Summary & foreword

In the union's strategy, it is outlined that our mission is to be the advocate for all young people in Finland and represent youth councilors and socially active youth in decision-making. We have achieved this partially—namely, we are the only advocate for youth councils and councilors, but we may not yet represent all young people, at least not based on our membership. Can we credibly represent young people in such a case?

This must change, and focusing on membership recruitment should be one of our main priorities next year. Membership recruitment is also a great choice for a key focus because it offers the opportunity to generate revenue for the union. There are small cuts planned for next year (state subsidies from the Ministry of Education and Culture), but the biggest cuts are expected for 2026.

Due to the cuts, one of next year's priorities is to prepare for 2026. This means implementing savings and increasing income. The union board has unanimously approved the budget proposal to be presented to the union congress for 2025, and I support all of its savings measures. Additionally, increasing the membership fee to 30 euros has been considered to significantly boost the union's revenue in the coming years. Although raising the membership fee could make it more challenging to expand the membership base among youth outside youth councils, it also requires strengthening (member) services and benefits. A concrete way to do this would be to develop internal participation within the union, such as creating opportunities to influence the union's agenda or to learn how to organize events. Therefore, it's worth considering the development of the action groups next year. I will address finances in a separate section of my program.

Next year, it is also time to update the sustainability and equality plans. I remember chairing the committee that addressed the sustainability plan at the union congress in Lappeenranta in 2022. At that time, the plan was the first of its kind but still progressive. However, time has passed, and we need to consider new methods and how our entire organization can adhere to the existing measures. In the equality plan, the biggest inputs will come from professionals in the field, but I would like to highlight two things. First, bringing equality monitoring to our events, and second, promoting a healthy organizational culture. I'll give an example of what I don't consider healthy. Advertising regional activities by boasting about how well you handle administration or how capable you are in regional activities is not good or healthy promotion. A better approach would be to explain that regional activities mainly involve organizing and planning events, personal growth, networking, administration, having fun, and learning new things.

In addition to the aforementioned plans, towards the end of 2025, we must consider ways to draft the union's next long-term strategy, as the current strategy extends until 2026.

Furthermore, next year it is essential to complete the district reform, which will save money and finally provide the means to reactivate inactive districts.

In my chairperson's program, I address these and other issues that I want to emphasize. Above, you'll find a table of contents that you can click on to navigate to the section you want. If you have any questions, want to support my campaign, or just want to discuss, feel free to contact me using the information below. The union's political goals are guided by the goal program this and next year. The program will also be updated next year.

Eino Koskinen

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Website: einokoskinen.com

eino.koskinen@gmail.com

Phone: 044 970 3407 (WhatsApp or call)

Our Services

The union's service offering forms its most visible part. The services include the expert work of the office, all our events and training services, as well as the recognitions we provide. In addition, it covers internal services such as the support offered to regions. This section excludes advocacy, which is addressed in its own section.

Customized Training & Equality Training

We continuously offer two types of training to regional and local youth councils: customized training and equality training. The difference between the two is that custom training is led by another young person and focuses on topics directly related to advocacy or youth council work. Equality training, on the other hand, is led by professionals in the field. MORE INFORMATION

The trainings have been in development for a long time. In my first year on the union board, we updated the content and changed the training style to a more facilitated (discussion-based) format from the previous lecture-style approach. During this process, we identified the lack of active (young) trainers as a key challenge. To address this, we revamped the trainer training into a more accessible format. The result is the year-round trainer training program, the only promise I made during last year's election. Its key idea is to make it possible to train as a trainer at any time, rather than only at an annual training event. You can find more information about this HERE (Instagram: nuva ry).

In the future, the most important goal is to get more new trainers and offer as well as market quality training to municipalities, welfare areas, and other potential organizations or groups. We should also aim to offer more expert-led training by commercializing the expertise of our specialists. As chairperson, I also want to explore whether we can provide some form of compensation to our most active trainers. There has also been some discussion within the union about using alumni as trainers. I support exploring the idea, but it is not at the top of my agenda.

As chairperson, I would make it clear to my board at the beginning of the term that, ultimately, someone from the board should conduct the requested training. We cannot afford to leave any training unheld, as this has unfortunately happened during my time on the board.

To prepare for the 2026 cuts, we must increase the efficiency of our training sales, and we cannot afford to fail in this. We also intend to integrate the trainings developed through the Osallisuuden Osaamiskeskus project into our basic training.

