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A WORLD MADE FOR – OR BY – YOUNG PEOPLE?. Sari Baldauf 3.10.2006 Ritarihuone, Helsinki. Agenda. Finland and Europe; trends and challenges The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation Some facts about youth environment in Finland Setting the scene for today .
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A WORLD MADE FOR – OR BY – YOUNG PEOPLE? Sari Baldauf3.10.2006Ritarihuone, Helsinki
Agenda • Finland and Europe; trends and challenges • The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation • Some facts about youth environment in Finland • Setting the scene for today
The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation • Focal area in preventative children- and youth work; act before difficulties or complications emerge • Specialized in Corporate Social Responsibility–programs. Among partners: Nokia, Fortum, Elcoteq, Pfizer, Veritas-Group, Metso, UPM-Kymmene, TVO, Wärtsilä • Zest - a life skills program in Finland • Heroes of the Kalevala - aimed to change the motivational behavior of at-risk youth, especially those from families dealing with severe poverty and alcoholism, Russian Karelia • Hope – aims to strengthen and expand the educational opportunities of adolescent Indian girls who face significant obstacles due to poverty and cultural barriers • Computer club - mathematics and computer science for girls and children from low-income or rural families in Petrozavodsk, Russian Karelia • Smartmove - small grants aiming at encouraging physical education for secondary school students in Finland • Support to after school clubs for primary school children on 23 locations in Finland • Support to marginalized youth, actions against drugs, strengthening of wellbeing and prevention of mental disorders
The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation Major Activities in Finland • The Zest - program, a life skills program for students in secondary schools • Immigrants Project: an awareness campaign to secondary school students to increase acceptance of otherness, diversity, multiculturalism and tolerance International Activities • Adjacent areas: Karelian Child program supports projects aimed at improving the lives of children and youth in the Republic of Karelia and Vyborg Region in Russia (over 30 projects) • Internationally: structuring and/or funding of programs aimed at improving the lives of children and youth in developing and emerging countries
Albeit Finland often fares as the best in classbench mark – eg education – there are issues: • Over 40 000 adolescents (15-24) unemployed and not attending further vocational training • Among those receiving social maintenance grants, young people are overrepresented and account for 20% • About 60 000 children come under the non-institutional social care • About 15 000 children cannot live at their homes, but are placed elsewhere (2-5% annual growth) • 13% of teenagers attending school feel sad, down or truly depressed Stakes/ Statistics Finland
For discussion today • Why is it that the share of young people not working is growing? • Why is it that many young people don’t find it motivating to participate in deciding about common matters? • Why is it that many young people have hard time finding purpose and optimism in their lives while our standard of living is higher than ever? • How will Finland cope if our ‘ethos’ of good education for all, value of work, responsibility, active engagement degrades? • How will these trends affect our future?
Thank you – and in anticipation of intense and interesting discussions!