Tuusula's Child-Friendly Municipality network expands

At a joint meeting on 22 January 2025 between the Tuusula Child-Friendly Municipality Coordination Group and representatives of clubs and associations working with children and young people in Tuusula, a general discussion was held on the situation of families with children from the perspective of various actors. The meeting also explored new opportunities for cooperation. Representatives from the Syke Tuusula sports club, the South Tuusula local association of the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL) and the Tuusula 4H association attended the event. 

Encounters increase understanding of the situation of children, young people and families in Tuusula 

Local operators encounter a large number of children and young people from Tuusula in their activities. The majority of these children and young people spend their weekdays in Tuusula municipality’s early childhood education, such as daycare centres and family centres, as well as in school. Many hobbies are also pursued in school facilities, for example.
   
 “About half of the people involved in our sports club are children and young people,” says Elina Raijas, club coordinator at the Syke Tuusula sports club. It is important to recognise

the significance of cooperation and to be aware of the hobby and leisure opportunities offered by others. This allows us to compile as comprehensive information as possible about the opportunities available in the Tuusula area for families. Cooperation was found to be a source of strength.  

The Tuusula 4H Association organises holiday camps for children in collaboration with Tuusula Leisure Services. For example, the summer camps attract 120 participants every year. In addition, cooperation takes place in the form of evening hobby clubs during school hours, says Julia Mali, the association’s executive director.
  
 – In youth services, listening to young people’s voices is a key part of our work, but it also requires active consideration of where we can do more to increase participation. It is essential to listen to the weakest voices, says Tuulia Hongisto, Head of Youth Work.  

– Developing cooperation between organisations will play a significant role in the future of our youth services. Youth centres offer opportunities for shared use with organisations, Hongisto explains the future prospects.  

Identifying challenges leads to a more child-friendly municipality 

The daily lives of families with children are often hectic these days. Supporting parents is therefore close to the hearts of many organisations.

– Supporting families in their daily lives is a key objective of the 4H strategy. For example, enabling children and young people to travel independently to their hobbies gives parents time in the midst of their busy everyday lives, says Mali.

– It is important that children have the opportunity to pursue their hobbies close to home, for example in their own village or at a nearby school, Mali continues.
  The transition
from primary to secondary school has been identified as a time when some young people participate less in hobbies. This, in turn, affects young people’s well-being and physical fitness. One of the measures taken by Tuusula’s Child-Friendly Municipality initiative is to increase the opportunities for 12- to 15-year-olds in Tuusula to participate in the planning and organisation of hobbies and leisure activities.
  Reaching secondary
school pupils has also been recognised in the club activities of the 4H association. Primary school pupils participate more actively in clubs and hobbies, but when they move on to secondary school, they may stop. Day camps are a new operating model, and this implementation requires suitable cooperation models with municipal facilities, Mali recognises from the joint discussion.

“We want to make the voices of children and young people heard. For example, Skididialogi discussions are planned for Jokela in the spring. The topic of the discussions will be children’s and young people’s hobbies, says Tiina Laine, coordinator of school hobby and club activities.

Tuusula associations take a comprehensive view of the well-being of children, young people and families. Issues of concern are also raised and ways of overcoming challenges are discussed.

“In our association, we regularly discuss traffic safety in our area. The most recent issue to arise is its implementation in connection with new or under-construction buildings, such as daycare centres and schools. We want to ensure that children and young people have a safe route to school, says Kati Ahonen from the MLL’s local association in Etelä-Tuusula.

– Hobbies can often be expensive for families, and therefore inaccessible to some children and young people. We want to discuss together how different sports could be offered more widely and made more accessible, Ahonen continues, inviting everyone to join the discussion. 

The aim of the Tuusula Model for Leisure Activities, which is being implemented in Tuusula, is to enable every primary school pupil to participate in a leisure activity of their choice free of charge during the school day. The accessibility of leisure activities in Tuusula is also increased by the leisure activity subsidy granted to associations and other organisations that organise leisure activities. The purpose of the subsidy is to reduce the hobby fees of children and young people in Tuusula on socio-economic grounds. 

Cooperation has been ongoing for years – there is room for new forms  

Cooperation with the municipality of Tuusula and local actors has been ongoing for several years in many different ways. For example, jointly organised road safety lectures have inspired the idea of a lecture series for parents of teenagers, and various events and campaigns have encouraged families with children in Tuusula to get active.
  
 The Tuusula organisation plan provides tools for supporting local clubs and associations and implementing organisational work. It is time to consider how we can identify opportunities to involve children and young people in all our organisations. In children’s and family organisations, participation comes naturally. For example, we can discuss in a workshop how children and young people are taken into account in various events and enrich our practices together. As a municipality, we can support actors in promoting participation, encourages community manager Katja Repo.

– We invite all actors in Tuusula to join us in celebrating Children’s Rights Week in November 2025. You can take your time to think about how you could participate. We will send out a joint invitation from the municipality in the autumn, said Katja Elo, Development Manager for Tuusula’s Child-Friendly Municipality initiative, at the end of the event.
  
 Further information:
Development Manager Katja Elo, 040 314 4028, katja.elo@tuusula.fi The municipality


of Tuusula has been selected to participate in UNICEF’s Child-Friendly Municipality model, which helps municipalities make the right and lasting decisions for the rights and well-being of children and young people in both their services and decision-making. Further information on the model can be found on UNICEF’s website at www.lapsiystavallinenkunta.fi/(switch to another service). Follow Tuusula’s journey towards becoming a more child-friendly municipality at www.tuusula.fi/lapsiystavallinenkuntamalli(switch to another service). 

This content has been translated using AI