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EESTI ELU reedel, 14. mail 2021 — Friday, May 14, 2021
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Is multi-generational living the future? Vincent Teetsov
Photo: viro-instituutti.fi
Viro-keskus — the cultural home of Estonians in Helsinki Vincent Teetsov Though only approximately 90 kilometres away from Tallinn, the ongoing need for a cultural outpost for Esto nians in Finland led to the establishment of a new Eesti Maja (Estonian House, or Viro-keskus in Finnish) in Helsinki in 2010. When it was opened on September 17th of that year, the Mayor of Tallinn, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor, and both Estonia and Finland’s Ministers of Culture gave speeches. The Tallinn Boys’ Choir serenaded the audience, while DJ Otso Kantokorpi, Singer Vinger, and Finnish rock star Kauko Röyhkä got the party going in the evening. Spirits were high, with a place for the neighbourly relations between Estonia and Finland to continue growing. The building would appear to be an unlikely place for an Estonian cultural centre. From the road, you can see two tall brick chimneys and two other chimneys further in the background. This is because the Eesti Maja is side-by-side with Kattilahalli, a power plant boiler hall from 1909. The area of Helsinki where the Estonian House is situated, Suvilahti, is an industrial area with historic connections to energy generation. Upgrades to the area have been ongoing, and since the 80s, it’s become a more hip part of town that’s home to theatre, film, and music events like Flow Festival, which has drawn major touring musicians. The formerly industrial spaces are useful for holding events. Kattilahalli has a maximum capacity of 990 people and a hall with 1,150 square metres of space. The Eesti Maja itself, located at Sörnäisten rantatie 22, has 624 square metres of space, and is bursting with action. Before 2010, Estonians gathered at Mariankatu 8, in the city centre of Helsinki. The newer location is further away, but still adheres to its aim of establishing new or maintaining existing connections to Estonia for people of all ages. A big driver for these activities is Tuglas-seura (Tuglas Society), an Estonian-Finnish cross-cultural organization, named after Estonian writer Friedebert Tuglas. Tuglas-seura was founded in 1982 and has branches across Finland. At the Helsinki Eesti Maja, promotion
of the Estonian language and culture is bolstered by the Baltic Library they operate, with 33,000 Estonian items, including a large collection of fiction and history books. The library also has newspapers, magazines, over 2,000 Estonian films in the video library, around 1,000 music recordings, and thousands of photographs. It’s a resource for research, with a reading room and loaning available for many books, videos, and audio from after 1900. The Eesti Maja has academic connections. The Baltic Library collection is linked to the University of Helsinki Library system. An office of the University of Tartu was opened on the premises to “further intensify our teaching and research contacts with Finnish partners...” as Alar Karis, former Rector of the university stated. This adds to the already high number of international students from Finland at the University of Tartu. Business is promoted here. Ettevõtluse Arendamise Sihtasutuse (Enterprise Estonia) has an office in the building, dealing with trade and the growth of investment and business opportunities. Consulting services are offered and contacts for business partnerships are put together. Starting in October 2020, the building has held a showroom for Oot-Oot, an Estonian furniture business that creates sofas and other seating. Marko Ala and Joonas Torim, the founders of Oot-Oot, design durable, minimalist Nordic furniture and sell it from their website. Language courses in Esto nian, led by teachers Maiu Juurik and Helja Kirber, and Finnish, taught by Ramona Lepik, take place at the Eesti Maja. There are many options for Estonian language courses: level 1, 2, 3, two advanced courses, a writing course, Estonian through literature, and online courses with conversational practice. Usually, Esto nian language themed days with lunch take place on Saturday, from 12:00 to 3:30 PM. There are exams, too, to measure and certify proficiency in Estonian. On the online front, the Helsinki Eesti Maja has its own YouTube channel with cooking shows, discussions, and more. And this is just part of what’s available to Estonians in
The 2021 Canadian Census has once again brought to mind how we define our households and the structure of our families. One demo graphic phenomenon we’ll be able to examine more closely through the new data is the growth of multigenerational living. According to Statistics Canada, at the turn of the 20th century, “census families (a couple, with or without children, or a lone parent with one or more children) were much more open to admitting people other than immediate family members into their homes, either for additional income or to give or receive care or financial support.” Historically, around the world, many homes were occupied by family members of multiple generations; grand parents, parents, and their children all under one roof. Pew Research Center data shows that in the United States, in 1900, 57% of people over the age of 65 lived in a multi generational household. A Tallinn University study from 2009 described how “[Multigenerational] families were widespread in Estonia in the past, especially in the countryside.” So what is the situation now? The study asserts that multigenerational households have been largely replaced by nuclear families. In April 2019, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs noted that, across 137 countries, Estonia has the highest percentage (37%) of people over 65
