Child-friendly Riihimäki

In order to increase the participation of children and young people, Riihimäki has a regularly and actively functioning youth council, which has sufficient resources to act and the right to attend and speak at meetings of the council and boards.

School student councils and their boards are also an important guarantor of children's and young people's participation. Every school in Riihimäki has a functioning student union board.

Thanks to the child-friendly municipality work, Riihimäki also has a children's parliament, where children can express their views and influence the planning and development of the municipality's operations.

Strengthening inclusion also involves increasing the understanding of adults working with children and youth about peer relationships and various group phenomena. The youth services of the city of Riihimäki and the Finnish model of hobbying organize group activities and open activities, the goal of which is that young people come together and that no one is left alone.

Emotional clubs are organized in early childhood education to increase and strengthen children's friendships. The emotional tutor ensures that emotional skills are taken into account at the individual level. Children are involved as actors when sponsor activities are organized for pre-school and primary school children.

The local curriculum of Riihimäki basic education was updated taking into account the rights of the child in the fall of 2024.

The goal is to develop the operating culture of schools so that the rights and participation of children and young people are taken into account even better. It is important that every child and young person feels included in the school community, feels that they are welcome and that they belong. The student must be able to participate in the discussion related to his own studies and schooling and influence the decisions related to them. After all, he is the protagonist of his own schooling and an expert in his learning.

The school offers children and young people different ways to practice participation and influence. Students participate in the development of the school in their own teaching group and, among other things, in the student union, community study support group and support student or sponsor activities. When considering the organization of student support, we make sure that in the meeting the child and young person has a genuine opportunity to express their own point of view, which is also recorded in the memo and pedagogical documents. At school, the promotion of these goals is the task of every adult who works with children and young people.

In Riihimäki, during the years 2024-2025, a clear model and written instructions for the individual assessment of the child's best interests to be followed in early childhood education and basic education services will be drawn up. The model and instructions are drawn up especially for the teaching and early childhood education staff who prepare and make administrative decisions concerning individual children. The model includes at least a description of the decision process, consultation form template and instructions.

The implementation of the child's best interests in individual decisions, such as decisions on enhanced support or special support, means for example that the child or young person and their guardian are involved in the decision process from start to finish, i.e. at the start of preparation, preparation, entry into force of the decision and monitoring. The views of the child and his guardian are heard, recorded and taken into account when a decision is made. The purpose is that the child or young person is genuinely listened to in a manner appropriate to their age and developmental level. The best interest of the child does not mean that the decision is in all situations in accordance with the child's or his guardian's point of view, but that his point of view is taken into account. The child and guardian must also understand the decision-making process, i.e. how the child's best interests have been assessed and taken into account when making a decision, and how the decision is justified. The assessment of the child's best interests is done together by a multiprofessional team.

The child's interest must be prioritized in all decisions concerning children under the age of 18. The decision must also justify how the child's best interests have been taken into account. All professionals involved in the decision-making process must understand that the child has the right and opportunity to express his or her own opinion. The model and instructions help the teaching and early childhood education staff to act consistently and in the same way when assessing the child's best interests.

In the spring of 2024, the city's comprehensive operational model and guidelines for the prevention and intervention of bullying, discrimination, inappropriate behavior and illegal activities were completed. The goal is that there is as little bullying as possible. Each unit, such as schools, daycare centers and youth facilities, prepares its own operating model based on the model, how exactly this unit works to prevent bullying, discrimination and inappropriate activity and when such becomes apparent. The operating model will be introduced in the city's schools and early childhood education units during the academic year 2024–2025.

In the model, the biggest emphasis is on prevention, so that children and young people can be in an environment that strengthens community, sociability and the progress of interaction skills. Instructions for intervention and measures when inappropriate behavior has become apparent are recorded in the model. Follow-up measures are also defined for situations where previous measures are not sufficient.

Activities according to the Fair Riksu model are instilled in the Riksu Reiluksi project in school youth work, especially with regard to the work to prevent bullying. In addition, Pro Koulu and Pro Vaka activities strengthen a positive atmosphere and the learning and teaching of positive behavior in schools and early childhood education.

The activities support the well-being of children and young people, increase community spirit and increase the competence of adults working with children and young people in preventing and dealing with bullying. Early and planned intervention in bullying increases everyone's well-being, which prevents many behavioral problems. The development of the operating model started with three council initiatives, which proposed measures to tackle bullying.

During the 2024–2025 school year, the staff in each early childhood education unit and school will introduce teaching materials for mental well-being and emotional education, for example the Good Mind skill badge. Early childhood education and teaching activities organize an event and/or training related to mental well-being once a year in cooperation with other operators. The Pro Vaka and Pro Koulu operational model will be implemented as a pilot in four units in 2024, which will develop an operational culture and positive pedagogy.

The goal is that grouping and emotions are regularly part of children's and young people's daily lives. The change in the operating culture (Pro Vaka and Pro Koulu) strengthens the positive atmosphere, which makes children and young people more comfortable and feel better in kindergartens and schools.

With these actions, we support the well-being of children and young people, prevent marginalization and loneliness.

