Youthworker's highlights in 2012: part I

Almost Christmas. So it's time to look backwards and do some evaluation. Year with youth work has been (again) busy and interesting. Here some highlights and basic elements with which it's good to look forward up to coming year.

Bandy inside... Very popular in Inari these days. Good practice to start with  new youngsters. Good method to strenghten their socíal skills to join the company. Sober Game bandy cup running whole springtime. Big plus to adults in Inari village. Voluntary parents took Inari boys to Ivalo every second week. That's something...

Weekly youthwork is the basis to everything...

Another whole springtime system which is good to mention. There were a lot of persons who took part to a project which lasted for more than one year. Youthworkers, socialworkers, teachers etc. had a possibility to create youth policy program to Lapland. The whole aim was to fight for the wellfare of Lapland youngsters. Project was conducted by Cenrte for Economic Development, Transport and Environment/Youth work in Lapland. Big plus because of effort and doing. Intresting to be one of many others...

Doing youthwork in Lapland means rolling on a highway...  And kilometres, I've never counted  but there has always been a lot of them. Year 2012 wasn't an exception.

In march I had a pleasure to travel to marvellous municipality of Salla with  marvellous Inari youngsters having a rockgroup Slap which was elected via Sâmi Youngsters´Art's Event to national Young Culture event too.

Intresting East Rock event at Sallatunturi. Same thing there as here: good arrangements, a lot of voluntary workers, fine rockgroups, splended atmosphere with one big but: where's the audience? I was discussing with Petteri, the marvellous youthworker of Salla, about this. We couldn't find the answer. But the systems and progress in Salla made me so inspired that I had to wrote a report to our national youthwork magazine Nuorisotyö.

Daily, usual youthwork need places. We have two excellent youth clubs, Stönö in Ivalo and Vintti in Inari village. I have found it good to drive from time to time to Inari Vintti and establish my office temporarily there. Announcment to teacher's room to the school situated in the same building and then start working. A lot of peace and of cource the possibilty for Inari youngsters to meet me... Good practice.

 

Took part to Allianssi - cruicade after a couple of years. About 1500 youthworkers on the same boat is more than enough to meet old friends and find new contacts. Network is necessary these days, no doubt. It was cool to see the representatives of Sámi Parliament Youth Council and SSN -organization to be a part of one ceminar dealing with the coming changes with municipal structures in Finland. I've followed quite close the start of Sámi Parliament Youth Council. It really has been something and it has already got a place in the structures of Finnish Youth Work too. Of cource there is still a lot do do in that dimension too but the start gives promises...

Speaking about networks. One really important partner for municipal co-operation is situated in city of Tornio. Our co-operation with Tornio Youth Service started in 2001 by playing rock'n roll. Later on our youth parliaments have had their common events and we have regular meetings with Tornio youth workers.

In March Tornio people visited Inari. We were at Vasatokka when Miku, youthworker responsible of the youth parliament work in Tornio and I started to create a new method to have a cource for youth parliament members. The method (in Finnish we call it Osallisuusmankeli) was tested in May at Palogården centre in Haaparanta Sweden. It's based on live roll playing and it worked surprisingly well. After that Miku and I have had a lot things to do with developing it. It has been cool...

Radio Inari is an essential part at our mediaworkshop. This year has been a good one at workshop. There has been a lot of youngsters practicing or working either for radio or for other issues: digital video broadcasting, making still photos, advertising or giving support by creating lights or PA-systems for at most municipal events during whole year. I can't imagine youth work in Inari without mediaworkshop. It's part is nowadays so big.

And finally we had luck when we found Emppu to be the leader at workshop. Great...

When I look about the year 2012, I easily see that for me the work with our youth parliament has played a real big part and why not. It has been a big pleasure too, because we have a really active parliament, which uses it's voice not just by using high volume but by thinking carefully which are the main things for them to fight for.

It was really cool in the beginning of June when youth parliament and municipal parliament had a common ceminar at our Municipal House in Ivalo. Sunna the President made an excellent presentation about the Aim list of Youth in Inari to 2012 - 14.

The atmosphere was good and promises big. Later turned out that it won't be so easy with getting improvments for school meals etc. things because of lack with euroes. Anyway, good effort and a lot of things to do even in the year 2013 for youngsters.

Local network doing youth work under the status Sober Game is today an essential part of our work. These days we have 10 different partners in our network and it's good. One of the signmarks is non alcoholic Game over -party in the evening of the day when schools have their last workday before summer holiday. You never know what happens during that evening and night and that's why it's good to give another possibility for youngsters and their parents. Good choice especially if we compare it with the earlier version when we went with tents and open fire to the banks of Ivalo river...

Youth Club Stönö in Ivalo is as essential to our municipal youth work as our mediworkshop. Weekly timetable in summer is a bit different compared to winter schedules. But anyway, in June open doors for those who want...

Usual system is to close the doors in July. Then even a youthworker can have a rest to open all in August again...

To be continued...
(part II august - december: coming soon...)

Skoeoe