Youth Work in

Helsinki

Tommi Laitio @tommilaitio

600 000 residents

10-17yo: 41 000

13-17yo: 27 000

5 000 / age group

12.3 13.8 15.1 16.5 17.6 18.3 19.0 19.5 20.0 20.6 20.8 21.1 21.4 21.8 22.2 22.6 22.9 23.3 23.7

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

17

20

18

20

19

20

20

20

21

20

22

20

23

20

24

20

25

20

26

20

27

20

28

20

29

20

30

13-19-year-olds according to language 2012-2030

Kantaväestö Vieraat kielet yhteensäFinnish, Swedish Other

Integration

Too much of this =

obedient servants

Emancipation

Too much of this =

Consumer-like

Citizenship

The ”Impossible” Formula of Youth Work

Youth Department

75 locations

400 staff members

30 m € budget

Building young people´s

capabilities

”The capabilities approach starts from a

very simple question: what are people

really able to do and be? What real

possibilities do they have?”

- Martha Nussbaum: Creating Capabilities.

Helsinki´s goal: every child/young person has at least one hobby.

Usually only a few people usethe voice of all..

In Helsinki´s Ruuti Programme, everyone uses their own voice.

Ruuti Participation Programme1. Every young person has a positiveexperience of participation.2. Young people´s initiatives are takenseriously.3. Young people are heard in issuesaffecting them.4. Young people´s actions and initiativesimprove Helsinki.

In political participation we put focus

on deliberation and negotiation.

Ruuti Budget:In two districts, young peopledecided on our work in 2013.

http://www.supafly.net/maalauspaikat/

1.Suvilahti

2. Kalasatama

3. Nuorten

toimintakeskus

Happi

4. Luuppi,

Kontula

5. Pihlajamäen

nuorisopuisto

6. Jakomäki

7. Östersundom

8. Arabia

Public services are

meaningful only when

they strengthen relations

to other people.

People´s joint actions

need to influence the

structures.

People´s relations to other people

are not outcomes of public sector

interventions.

Starting point in

the public sector should

always be trust and help.

• Tommi LaitioDirector 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