Active Days

Active Days (including Active Days ABC+HC & Active Days PRO) are among our most traditional and well-known events. The latter event has been organized in recent years in collaboration with a partner organization, where we bring together more than twenty experienced youth councilors for ex. to brainstorm better forms of engagement. The former is usually a training weekend for over a hundred people on an up-to-date theme related to advocacy. Active Days are held in different parts of Finland.

Both events have been improved over the years, but the work is not yet finished. One concrete step I support is to market these events more to young people outside youth councils. This would immediately require program changes so that non-youth councilors would also feel welcome at the event.

This would help us fulfill our strategic mission to truly act as advocates for all young people in Finland. The goal should be to make our union open to anyone interested in or actively participating in advocacy. The union is politically neutral and serves as a development platform for young advocates and is therefore a great option for someone who isn't looking for party politics.

Other events and trainings

In addition to traditional events, the union has been organizing a summit (Huipputapaaminen) in cooperation with various ministries for a specific topic for many years. For instance, in the fall of 2023, the theme was changes proposed in the government program of Prime Minister Orpo's cabinet. The summit concept is difficult to modify, and I do not see a need to change it, but it would be highly desirable to improve regional representation at the event. Another point to consider is whether, in the future, we should invite youth outside youth councils to the event as our membership expands.

This spring, we launched the first-ever Advocacy Simulation, where we aimed to simulate the work of parliament over one weekend. The event centered around political groups, committees, and the full session of parliament. The event received extremely positive feedback, and it has been a pleasure to note that the funding granted for 2023 also covers next year's event. When preparing for next year's advocacy simulation, we must take into account the feedback gathered from the event as well as the observations made by the organizing team. Experienced members might recognize the core idea of the simulation from the now-defunct Active Days X event concept. Events like the advocacy simulation, which do not require prior experience in advocacy groups, serve as excellent "gateway events" to union membership.

As chairperson, I would explore incorporating similar simulations into our training services, as I believe schools, municipalities, and other groups would be interested in such services.

Nuorisovaltuustomyönteinen kunta Certificate (pro-youth council municipality certificate)

During this term, we decided in our third meeting to change the criteria for awarding the certificate by making a seat on the municipal executive board a mandatory requirement for youth councils. I supported this policy then, and I still do. However, since the decision, I have had discussions with youth councils that, for various reasons, feel they do not need or want a seat on the executive board. For this reason, I believe the policy should be adjusted so that while a seat on the executive board is generally required, if a youth council explains in their application that they do not need such a seat, this should not prevent the certificate from being awarded.

Material Bank

The union currently has a fairly good material bank with resources for youth councils, youth council advisors, and regional districts. However, the content of the material bank should be clarified next year. The campaign materials for the EU elections were well-presented, and we should take a similar approach for future election materials.

Next year, we also need to update the handbook for regional activities, as the current version is outdated due to changes in the regional structure. The contents of the handbook are largely dictated by the guidelines for districts, updated and approved this year. If you're interested in the guidelines, you can read them via THIS LINK.

As chairperson, I would also prioritize translating the content of our material banks into other languages. This is not something that should be done if possible; it is absolutely necessary to improve our membership base, regional activities, and the attractiveness of our organization. The action plan proposed to the union congress mentions, for example, the creation of a foundation for Swedish-language services.

Linguistic services also help regional activities, especially in coastal regions such as Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia, and Uusimaa. When we improve the activities of our eastern regions next year, we should also consider the role of minority languages in those areas.

Our Changes

Districts and the District Reform

Many changes have been made under the name of district reform throughout the union's history. I will mention three key ones: the first occurred in the early 2010s when association-based districts were established. In the mid-2010s, the number of districts was increased to 10, and the operating areas of the districts were restructured. The third and ongoing district reform began in 2023.

When we started the current district reform, we identified a problem: not all 10 district were active. Together with active district members, union members, the district council, office staff, and previous union boards, we explored the reasons behind this. The main reason was found to be that districtal activities do not always appear attractive. The reasons could include accumulated administrative tasks, a small district board, a lack of clarity about the union's and the district's roles, or simply a perception that getting involved is not worthwhile. We also identified a cause-and-effect relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic, as people were less inclined to join organizational activities when they were mostly conducted remotely.

Last year, however, it became clear that the administration of several inactive districts had fallen into a difficult situation. As a result, the union did not have the resources to revive these regional associations.

For this reason, we set the goal of creating a non-association-based district for 2024, 2025, and 2026. The tasks of non-association-based districts still include (in summary) advocacy, networking, training, and organizing events. Compared to the current system, only the unnecessary, resource-intensive, and time-consuming administrative tasks are removed.

After searching for a model for the district reform over the last two years, I believe the current model is the most functional. The primary goal of the current model is to ensure truly active districtal activities across Finland.

