Mid-year review of Tuusula’s ‘Child-Friendly Municipality’ initiative: Enjoying hobbies and having a say
Over the spring, Tuusula has taken many significant steps towards becoming an even more child-friendly municipality. The voices of children and young people have been heard more clearly, particularly in discussions about leisure and recreational opportunities and in participatory budgeting.
These are exciting times in Tuusula, as the two-year action plan for the ‘Child-Friendly Municipality’ initiative’s two-year action plan, with its objectives and measures, has made rapid progress towards a meeting with UNICEF scheduled for the autumn and around the turn of the year. At the meeting, an assessment will be made as to whether Tuusula, as a candidate, will achieve Child-Friendly Municipality status. The assessment will be based on Tuusula’s progress towards the goals it has set for itself.
The Tuusula municipal action plan sets out five objectives, each with its own set of measures. In our biannual reports, we provide an update on the progress made towards these objectives during the previous six-month period. We
have compiled our progress for spring 2026, along with a preview of what lies ahead this autumn, for your information.
Access to hobbies and leisure activities for children and young people will improve
When achieved, a goal chosen by children and young people themselves brings even more joy and physical activity.
The spring term kicked off with school clubs and activities organised in response to the wishes of children and young people. The first enthusiastic activity tutors – or ‘activity gang’ members – at Tuusula’s schools began their work. We reported on their first experiences in May. New organisers were also invited to help organise activities that pupils would enjoy and want to take part in for the coming school year.
Winter holiday tips for children and young people highlighted outdoor and indoor activities, as well as events at museums and libraries. There were winter holiday activities for young people at youth centres.
Promoting an active lifestyle among children and young people was a key focus in the spring, as Tuusula worked alongside education professionals from Kerava and Järvenpää to prepare for the upcoming amendments to the Basic Education Act. The seminars held earlier in the year served as a common springboard for this work.
The Skididialogi discussion on leisure activities, held in Kellokoski in autumn 2025, continued in Jokela in February, when primary and secondary school pupils gathered for their own discussion sessions. The discussions highlighted popular leisure spots in the area and explored what could be improved and what new activities could be offered. Discussion sessions are planned for the Etelä-Tuusula area this autumn.
The ‘Everyone Plays Everyone’ (KPK) event welcomed children and young people, along with their families, to Kellokoski School in March. The evening, attended by around 300 people, brought joy to many and sparked enthusiasm for a sport familiar to schoolchildren. The joint play session will continue on 25 August 2026 at Riihikallio School – coinciding with the autumn leisure fair.
The guide to summer activities for children and young people set the scene for the long-awaited summer holidays as the season began.
Children’s views and experiences influence the design of the environment
During the spring, students at the Hyrylä campus of Tuusula Upper Secondary School had the opportunity to learn about urban planning as part of their geography course. In addition, the municipality highlighted opportunities for school-age children to participate and have a say in a social media post in April.
The principles of involving children and young people in urban planning have been compiled into a participation pack. The kit, complete with supporting materials such as activities and guidelines, provides municipal experts with the tools they need to engage children and young people in this topic.
Information about children is utilised in a variety of ways with regard to different groups of children
A wider range of statistics, research data and other sources of information on the well-being and life circumstances of children and young people have been utilised more extensively across service areas.
Preparations for the summary report continued in the spring. The aim of the shared database is to highlight interesting trends among children and young people in Tuusula. The following data to be included was identified during the preparation: the child population by age group, the proportion of families in the population, multilingualism in early childhood education and learning, measures to support growth and learning in education, the financial situation of families, and highlights regarding the well-being of children and young people. The summary display will be made available to both residents and staff following a short trial period.
Understanding of children’s rights is growing
Last year, staff familiarised themselves with children’s rights through introductory training and unit-specific discussions. The units’ ideas and wishes regarding support for their work were gathered via a survey, the summary of which was presented to staff in the spring. At the same time, a poster on children’s rights was produced. An overview of the Child-Friendly Municipality is part of the induction programme for new employees, and familiarisation with the model is set to become part of the staff’s induction and professional development pathway.
Children are taken into account in decision-making
The current preliminary impact assessment model (EVA) is being revised by incorporating a child impact assessment (LAVA) into the overall framework. The model, which takes the situation of children and young people into account more strongly than before, will be presented to the council for consideration on 8 June 2026. The aim of the reform is to clarify the model’s usability and to integrate child impact assessment more closely into the decision-making process.
The participatory budgeting (osbu) aimed at children and young people, which began in autumn 2025, continued in the spring with the further development of the ideas gathered in the autumn, in collaboration with children, young people and associations, and finally with a vote on the proposals to be implemented. During the refinement phase, young people were involved via the Digiraati online service, maintained by the Ministry of Justice, which was used for the first time in Tuusula. The voting results were announced on 22 May 2026 during a live broadcast organised in collaboration with school and university students. The proposals that have moved on to implementation will now be enjoyed for the next year and a half.
Thank you for joining us on our journey towards a more child-friendly municipality!
For further information, please contact the coordinators of the ‘Child-Friendly Municipality’ initiative in Tuusula: Minna Vuolukka, Development Manager for the Education and Culture Division, minna.vuolukka@tuusula.fi, 040 314
Learning Specialist Laura Aalto, laura.aalto@tuusula.fi, 040 314 3485
This content has been translated using AI