I cannot sleep
I feel the urgency, I have felt for years and it makes it impossible to sleep.
This is the first blog article on the web page of PeopleUknow. PeopleUknow is developing a digital toolkit to improve social skills in the classroom. We want to prevent bullying, loneliness, dropouts, lack of motivation and psychological problems and give students a learning environment to practice their social skills.
I feel the urgency, I have felt it for years. This energy inside makes it impossible to go to sleep. I know it is stupid. It’s even seriously unhealthy! So; knowing that I should sleep at night; why do I still stay up?
Why am I writing this?
6 years ago there was an incident that changed my life. A 16-year old girl I know was socially excluded by her new classmates, a deliberate action that in the end made her leave school for good. Witnessing this I realized that responsibility and empathy cannot be taken for granted – even though we might think of these values as global and applicable to all.
A world where millions of kids each day are excluded, harassed and bullied is extremely destructive, not only for the bullied but for their families, the bully and society as a whole.
I gradually became more and more conscious that the way people relate to one another – and the way it makes us feel – is crucial to achieving one of the most basic human needs: feeling appreciated. And; it shouldn’t be that hard to make everybody feel appreciated – it is definitely doable!I decided to do something about it – and since then I have been on a mission and I simply haven’t had the time to sleep.
My passion for helping young kids through tough times in school has grown into the driving force in my life. I view the world through this lens, and it brings meaning to something much bigger than me or my startup alone.
Digging deeper into the research, the term social skills1 came to the surface. It’s about how we relate to each other and how we relate to ourselves. Even though the general competence goals are underlining not only academic goals – but also social and personal development, it seems like we still have a lot of work in front of us to create a learning arena in the schools. Social skills need to be put on the agenda, not indirectly, but as concrete skills that can be practiced every day with your peers in the classroom. This is what PeopleUknow is all about and if you want to know more about it, please get in touch with us <3
Life and the Universe
One week in June 2017, I attended a big event called STARMUS here in Trondheim – a fantastic mixture of science and music and an inspiration for life. Thousands of people traveled to our small city in the middle of Norway to hear famous astronauts, scientists, musicians and other celebrities come together to discuss “Life and the Universe”.

The talk about distant galaxies and black holes feels simultaneously very exciting and very useless. How am I and PeopleUknow going to benefit from this new knowledge on what is going on in space? Ongoing research will continue several hundreds of years into the future. Most of the technical talks are way beyond most people’s understanding, and yet there is something really fascinating about it. Because it gives perspective. About the future and about here and now.
As a participant in Starmus, you really get a perspective on the meaning of life!
What is the purpose of life on Earth?
What do we want to achieve? How can we improve life on Earth for all human beings? Each talk at STARMUS was – as I see it – evolving around the same basics. No matter who was on stage or what was the topic; We want to survive and we want to build stuff. We want to have fun. And last, but not least: We want to be loved and appreciated.
Larry King is fed up with today’s media carousel, where we don’t take time to listen to people’s story.
What makes a good life?
Larry King said from the stage at #STARMUS “I wear out people with all my questions,” and “You wouldn’t want to sit next to me on an airplane”. So, why is he, at the age of 84, still so popular?
“We need to take more time to talk to new people. Not only for the accepted 8 minutes of patience of today’s media carousel but for an hour or even 3 or 4,” according to King. But who will take the time to dig into people’s soul like that in today’s society, and do we really care?
Curiosity is a necessity for knowledge, most people know that, but I believe people forget curiosity when it comes to relationships. And relationships are the key ingredients to happiness and life mastering.
“Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.”
– The Harvard Gazette
Do you sacrifice curiosity to feel safe?
Many people have their own little pack of family and friends and many people feel that this is enough. “I don’t have time for more people in my life and I don’t need more friends.” The curious child we were born as has settled for something less. Something more safe and predictable, but also less fun, challenging or interesting. New people give new perspectives, it makes us grow and it makes us smarter. But do we dare to speak to strangers, and do we invite the new kid in the class?
Maslow’s hierarchy of five needs focuses on the psychological stages of growth in humans. The most basic needs (“physiological” and “safety”) come first, followed by “belonging and love”, then “esteem” and “self-actualization”, as the pattern that human motivations generally move through.
From early times human beings always seek security as this is one of our basic needs. Feeling safe is good, that makes us more relaxed and braver, just watch out if it makes you bored – or if you have lost that childish curiosity. It will reduce life – not only for yourself but also for others.
The right path!
I think we are all responsible for always questioning if we are on the right path and for what purpose we are here. How can I make life on Earth better for myself – and for others?
The lack of this responsibility among youth was my inspiration 6 years ago and I realized: I can actually do something about this.
PeopleUknow add Value to your life – IF you let them.
Be curious and connect.
If you want to be a part of this journey, you can choose either of the 4 options:
Read more about the pilot.
Read more about the concept and story
-For Collaborators who have the same Goals and Values like us
-For potential new team members who would like to contribute