I have personally set the following criteria for an active district: 1) an active district board, 2) the ability to organize at least two events per year, 3) the ability to visit at least half of the municipalities in its operating area, and 4) the ability to communicate its activities on social media. This model must be fully implemented next year, and as chairperson, I intend to ensure that happens. The districtal activity handbook will also be updated next year.

Action Groups, Participation & International collaboration

The union currently has two groups that could be classified as action groups. These are the communications team and the district council, although they are quite different from each other. The communications team handles communication for the union, and its members are selected at the beginning of the year based on applications from the membership. The district council, on the other hand, is the official collaboration body for the districts, with each district board appointing representatives. The district council has also expressed opinions on union matters, such as this year's review of the union's strategy, the district reform, and the action plan.

However, I believe both groups can be developed, and I don't think creating new groups would be impossible. In my chairperson's program, I later address updating the equality and sustainability plans, and as chairperson, I would listen to and engage our members during these updates.

Participation, or possibly even action group activity, could be developed through the newly launched chairpersons' network as well as the existing instructor's network. Although these networks should not be too closely tied to the union's operations, as we risk losing their informal nature, the knowledge and experience of those involved in the networks should be utilized in youth advocacy and within our organization.

Improving our internal participation can also enhance our evaluation criteria for state subsidies. Therefore, it is essential to improve and demonstrate this improvement for funding purposes.

I believe it is important to continue our international activities on the Nordic and Baltic levels. Given the current economic situation, it is not surprising that our international work must still rely on external funding. The union cannot afford to spend too much of its own money on international activities. In recent years, every board member has had the opportunity to go on at least one work trip abroad, which is highly unusual compared to previous years. As chairperson, I want to try to maintain this, and also seek to increase opportunities for members outside the board to participate in international activities. This can be done by allocating representation opportunities based on applications. This was done, for example, during the most recent trip to Sweden.

Membership Recruitment

One of the most important parts of the union's future is membership recruitment for two reasons. The first is that every new member brings significant income to the union, and the second is expanding our membership base. If Nuva ry aims to be the advocate for youth and youth councils, as it should, this must also be reflected in our membership and activities.

I see and believe that the union is in a very favorable position on the political landscape. We are not tied to political parties, ideas, or ideologies, which differentiates us from youth organizations affiliated with political parties. Unlike many political organizations, our membership has not been in significant decline.

The union is, therefore, an alternative to political youth organizations and other party-affiliated youth organizations.

From a membership recruitment perspective, our districts also play an essential role. If each district operates according to the district reform and its board recruits, for example, 5 members per month, that would mean 600 paying members per year (5 members * 10 district* 12 months). Financially, this would bring in 1,200 euros, which is more than what districts have had available annually. In recent years, the annual budget available to districts has been around 80 euros, as 120 euros of the 200 euros in regional subsidies went to maintaining association bank accounts. However, savings must not affect the small amount that regions currently have available.

Membership recruitment can be done at various levels. In recent years, I have collaborated with various youth councils as chairperson of the Kaarina youth council, and at the same time, I have promoted the union in these councils, leading to new members. The current chairperson has also been doing this full-time, and I am confident that this practice will continue next year, regardless of who becomes chairperson. I would further share the responsibility of membership recruitment and union promotion among the board, district boards, other active members, and trainers.

Finance & Board organization

The union's finances rely heavily on general subsidies from the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM). Subsidies for youth organizations are expected to be cut in 2026. These two facts mean that we must prepare for savings next year. Small cuts are expected for next year, but they should remain at a few percentage points. Nuva ry can manage these with reasonable adjustments.

To prevent cuts from affecting us, we must continuously improve our operations. However, we must also be able to demonstrate this improvement, and as chairperson, I would work with the office and the board to create the best possible metrics. Numbers make it easy to show progress.

In addition to savings, we can improve our revenue through membership recruitment, product and training sales, and partnerships. As chairperson, I would spend significant time on these with the rest of the board.

If, as chairperson, I had to decide (together with the board) where to cut, the last things on my list would be national events, staff reductions, and paid vice chairs. However, I would be willing to make small savings immediately, such as reducing the base subsidy for non-association districts. With the regional reform, regions will have 120 euros more available annually without savings measures, which is much more than they currently have after paying for association bank account maintenance fees. Savings must not impact the small budget that regions have had available.

Regions' financial situations should not deteriorate, as a similar budget must be secured for each year. A separate grant exists for events and large expenses, which regions have already learned to apply for. Good!

Savings can also be found in board and event costs. The biggest savings can be achieved by shortening the length of events. For example, in recent years, our union congress has been two days long, whereas it was previously three days. Could we consider shortening other events due to financial pressures?

