Youth Work in Helsinki

Tommi Laitio

Director of Youth Affairs

600 000 residents

10-17yo: 41 000

13-17yo: 27 000

5 000 / age group

Youth Department

1 400 000 annual visits

350 staff members

30,2 million euros per year

Why we are

needed in

Helsinki?

Competence of youth workers

• Capability to build a

trust-based

relationship with a

young person

• Capability to make a

group work well

• Audacity to defend

young people´s views

and rights

• Action-based work and

guidance

• Flexibility and audacity

to experiment

• Collaboration

Young people

enjoy their

neighbourhoods.

Helsinki consist

of different and

unequal realities.

Conciliatory

values and a

sense of

competition.

A welfare society requires that we are

capable of empathy and we have a sense of

shared interests.

The entire Helsinki is a nice place for young people. Nice equals

having friends, things to do and being important to others. A young

Helsinkian is able to see the world from other people´s point of view.

New strategy defines the capabilities

every young person should have.

• Capability to form

friendships

• Capability to help others

and have an impact on

one´s environment

• Capability to experience

and create culture

• Capability for sports

• Capability to spend time in

spaces, which welcome

young people

• Capability to get help and

support

• Capability to learn and

strengthen one´s skills

Role of the youth department

• Knowledge on young people´s lives and

needs

• Building, supporting and guiding youth

groups; responsible roles for young

people

• Method for young people to influence

their neighbourhood

• Leisure and after school activities

• Targeted support

• Support and guidance regarding the

future

• Support for civil society

New strategy means

changes: - start from young people, not premises

- more responsibility for young people

(”producer roles”

- methods chosen based on and with

the community (participatory

budgeting)

- more community and outreach work

- youth clubs have a local and city-level

profile

- cultural work more in the suburbs and

with the arts institutions

- more resources to suburbs

- more joint premises with other

departments

- department heads have both a

regional and a thematic responsibility

Open and free of charge sports tournaments.

Locating attractive activities to suburbs, which need a boost.

Kumpula school garden, nature experiences also for those without a summer house.

Collaboration with arts institutions like the renewed Helsinki Art Museum.

Free of charge experiences for families, Fallkulla animal farm.

Participatory budgeting of youth work and annually doing a community analysis by interviewing young people and adults.

Summer activities and camps.

Annual report on young people´s wellbeing combining statistics, expert views and young people´s views. (online)

Staff dialogue on values.

Creating arts as a summer job with Helsinki Festival.

Non-representative dialogue between decision makers and youth.

Tommi Laitio

Director of Youth Affairs

City of Helsinki, Youth Department

Hietaniemenkatu 9B

PL 5000, 00099 City of Helsinki

tommi.laitio (a) hel.fi

tommilaitio.munstadi.fi

ruuti.net

twitter: tommilaitio