As usual I made the one and only event that I can for our sports offíce: municipal orientation championship on demanding and beautiful Sovintovaara area, nice. In the beginning of September we all witnessed a real miracle: opening ceremonies of new and real good sport & track field in Ivalo. I already thought that I will never see the day. But we saw it and in the opening day our youth office had open doors in Stönö nearby. The area with all possibilities is now really good for sport and youthwork. One of the best in whole Lapland I think.
Our honourable President of Republic Sauli Niinistö promised in spring during the presidentional elections to establish a group to find out solutions to these problems. That group published part of it's work in Jakomäki. Only heaven knows why I was invited to that event. First I thought that e-mail I got was a joke but it wasn't. So I flew to Helsinki because of 1.5 hours Just ordinary things -report.
After event with our President + 100 other persons I was wondering. When all taxes had gone, I walked to bus number 77 and had a strange feeling. The event was maybe one of the most curious I ever visited at work. At once I had the feeling that there might be persons who don't like the results powered by Presidential group. It is not so simple that you can just emphasize the response of indivuals or small communities like families. Structures and political desicionmaking have their responsibility too and my opinion is that when discussing we should discuss about both these two dimensions. We all know what happened: big shout at once.... Still going on.
It was really intresting to meet our projectpartner Mr. Pink, Murmansk Youth House runned by youngsters and their projects themselves. That's really something. I visited the place for the fist time in July 2011 and it was under repair then. I could never imagine that it starts to work some months later. But it happened. Incredible great job by Zhenja the president and Natasha the vicepresident and other youngsters. When visiting Murmansk, visit Mr. Pink. To be recommended. I was so inspired that I had to write a report to Nuorisotyö magazine.
I love Murmansk...
In November the 3rd Inari Youth Parliament visit to Finnish Parliament together with Tornio Youth Council. All went out of Mr. Miku's and my hands. All the Gods of co-incedences lift their thumbs up with this. It was finally one of the best trips with youngsters ever in my career.
Originally the idea was to find Paavo (Arhinmäki, minister for Culture and Sport affairs) and meet one parliament member. There's a plan to reduce places at professional schools. Week before the trip Ministry of Education and Culture published the figures: 1.700 places, 26 % of all, away from Lapland. That was a shock. Our youngsters made an adres, collected in a few days in Tornio and Inari totally 1.800 names, visited Municipal Council in Inari and Parliament in Tornio, went to shopping centres, big workplaces etc.
It was really cool to follow the whole process. Youngsters met not only Youthminister Arhinmäki but Minister for Education Mr. Jukka Gustafsson and all seven parliament members from Lapland. I don't belive that they liked the answer given by Minister of Education. But respect for him that he came, we knew it just before arriving the parliament.
Our delegation was the first one in parliament with this issue. We realized just a day before visit this. I think that it was the reason for all Lapland parliament members to meet delegation. And it was important for youngsters that all them gave their support for delegation: "You are moving with a real imoprtant issue and just in correct time". Later we have seen Lapland parliament members struggling together for professional schools in Lapland area.
And Paavo was cool. Finally Miku and I found the peace and could stop trying to find him.
Our Youth Parliament did a splended job with fighting for making one youthleader job to be a permanent system. They gathered 250 names on an adres in a couple of days and brought it to our municipal council for education and culture. There the adults swept the table with the adres and the process wasn't succesful. Our office has done a lot of work for that arrangement and the failure with this was the biggest disappointment for me this year. Real big step backwards. We'll see what's going to happen... But the support by youngsters was great and cool. We adults should listen to them more than we do.... Because of futute, if we want to have one.
In the beginning of December Inari hosted Flow4YU - youthcamp. Flow is a project which aim is to improve the communication between local youngsters and politicians. Project municipalities come from Italy, Croatia, Sweden and Finland. To be honest: after visiting project meetings in Mjölby Southern Sweden and Rovaniemi I had some doubts. Finally we had a real nice real youthmeeting. It was easy to see the cultural differences: at the same time when our youngters meet ministers Italian youngsters try to get a contact to municipal leaders and leading politicians. Finnish partners did a lot, maybe that helps other project participants to improve their situation.
* * * * *
This was the summary of my year 2012 with youth work. These and a lot of other things happened.
Now waiting for coming 2013. Lot of challenges, lot of possibilities and always some hope too... It's to be needed because the horizon of economic seems to have more and more dark clouds... My hope is that Finland won't do the same mistakes, whicht it did when saving money from different kind of youth services in the beginníng of 1990'ies. We face the results now and we ask how many youngsters we have lost.
But let's not give up. Keep on rocking still...
Skoeoe
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