We want to ensure that the children's growing environment supports the child's right to their own language and culture and to integrate into the surrounding society.

In Riihimäki, the aim is to assimilate and integrate children and young people who have moved to the country into an active part of the community. Knowledge of one's mother tongue and culture as well as learning the Finnish language play an important role in this.

In Riihimäki, the teaching of one's mother tongue is seen as meaningful, as it is known to support identity development and learning. The groups of teaching one's mother tongue in the 2024-2025 school year are Ukrainian, Russian and Vietnamese. Domestic minority languages, Romani and Sámi, can be studied in one's own mother tongue for 2 hours a week. The aim is to increase awareness of the teaching possibilities of one's mother tongue among schools and parents.

In terms of population, Riihimäki has one of the largest Ukrainian communities in Finland. For this reason, activities related to children and young people of Ukrainian background are particularly timely. Of course, the same goals that improve equality apply to all children and young people who immigrated to the country.

The goal of school site planning is to evenly place children with an immigrant background in all schools in Riihimäki. This is how we prevent social segregation, i.e. differentiation. This way, children and young people also have a good chance to make Finnish friends and their Finnish language develops rapidly.

We are developing a Finnish as a second language curriculum, or S2 teaching. Schools receive support for evaluating the learning and skills of students studying the S2 curriculum. The S2 teacher will teach at three schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Cooperation between preparatory education and basic education is being developed so that those who immigrated to the country have equal treatment in their school path, regardless of the school. The goals and practices of preparatory teaching become familiar to all preparatory teachers at the monthly teachers' meetings. This is how the city's preparatory education is unified. Students are offered the opportunity to get to know their future school already during the preparatory class.

In all early childhood education and preschool education units, there are weekly Suomi clubs led by a teacher or a nurse. Suomi-kerho is aimed at children whose language skills need to be developed in particular.

The city organizes open, free and low-threshold hobby activities for children and young people at every school, where immigrants and native Finns work together. The languages ​​of the largest immigrant groups are taken into account when informing about hobby opportunities, but participation in hobby activities does not require knowledge of the Finnish language.

The integration services of the city of Riihimäki guide and support children applying for hobbies, and the integration services work closely with associations and sports clubs. Youth Services organizes camp activities for immigrant children and young people.

To support parenting, we will start a peer support group for parents of Ukrainian background in autumn 2024.

In Riihimäki, the child-friendly municipality development work is in charge of the coordination group established in spring 2020.

Hannele Saari, chairman of the coordination group, representative of the city board

Minna Belik, vice-chairman of the coordination group, representative of the education and welfare board

Lyti Aaltonen, energy sector, acting responsible cultural producer

Outi Ervasti, education and well-being industry, head of education

Terhi Suo, culture and well-being industry, head of early childhood education

Mirva Harju, administration and group branch, communication expert

Arja Hietanen, technical branch, transport coordinator

Petri Hirvonen, administration and group division, director of administration

Niina Honko, education and well-being sector, library director

Kari Jukarainen, education and well-being department, principal of Riihimäki high school and adult high school

Okko Lausmaa, representative of the youth council

Liisa Kauppi-Haarma, culture and well-being sector, expert in learning and well-being support

Iris Kekki, president of the youth council

Marjo-Kaisa Konttinen, Department of Education and Welfare, Welfare Coordinator, Secretary of the Coordination Group, UNICEF Liaison Officer

Marko Laitinen, education and welfare sector, youth service manager

Niina Matkala, energy sector, planning manager

Milla Nikkinen, Riihimäki parents' association, representative of the associations

Veera Nurmo-Jousmäki, executive director, Kanta-Häme welfare area

Okko Lausmaa, representative of the youth council

Mari Rissanen, culture and well-being sector, head of early special education unit

Karoliina Salminen, culture and well-being sector, project coordinator

Minttu Särssi, education and welfare sector, coordinator of immigrant education

Marisa Tanner, administration and group branch, integration specialist

Iida Toikka, local manager, Kanta-Häme welfare area youth services and Riihimäki MLL ry., association representative

Minttu Vettenterä, Riihimäki Erytiset ry., representative of the associations

Marjukka Saarinen, Riihimäki evlut. – parish, leading early childhood education instructor

2024

• Memo 21.11.2024
• Memo 20.10.2024
• Memo 19.9.2024
• Memo 15.8.2024
• Memo 23.5.2024
• Memo 18.4.2024
• Memo 18.1.2024
• Memo 23.3.2024

• Memo 16.11.2023
• Memo 2.11.2023
• Memo 21.9.2023
• Memo 17.8.2023
• Memo 25.5.2023
• Memo 16.2.2023
• Memo 19.1.2023

2022

• Memo 17.11.2022
• Memo 13.10.2022
• Memo 29.9.2022
• Memo 18.8.2022
• Memo 8.6.2022
• Memo 21.4.2022
• Memo 17.3.2022
• Memo 17.2.2022
• Memo 20.1.2022

2021

• Memo 18.11.2021
• Memo 16.9.2021
• Memo 19.8.2021
• Memo 20.5.2021

 

 

 

 

Child-friendly municipality evaluation memorandum 05/2023