City of Helsinki

- youth work strategy

Interaction for Action

3 November 2015, Gothenburg

Director of Youth Affairs Tommi Laitio

Twitter @tommilaitio

Helsinki

• 600 000 inhabitants Helsinki

Capital of Finland

600 000 inhabitants

(annual growth +9000, of

which 70% migrants)

Age cohorts:

10-17-yo: 5 000

18-29: 10 000

16 % teenagers w/ migrant

background

Image: www.visithelsinki.fi

Goals for Youth Work

1. Universal services for all

young people: the entire city is

a nice place for young people.

2. Young people have influence

on their neighbourhoods.

Instead of a youth council the

goal is that every teenager has

a democratic experience

through participatory budgeting

and activist groups.

3. Every child has a hobby.

4. Tackling inequalities

between individuals and

neighbourhoods. More work

with those individuals and

neighbourhoods, which need

more.

Structure of Youth Work

Structure

• Youth Department is its own department under Deputy Mayor for Culture &

Education.

• 400 youth workers, 60 locations. Most work carried out by the city.

• Budget 31 million euros (193 euros / 10-29-year-old). Grants to NGOs appr. 2 million

euros.

• Targeted youth work (young people at risk) carried out together with Social Services

and Education.

City-level responsibility:

Cultural Youth Work

Swedish-speaking youth work

City-level responsibility:

Targeted youth work

Drug & Alcohol Prevention

City-level

responsibility:

Civic

engagement

Environmental

education

Evaluation of impact

Evaluation of Impact

1. City-level goals for all

departments set by city council

for for years (hobbies,

democratic participation etc.)

2. Young people´s wellbeing

report: annual report and online

database combining young

people´s experiences with latest

research and statistics.

3. Youth department´s own

goals:

number of contacts

number of hobby groups

Number of young people

taking part in planning,

executing and evaluating youth

work

4. Annual customer survey.

Collaboration

Collaboration • Umbrella organisation for youth NGOs

• Two main professional networks:

Child Protection Network (all departments providing services for children and young

people) 0-15-yos.

Young People´s Service Network (all departments, police, the army, employment

services, NGOs, young people) 15-29-yos.

Joint venues with libraries

and adult education

Summer job voucher

for 15-year-olds

Online database on

young people´s wellbeing

Participatory budgeting:

young people decide on youth work

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