Additionally, next year we will save on event participant badges by reusing them more efficiently. It is also worth discussing the office staff's use of IT systems, but this should be addressed once trust in the chairperson role is established.

However, it is important to note that these savings or revenue increases will not be enough to cover the shortfall likely to occur in 2026 due to cuts by Prime Minister Orpo's government. Additional measures must be found, such as raising the union's membership fee to 30 euros. Of the options presented in the board discussions, I prefer increasing the membership fee rather than seeking revenue from event prices. Event price increases would be much larger and more burdensome than a 10-euro membership fee increase.

You will soon be able to review the budget for next year, approved by the board. The budget was unanimously approved by the board, and I believe that all candidates elected at the union congress will respect the decisions of the congress. LINK TO CONGRESS MATERIALS

The board must also develop its organization. Primarily, we should listen to the interests of those elected to the union board and assign responsibilities based on those interests. Hopefully, this is clear to everyone, and this will be the approach regardless of the chairperson or the composition of the board.

As a new initiative, I would introduce or at least develop a model for board-led support groups. These groups would include, for example, an active group led by the board member responsible for communication, which would consist of regional and action group communication leads and members interested in communication. The task of these groups would be to develop and share ideas, remind members of deadlines, and provide peer support.

When talking about peer support, it is also important to ensure the well-being of the board. I promise to help every board member, listen to them, and give them space if needed.

Next year, we must also review the union's rules and, if necessary, propose updates to the next union congress.

Our Advocacy Work

Our organization's main task is advocacy. It is what we have done, what we are doing now, and what we will continue to do in the future.

Advocacy work

The union has carried out effective advocacy work on many different fronts this year. The union has, for example, received invitations from ministries to participate in and help organize their events, requests for statements on legislative proposals, and meetings with key decision-makers. These have included, for example, Minister of Youth Sandra Bergqvist and Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz. One example from 2023 that I would highlight is our role as experts invited to participate in government negotiations.

Advocacy work has also been done through communication efforts. The union has made statements alone and in collaboration with other stakeholders, for example, against cuts to the youth sector. You can review our statements HERE (link to statements).

As chairperson, I would definitely continue to highlight current issues, our statements, and the political landscape. Additionally, I would like to clarify political decision-making for young people, for example, explaining where a decision originates or how a decision impacts the entire issue. Of course, I cannot do this alone, but fortunately, the chairperson does not work alone in advocacy. The union has an advocacy expert, a secretary-general, other staff members, and board members for this purpose.

Our most important advocacy work will take place early next year, as the municipal and regional elections are held in April. The union has its own goals and election campaign, which will be published at the union congress. Regardless of who becomes chairperson or board members, these goals will be lobbied, and the campaign will be carried out. In my opinion, it is also extremely important to distribute the campaign materials to local and regional youth councils for use. Regions should also be encouraged to use these materials. If we succeed in making our goals visible through collaboration, this will be the most impactful election campaign in the union's history. We might even break through to national news!

Our campaign can stand out with its themes. Perhaps even the union congress's declaration on the right to influence can become a central theme for next year.

The Future of Stakeholder Work

The union has many important stakeholders, and staying connected with them is extremely important for the chairperson. The first moments of any chairperson's term, whether for the union or a local youth council, define much of the rest of the term.

I am ready to fully commit to this.

Currently, our key stakeholders include state administration, political youth and student organizations, international sister organizations, and other political actors. If we are to name new stakeholders, we can find them increasingly in the youth work sector. For example, there is an opportunity to form mutually beneficial partnerships with church youth work. As a union, we can offer expertise in participation, as the church has started youth advocacy work in recent years. On the other hand, we benefit from free or affordable event venues. The downside is, of course, whether we see this kind of collaboration conflicting with our organization's non-religious stance.

Updating the Goal Program

The union's political goals this year and next are guided by the union's goal program. However, the program will be updated in the fall of next year. When reading through the program, one notices that it is still relevant and contains concrete actions.

Honestly, I do not believe that the entire goal program will be achieved next year. Anyone who claims otherwise is too optimistic. Most of the goals will likely remain relevant for 2026 and possibly beyond.

As chairperson, I promise to focus on issues like supporting free secondary education, lowering the voting age, and promoting democracy education in schools. I also believe that we can take a stand on youth employment services and social security, as these have recently changed.

Equality

When discussing equality, the most important document is the equality plan, alongside our safer space principles.

Updating the Equality Plan

Unfortunately, it is necessary to state that improving someone else's rights to match your own does not take anything away from you.

