Jyväskylä closes two youth centres over staff shortage

Jyväskylä has closed the Korpilahti youth workshop and Keljonkangas Spot youth centre for the rest of the year because of a staff shortage, Yle reports. Young people say the closures are a major loss, while alternative facilities are about 30 kilometres away in Jyväskylä.

Eeli Anttila, 22, from Korpilahti, has visited the youth workshop almost daily after school since he was 13. He describes it as a second home.

“Of course, this brings sad thoughts. You worry whether it will ever reopen,” Anttila says.

Miika Ahokas, 20, and Juho Niemelä, 19, have also used the workshop regularly for years. Niemelä has played music there for five years and used its facilities to service his car.

The young people say the Korpilahti workshop is unique. Visitors have been able to service mopeds and cars for free and use the equipment in its music room.

“This has been a very important place for many people. I cannot think of another place in Central Finland where you can work on vehicles for free,” Ahokas says.

Niemelä says the closure means long journeys to Jyväskylä.

“You would have to drive 60 kilometres there and back from Korpilahti just to continue, for example, with a music hobby.”

Safety rules require two supervisors

Safety regulations require at least two supervisors in every youth centre. The Spot and the workshop previously had only one employee each, so reopening them would effectively require the city to hire two new employees.

About 400 young people aged 13 to 18 live in Korpilahti. They now have access to one youth centre and two youth workers. The workshop’s music room remains available for young people to use independently at certain times.

According to Katariina Soanjärvi, director of youth services, the decision to close the workshop was based on its low level of use. The Sumpbi youth centre has several times as many visitors.

However, Niemelä, Ahokas and Anttila do not consider Sumpbi suitable for them because it is aimed at primary school-aged children. It also does not offer the same opportunities to service mopeds and cars or practise with bands.

Niemelä says band facilities are available at Jyväskylä’s Veturitallit, but rent costs between 62 and 102 euros per month. Practising at the workshop has been free.

Youth services director calls for political solutions

About 1,800 young people aged 13 to 18 live in Keljonkangas. Soanjärvi says the closure of the Spot is particularly serious because the area is large and has a high number of young people.

According to Soanjärvi, signs of unrest have been visible in Keljonkangas. A neighbourhood meeting focused on creating a safe and caring Keljonkangas will therefore be held on September 23.

The meeting is being organised by youth services, the police in Central Finland, social services in the wellbeing services county and Keljonkangas Comprehensive School.

Soanjärvi says the difficult decisions were made in line with the budget, but does not consider the closures sustainable. She is calling on political decision-makers to find solutions.

“Unfortunately, as civil servants, our hands are tied by the budget,” she says.

Youth services faced cuts of 284,000 euros in 2024, including savings of about 25,000 euros in regional youth work. In 2025, the city saved 28,000 euros in management resources.

Young people want to be heard

The young people were not asked for their views before the closures were decided. Youth services nevertheless plans to consult them during the autumn, including through questionnaires.

Soanjärvi says the workshop could reopen if Jyväskylä provides Korpilahti with resources for two youth centres and four employees.

Niemelä hopes decision-makers will understand the importance of the facilities to the small community.

“It is a very big loss for the village if even a small thing disappears from here,” he says.

Anttila wants young people to be consulted in decision-making.

“Ask young people before making decisions like this. From an adult’s perspective, everything is not the same as it is from a young person’s perspective,” he says.