in the municipality of Eslöv close to Lund.

In 2003 she was awarded the Peace Prize of the Castel Nuovo municipality in Italy that is given with reference to Dante Alighieri and rewards peace-making efforts.

In 2004-2005 she leads an EU-financed project on improving the process of integration of refugees and others into the Swedish society, taking place in the municipality of Eslöv close to Lund in southern Sweden.

This provides an opportunity for the young Afghans to dialogue with Swedish visitors and explain why and how they have come to the country and what they can do as Swedish citizens.

It goes without saying that this TFF project is public education in a nutshell; however, it also goes a long way down the road to healing and empowering the participants.

Update by 2017

Since 2004 TFF’s co-founder, Christina Spännar, has led three projects on various aspects of the integration of refugees into Swedish society and everyday life.

The Foundation’s work in conflict areas around the world has made it natural to ask questions such as:

• How can we be helpful to those who knock on Sweden’s doors in the wake of serious, protracted conflict?
• How can we help Swedes to better understand and empathize with these people?
• How can mechanisms be developed that build bridges between Swedes and the others, and how can some of these people then become bridge-builders themselves?

TFF projects in this field are carried out in various places in southern Sweden: Eslöv, Lund and Malmö. Many nationalities have participated over the years: Somalis, Iraqis, ex-Yugoslavs, amongst others.

The current TFF project “Like Bridges Over Dark Waters” which is funded by the Swedish Inheritance Fund focuses mostly on young Afghan boys, who have traveled alone for months and years and have arrived in Sweden without any family members.

The focus has been on developing a sense of community and on facilitating their sharing of their backgrounds and the often extreme hardships encountered on their journey to Sweden.

One of the mediums used is an exhibition of texts, photos and other media that tours around institutions and municipalities.

The above-mentioned exhibition took on its own life and by early 2016 it had been shown at more than 30 places, at schools, libraries, municipality centres and other public spaces as well as at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg.

At most of the official openings, the young people who had travelled alone to Sweden told their stories of their journeys to various groups of Swedes.

Since autumn 2016, Christina and a retired teacher friend help young asylum seekers at a reception centre near Malmö with their schoolwork; that is a good simultaneous exercise in learning the language.

Those who later move to Lund to live on their own may continue to receive that sort of help at TFF but can also raise other issues which may be difficult to handle not only because you are young but also because you are not always sure, culturally, what is best to do and how.

In this manner, the foundation continues to contribute to the development of new social networks – which is essential for a successful integration into the new and very different society.

These projects are conducted and described in Swedish (with the use of interpreters where necessary). The English language is not used. Thus, the links to your right offer insights in Swedish only.

In this video and this video, Christina and Jan talk about the future of TFF and what they believe must happen in the future.

Contact

Address
Vegagatan 25, SE – 224 57 Lund, Sweden

Phone
+46 (0)70 145 01 71