Youth workers rally for support outside Finnish Parliament as outreach funding concerns mount

A year ago, about 200 youth workers gathered on the steps of the Finnish Parliament to protest against government proposed budget cuts. In the spring, the government promised to invest three million euros in outreach youth work and workshop activities in 2025. Thus, the cuts were offset in the supplementary budget.

Tiia Laine, the coordinator of outreach youth work in Satakunta, believes that the demonstration paid off. “I would like to believe it actually had an impact. We managed to restore some funding.” However, she expresses frustration that while there is money at the state level and they have influenced higher authorities, this support has not trickled down to the municipalities.

In Satakunta, outreach youth work and workshops reach approximately 2,000 young people annually. Laine fears some may become excluded from support services: “It is already evident that services are being centralized in larger cities. The wait times for mental health and addiction services are absolutely appalling.”

Laine describes the situation as alarming: young people need help, but funding for services at the municipal and welfare region levels is lacking. “We don’t even know who to call for help when there are no services available. It often takes a crisis for a young person to receive support.”

The coordinator understands that services are strained due to budget cuts but believes they are misapplied when youth services are diminished. “This will lead to significant costs in the future. A marginalized young person could cost society around 1.5 million euros.”

Niklas Valtonen, a young man from Eura, shares his positive experience with workshop activities. He attends a workshop a couple of times a week to bake. “It has had a positive impact. It brings activity into my life,” he says, particularly enjoying baking buns and dreaming of pursuing a career in that field. He hopes the workshop can continue, as he believes life would be much more challenging without it. “This really helps with my mood. Without it, I’d probably just lie in bed or scroll through my computer.”