At the outset, I also want to point out that when updating the equality plan, we must listen to professionals in the field. However, I would like to highlight two issues that I want to promote during the update process. First, implementing equality monitoring at all our events, including regional events that come under the union's umbrella. Second, I want to explore concrete ways to promote a healthy organizational culture. A healthy culture does not glorify being the busiest or getting the least sleep. On the other hand, these issues also concern elections, where we should aim for the cleanest possible conduct.

As chairperson, I would also openly support various minority groups, for example, by supporting Pride events through our updated material bank. Many youth councils have organized or been involved in organizing these events, so by working with them, we could also help other youth councils by creating shared materials and/or guidelines.

The equality plan has been made known within the organization, and naturally, some sections are more familiar than others. There's nothing wrong with that, but it would be desirable for practices like equality monitoring or collecting feedback to be standardized. Equality officers or monitors must receive training. However, the union does not have enough of these individuals, so as chairperson, I would explore the possibility of providing equality training to the board, regional chairpersons, or other appropriate groups. This way, we will have enough trained people, and responsibility can be shared, distributing the workload.

I would also explore standardizing feedback collection methods as chairperson.

When updating the plan, we must ensure the clarity and accessibility of the terminology. There's no point in creating a plan if its language isn't understood.

A Healthy Organizational Culture

The current equality plan contains good provisions regarding a healthy organizational culture. For example, the plan addresses the harmful effects of glorifying excessive workloads. However, I do not believe that this or all other points have been successfully implemented across the organization and membership.

Based on my experience, our organizational culture is currently quite good. However, there is always room for improvement, and at events, we should pay more attention to loneliness.

During my time in the union, I have also noticed that we seem to have quite a few unwritten but important rules. These can be seen in how regional associations are run or in our operational practices. The best way to address this is to update the guides that govern our activities, such as the regional activity handbook, or to create operational guidelines/principles for action groups (e.g., the chairpersons' network, the communications team) within the groups themselves.

A healthy organizational culture also includes equal opportunities to participate in elections. From the union's perspective, this means that election guidelines are consistent, publicly available, and accessible. In this regard, I have personally found it problematic that there always seems to be a need to have an answer or a stance on upcoming elections. Elections can be for the union, a region, or a local youth council. It is also extremely stressful when the first inquiries about the next elections come right after the results of the previous ones. This should not be the case. Elections should not disrupt or destroy anyone's friendships. That is why I support the new policy from election monitors to reduce the number of public endorsements.

These issues are connected to the right to influence, which has not improved in recent years. It is important to emphasize its importance not only in youth councils but also in "adult" politics. It was great to see Minister of Youth Sandra Bergqvist praise and reflect on safer space principles for parliament in her Instagram stories.

Sustainability

When talking about sustainability, the most important document is the sustainability plan.

Updating the Sustainability Plan

I remember chairing the committee that addressed the sustainability plan at the union congress in Lappeenranta in 2022. At that time, the plan was the first of its kind but still progressive. However, time has passed, and we need to consider new methods and how our entire organization can adhere to the existing measures.

The plan is built on the foundations of social, cultural, economic, and ecological sustainability.

In addition to financial savings, changes must be made to event participant badges from a sustainability perspective. In the future, we should recycle and reuse the plastic sleeves and lanyards for participant badges. Catering is also crucial at events, and I have envisioned that it would be great to have local food at events. This idea might be a bit idealistic, but from an ecological perspective, it would be sustainable to use locally produced food. On the other hand, it may not be financially feasible unless we find a golden partnership.

When updating the plan, we must also consider how long-term the plan should be.

Staying Committed to Policies

As chairperson, I would also ensure that we adhere to the policies decided at the union congress. This particularly applies to the equality and sustainability plans, which contain concrete provisions. For example, the provision regarding the vegan nature of union board meals must be taken seriously and adhered to. In the spirit of the equality plan, it is also important to admit, learn from, and seek forgiveness for mistakes. Therefore, I acknowledge that there have been cases where this has not always been followed in the board's operations.

During the update process (see action group activities), I would engage the union's membership as much as possible in this work. A concrete way to do this is to meet a couple of times throughout the year or once for an extended period to discuss the topic.

I reserve the right to clarify the positions presented in my chairperson's program during the campaign. The original program was written in October, and the possible experiences I mention are based on my union career, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic. I apologize for any typos or unclear language. If anything seems unclear, I will gladly respond.

I would like to thank every candidate participating in the election, including my friend and fellow chairperson candidate, Markus. Thanks are also due to the current union board—this year has been a successful one (action plan for 2024).

I hope to see a large group of young advocates in Tampere in about a month!