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1. Intercultural awareness

2. Young people's rights

3. Key initiatives to safeguard democracy and prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism

Intercultural awareness

According to the Youth Act, the promotion of multiculturalism and equality is one of main funding criteria when the subsidies for youth organisations are decided. In this sense, intercultural awareness is very much part of Finnish youth policy and education. Initiatives, programmes and projects funded by the Finnish state are also taken into account accordingly. 

What comes to formal education, the Director of Customer Relations of the National Agency for Education Jorma Kauppinen describes in the publication Constructive Interaction (2018), edited by Satu Elo, Kristina Kaihari, Paula Mattila and Leena Nissilä, that the ‘policies outlined in the core curriculum documents entail transversal competence themes preparing for a sustainable future, and the teaching and learning of skills based on these competences follows teachers and learners through the entire continuum of education and training. …the entire general education is to adopt the skills required in thinking and learning, taking care of oneself and managing daily life, multi-literacy, participation and influencing. The same framework conditions – respect for human dignity and the ability to live with other people and the entire ecosystem – are also reflected in the value base of each core curriculum and in the characteristics defined for the school culture.’

The National core curriculum for basic education lays the foundation for global citizenship, which respects human and cultural diversity while also encouraging pupils to act for positive change. For example, in the basic education (grades 1-9) intercultural awareness, tolerance, freedom and anti-discrimination are included in the value base of the school subjects civics and religion. In the general upper secondary schools, these themes are included in compulsory courses of ethics.

When it comes to the development of the working cultures of the public institutions, the Non-discrimination act (in Finnish, also available in Swedish) states that every municipality, school and educational institution must have a plan regarding how equality is supported and monitored in all their actions. The National Agency for Education offers tools and training for equality planning for educational institutions, see ‘Equality and non-discrimination planning’(available in Finnish and Swedish). 

The Ministry of Justice plays an important role in offering information and campaigns related to non-discrimination and equality, such as the online resource Equality.fi dedicated to equality in general. 

Young people's rights

As mentioned in the government's constantly updated website Promoting equality, ‘The government action plan for combating racism and promoting equality aims to improve the social climate and foster good relations between population groups. The action plan offers solutions for combating racism, especially in working life and education, and increases awareness of issues related to equality'.

The National Agency for Education offers a website called ‘Democracy, human rights and participation’ (the website is available in Finnish and Swedish, including examples of good practices also in North Saami and sign language). There are also several bodies offering materials for youth work, like for example the Finnish League for Human Rights, see their website for education materials called Humanrights.net (available in Finnish).

The Muuttajat! -working model (in English ‘The people moving’) by Plan International Finland offers training in participation and human rights for young people, who have moved to Finland. Training is offered for example in schools. The work is funded by the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA), which is a state aid authority situated in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

With Finnish Committee for UNICEF’s material on human rights (in Finnish) and global education, it is possible to discuss children’s rights as part of learning and teaching. The materials deal with children’s rights through perspectives related to the environment, water, health, education and equality. There are school visitors also available.

A comprehensive list of children and young people’s rights are updated on the website of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland. The lists are available in Arabic, Estonian, English, Finnish, Romani, Russian, Sámi languages and Swedish. 

Additionally, InfoFinland.fi offers information in 12 different languages about moving or living in Finland, Finnish society, legislation, and rights, including children and youths’ rights and obligations. The service is provided in co-operation with several cities and supported by the Finnish state.

Key initiatives to safeguard democracy and prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism

As mentioned in the website of the Ministry of the Interior entitled Combating violent radicalisation through preventive action, ‘the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Combating of Violent Radicalisation and Violent Extremism 2024-2027 defines measures for preventing and countering violent radicalisation and violent extremism. The Government issued a resolution on the action plan in July 2024. This action plan is the fourth of its kind.’

The updated plan continues to initiate actions which are still seen as relevant, and which have proven to be effective in the earlier programmes. For example, the goal to develop multi-professional Anchor-teams continues. Based on the Manual on multi-professional Anchor work - a multi-professional collaboration to promote the well-being of adolescents and prevent crime (2019) written by Tanja Moilanen, Matti Airaksinen and Mari Kangasniemi, 'Anchor Work refers to a multi-professional collaboration, which:

• is targeted at children and adolescents under 18 years of age to promote wellbeing and prevent crime,
• is carried out by a multi-professional Anchor team,
• consists of professionals from the police, social services, health services and youth services, and through the expertise and competences which Anchor Work has been ensured of in some other way,
• meets the adolescent and their family at the earliest stage possible,
• seeks to prevent radicalisation into violent extremism (without age limits). ‘ 

For more information about Anchor work, see the website entitled Anchor work in Finland by the project ‘The Development of Anchor work in operations to prevent radicalisation’. The project has received funding from the European Union’s internal fund. The project has been implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, the National Police Board and the University of Eastern Finland.

The Action Plan also notices the key role which the non-governmental organisations, youth work, friends and family play in promoting the social sense of togetherness.

The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare has put forth an interesting approach to the role of young people regarding the prevention of violent extremism and street violence under the project called “Safe Streets” (in Finnish). One of the intervention packages includes the aspect of inviting young people and parents from troubled areas to join in efforts to prevent street violence. How exactly this will be carried out depends on the project proposals from external bodies of action which are currently being evaluated. For more information in English, see Senior Researcher Minna Niemi’s presentation entitled ‘Complex Interventions and Multisectoral Collaboration Addressing Street Violence, Gangs, and Violent Youth Radicalization’ at the Nordic Conference on Violent Extremism 2024. The project is funded by the Finnish government's annual health promotion grants.