Finland. Finland has the largest number of Estonians outside of Estonia in the world; a sizable community of around 70,000 people, many of whom are in Helsinki. Just like in Canada, all possible strategies, new and old, have been used to try to maintain a connection to Esto nia. There are cultural groups like those for singing in Estonian. There are specialty supermarkets with Estonian food brands: for instance, Eestin Extrat in the Lassila neighbourhood of west Helsinki or the Eestin Herkut store in the Vuosaari neighbourhood, at the water’s edge in east Helsinki. In November, there is the Martin markkinat (Saint Martin’s Day Fair). Thousands of visitors come by, to see what’s offered by Estonian food and craft vendors. Each year, the fair highlights a different region of Estonia. 2020 marked the 10 year anniversary of the new location of Helsinki’s Eesti Maja. As each year goes by, visitors from Monday to Friday show how Estonians are still emigrating to Finland. The reasons vary. But even in a country with many cultural similarities, there’s a universal desire to connect back to a distinct home identity.
living alone, rather than with extended family. Afghanistan had the lowest percentage, at less than one percent. In Canada, it was approximately 30%. Meanwhile, Statistics Canada indicates that multigenerational households are increasing more than any other type in Canada. As of 2016, the province of Ontario had the third highest percentage of multigenerational households in the country, at 3.9 percent, Toronto being one place where this is more common. Statistics Canada attributes this to the city having a high proportion of immigrant families and also high cost housing. When the 2016 Canadian census showed that the number of seniors surpassed children by 0.1 million, and Estonia has an over-65 population that is projected to double to 34% by 2050, the question is posed whether extended families living together might be required more often in the future, when the availability of retirement residences and nursing homes doesn’t match the demand. A debate on the pros and cons of multigenerational living is contentious. If grandparents are able to look after grand children, it could save money for parents by eliminating the need for daycare. Financial resources can be pooled together in the payment of expenses like mortgage payments and property tax. Seniors living with their grandchildren could benefit health-wise through strong family bonds and a sense of purpose. Moreover, the running
of a household can be shared by more family members. Yet, it can also be difficult because it requires extra space in a family’s home. Construction and renovations (for instance, adding a ground floor bedroom and shower) are costly. A multigenerational living situation can reduce privacy. It can increase stress if there are interpersonal tensions. Living with extended family may be completely unmanageable if specialized, around-the-clock care is needed. Solutions are as various as the circumstances families find themselves facing. As early as 2014, the Netherlands came into the spotlight for a retirement home where university students could live rent-free if they were conscientious residents and spent 30 hours per month with elderly residents. In these hours, they provided small aspects of life that nurses and caretakers simply don’t have time to give to every resident: sitting down and having a conversation, playing a game, going for a stroll, etc. Students benefited from potentially roomier accommodation, and the social connections with older residents. This is in a country which, in 2019, had the third lowest number of people over 65 living with extended family members (35.4 percent). Regardless of how households are structured, the greatest benefits of all could be derived from encouraging more interaction between generations, in general; with meaning being exchanged between people in opposite points of life.
We are inviting active Estonian youth aged 14–30 to participate in the Virtual Days 2021 event! The Virtual Days will take place via Zoom in approxi mately 2.5-hour sessions on two consecutive Saturdays, June 5 and 12, starting at 17.00 Estonian time. The main topics this year are moving and returning to Estonia and Estonian lan guage learning in the world. The greetings and short panels of the event are in Estonian with English translations, with discussions held in both Estonian and English. Registration: http://bit.ly/virtu-
aalpaevad21 https://forms.gle/ D9VoBamZzbzjdGri8 During the virtual days, you can meet young Estonians around the world, discuss being Estonian across borders and contribute to discussions that are important in the future! Follow event updates on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/globaalsednoored/ See you at the Virtual Days! ÜLEMAAILMNE EESTI NOORTEVÕRGUSTIK/ ESTONIAN WORLDWIDE YOUTH NETWORK
