Moniheli's Mikki Sulle project arranged several meetings with young people during 2022. You can read more about the youth's wishes here: (click here to read the earlier article). The aim of the meetings was to hear from the young people themselves what they want and need to improve their daily lives. After the meetings, a project expert met the parents and conveyed the young people's wishes to them. The discussions with the parents focused on how to support the young people in the way they wanted and on their concerns and wishes.
Some very clear themes emerged from the discussions with the young people. Young people want to be treated individually and to spend more time talking with their families. A supportive and understanding attitude from parents is important for young people. Young people also want more leisure and recreational activities aimed at them.
Parents of young people agreed with the issues raised by young people. Parents said that they were not aware of the activities available to young people and that the activities were often too expensive. It would therefore be useful to raise awareness among parents of the various activities available.
Parents are concerned about the current situation and future of young people. Many of them find it difficult to discuss certain issues with young people. Some of the meetings also addressed the gang mentality of young people and the impact of the lack of meaningful leisure activities. Although the issues are difficult, parents want to remain active actors in solving problems. However, parents feel that they are easily left out of the discussion when it comes to the challenges faced by young people. Better communication with authorities and other actors will contribute to the well-being of all parties involved.
The Mikki Sulle project supports communication between parents and authorities by organising dialogue meetings aimed at increasing openness and trust and finding ways of working together. We will tell you more about this cooperation in the next blog post.
The Mikki Sulle project is currently producing videos in several languages on activities for young people. The videos will be published in February on the Monihel YouTube channel.
Where to get help with parenting?
Amal ry
The Umma 2 project works with girls and families in a community-based way. The project provides mentoring and group activities for school-age girls from Muslim and immigrant backgrounds and family coaching, information and outreach activities for their families.
EHYT ry
The Hadiya project promotes the well-being of Arabic and Somali-speaking young people by strengthening protective factors in their daily lives. This includes a wide range of activating activities, but also information sessions for parents. Hadiya's discussion cards won the pitching competition organised by Monihel at Integration 2022 in Tampere.
Irakin Naisten Yhdistys INY ry
INY (Iraqi Women's Association) supports migrant women by promoting their role in the family and in society. A large part of INY's activities are related to supporting women in their studies and working life.
Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto MLL
Parents' Network provides information and support for families with children. Information is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. Through MLL you can also order trained childcare help, for example for a sick child.
Mirsal ry
The Father Matters project organises group activities for Arabic-speaking fathers. The aim is to support fathers in equal and positive parenting.
Moniperheet ry
Moniperheet ry supports the well-being and equality of multicultural families with children.
Nicehearts ry
Nicehearts organises a wide range of activities to support women and families. Neighbour Mothers prevents the marginalisation of immigrant women and encourages them to become active participants. WahvaNainen provides cultural and gender-sensitive support, especially for women who have migrated to Finland, in Vantaa and Espoo.
YWCA
YWCA's Kamalat äidit® is a peer-to-peer activity for mothers of adolescent children. The peer groups discuss topics related to parenting and women's lives, share information about puberty and encourage mothers to share their thoughts with other women in the same situation.
Suomen Somalinaisten kehitys ry
Supports Somali and Arabic-speaking women in parenting and social empowerment.
Suomi-Syyria ystävyysseura
Bridges to Parents project helps to connect schools with Arabic-speaking parents, increasing Arab parents' understanding of compulsory education in Finland.
Tieto On Valtaa ry
Tieto On Valtaa supports children in their schoolwork and organises various group sessions and counselling for parents.
