2017 - Working Hard, Planning Ahead

board members: Juuli Salonen (president), Iida Kalliokoski (today: Mikonmaa, vice-president), Alma Vänttinen (vice-president), Susanna Ahonen, Roosa Eskola, Henri Haapanala, Emmi Ilmanen

2017 was the concluding year for the first long-term strategy of EYP Finland. The board assembled a working group tasked with reviewing the main accomplishments and writing a new strategy for the upcoming three years, based on the status quo and the preferences of members. Strategy talks were held on the Development Days, Summer Days and during the Regional Sessions. In addition, members’ views were collected with a member survey written in Finnish, Swedish and English.

The National Session took place in Tampere and Regional Sessions in Jyväskylä, Joensuu, Porvoo and Salo. Salo was our first session with

a jury team in charge of delegate evaluations. Other firsts included a Support Fund for members attending sessions abroad. We also became one of the first youth organisations in Finland to have an Outreach and Inclusion strategy, detailing our methods for organising discrimination-fee, accessible and safe events. President Juuli Salonen shared this knowledge and best practices with other National Committees in her role as trainer at the Summer Academy in Porto, Portugal.

The office of EYP Finland moved from Lauttasaari to Allianssi-talo in Pasila. Since our Secretary General works alone in the office for most of the year, it was a welcome change to move into an office building where it’s possible to see other people working on similar topics! For the first time, we also hired a summer worker from the 9th grade of primary school with a kesätyöseteli. For the busy autumn period we again hired a university student to work as a communications intern. For the board, this year was extremely busy but also rewarding. The best example is from just before the Summer Days which were organised in Oulu. When planning our travels, the thought emerged: why let a long train ride go to waste? So we booked a four-passenger cabin, fit all six attending board members there, and held a meeting during the journey from Tampere to Oulu. The meeting lasted the full 4 hours of the train ride, which not only made the distance feel shorter than ever, but was also the shortest board meeting of the year!

Charlemagne Youth Prize

The Charlemagne Youth Prize has been awarded since 2008 by the European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Youth Prize of Aachen. This contest is open for projects organised by young people aged between 16 and 30 in all EU Member States. Winning projects should "promote European and international understanding; foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration; and provide role models for young people living in Europe and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community".

EYP Finland has entered the competition in several years with the Your European Citizenship project which includes the Regional Sessions and school tour. Additionally, we won the national prize for Finland in 2009 with the Helsinki International Session. The Your European Citizenship project won the national prize in 2010, 2017, 2018 and 2021, and in 2019 it finished in second place in the EU-wide competition. We are thankful to all our volunteers and participants over the decade who have made this possible. These awards go to all of you.