Towards Youth Wellbeing Services Counties is a cooperation project between Youth Academy, the Union of Local Youth Councils in Finland and Nuorten Suomi to promote youth participation in the so-called wellbeing services counties. The project takes place in 2022–2025 and is funded by the Ministry for Education and Culture.
A total of 21 wellbeing services counties, referring to new self-governing public entities with their own elected decision-makers, were recently established in Finland as part of a large and historical healthcare and social services reform. From 1st of January 2023 onwards the responsibility for organizing healthcare, social welfare and rescue services was transferred from municipalities to the wellbeing service counties.
All wellbeing services counties must ensure their inhabitants and service users have opportunities to participate in and influence decision-making and service development. They also must have their own youth councils, mostly made up of the representatives of municipal youth councils.
The aims of Towards Youth Wellbeing Services Counties include:
- supporting the establishment, work and networking of regional youth councils,
- supporting youth workers, officials and decision-makers in the wellbeing services counties to promote youth participation,
- testing new participatory methods together with wellbeing services counties.
In practice the project, for example, organizes different kinds of workshops, trainings, meetings and dialogues and creates communication materials on the topic addressed. It also provides tailored services and guidance for the target groups and beneficiaries depending on their needs.