Kick-starting 2026 with a fresh mindset, great energy, and inspiring results!

As many already know, the PULSE South team is always on the move across Norway. To begin the year, the team travelled to visit Eidanger og Guttekorps, Smågardistene Skolekorps for a Spillkveld, as well as Øystese Juniorkorps for an engaging band visit.

The response from the young musicians was simply heartwarming. Participants were incredibly active, engaged, and full of enthusiasm throughout. Their excitement even made us feel like celebrities — they were asking for selfies with us left, right, and centre! (We only wish we had remembered to ask them to share the photos with us 😄).

It is always a joy to see the happy smiles of young musicians, and we feel proud every time we witness the progress being made. Through our work, we remain committed to developing and empowering young people to take ownership, stay active in their bands, grow as leaders, and most importantly — have fun along the way.

Winter Activities Recap…..

We have been embracing winter in all kinds of fun ways!

We went snow sledding for the first time, and it was amazing—though slightly terrifying at the start. I kept overthinking how on earth we were supposed to stop with no brakes. Eventually, we stopped thinking and just did what we were told. We fell a few times in the beginning, but by the end we were sledding like seasoned pros—basically ready for the Winter Olympics.

 (funny story):

Phenyo went cross-country skiing for the first time… and rumour has it he fell more than 15+ times 🤣 He even admitted he lost count.

But hey — as a South African young man, he stepped out of his comfort zone, tried something totally new, and actually loved it ❄️🇿🇦

Funny fact: the next day? Non-stop whining about muscle pains 💀😂

Toneheim students Neo and Racquelle came to visit us in Oslo, and of course… we decided to go ice- bathing ❄️🥶

Believe me — it’s never easy. It takes real courage just to take that first step into the icy water. Luckily there was a Sauna too… so you can already imagine the experience 😅

You go into the freezing water feeling miserable and hopeless… then immediately run into a sauna that’s about 46–48°C 🔥

But that kind of heat sends you straight back into the ice again — so it was just back and forth between freezing and boiling all day long 😂

Funny story: we weren’t even allowed to take pictures because people were running around half-naked… but somehow, we still managed to capture that one photo 📸🤣

#IceBathing #OsloLife #SaunaCulture #ColdExposure #FriendsAbroad #CrazyExperiences.

An unintended gathering that felt exactly right.

Funny how this had no agenda at all — yet it turned into one of the most memorable gatherings.

What started as a simple outdoor winter evening around the fire, roasting marshmallows and sharing food, became an unexpected BCB/PULSE alumni reunion.

Five alumni — @Marianne Elnes, @Marit Bakken, @Tor Åge Schunemann, @Peter Maluleke and @Thulani Maluleka — together with former FBF tutor @Ntswaki Moja, made the moment truly special.

Thanks to them, we even made it to the top of the mountain and took in the full view over Oslo — a perfect reminder that the strongest connections often happen when nothing is planned at all. 🔥🏔️✨

Welcome to Hell Conference 🔥😈 (the good kind)

An amazing youth event by NMF focused on learning, dialogue and big ideas 💬✨

…so naturally the PULSE team showed up to raise the energy and add some musical chaos 🎺🥁⚡

We planned and unleashed a full band battle so the youth could dive into creativity, collaboration and pure stage vibes 🎶🏆

And yes — it was a SUCCESS 🙌🔥

Huge shoutout to @Peter Maluleke — our fearless Band Battle Master 🎤👑 — for steering the madness and making the magic happen.

Youth + music + creativity + a little Hell energy = unforgettable day 😈🎶💥

Happy welcoming’s, sad goodbyes—that’s exchange culture.

 It’s always special to say hi and hello — both in and out of the office.

Meet and welcome our new PULSE North participants, Siri Møller-Holst and Klara Feiring, just as they were preparing to leave for South Africa.

Excitement, nerves, big suitcases and even bigger adventures ahead.

We look forward to seeing the experiences, learning and music that will grow from this journey.

Safe travels and lykke til on this incredible chapter.

Our last project with Refiloe and Phenyo was a band visit to Smågardistene, two days before their departure. It made us truly appreciate having them with us from the very beginning — guiding us and walking us through the work and responsibilities required of every South PULSE participant.

At the same time, as you all know, saying goodbye is never easy. On the brighter side, we will soon be saying hello again to new South participants.

I hope you enjoyed reading my sometimes long (and occasionally boring!) blog, and that it kept you as up to date as possible. Goodbye for now — see you next time with new updates.

Storytelling blog by Tebatso