We’re delighted to welcome two seasoned youth work partners from Finland to speak at this year’s Policy Convention.
We are grateful that our youth work partners from Finland are speaking at this year’s Policy Convention on youth work and its role in civic engagement as we exchange critical policy perspectives.
Jessica Hakala and Heikki Turkka from Children in the Station are well-known and respected advocates of youth work and experts in connecting practice with public policy goals.
The core mission of Children of the Station is to support the safe growth of children and youth, enable their well-being and that of their families, and inhibit social exclusion. The organisation’s guiding forces are openness, humanity, and presence. A central purpose is to increase the presence of adults in the daily lives of children and young people.
It creates active partnerships and plays a central role in tackling substance abuse, violent behaviour, and crime, which are symptoms which require swift adult attention. Their work includes teaching emotional and interaction skills, intervening in cases of school bullying, encountering youth in public spaces, mediation, supporting escalating criminal behaviour, and walking alongside our young people during challenging times and circumstances.
Join us as we build the global youth work movement for progressive change, with youth work at the heart of public policy and learn from our Scandanavian colleagues on the impacts of their work and the implications of the Youth Work Act in Finland.