Culture, physical activity and youth work facilitate integration
Cultural services, sports services and youth work are instrumental in encouraging immigrants to integrate, participate and become active members of society. This makes it easier to experience a sense of community and to form a social identity.
Youth work, cultural activities and sports activities can offer meaningful activities and opportunities to meet people in the mainstream population in a flexible way, also for immigrants who are not engaged education and working life. It also makes it easier to learn the language and take part in studies, build social relationships and networks, and engage in peer activities.
Exercise and physical activity play a key role in everyone’s overall wellbeing. Physical activity improves physical and mental health, promotes the potential to learn new things, and creates a foundation for agency.
Arts and cultural activities increase interaction and dialogue between cultures and makes it easier for immigrants to participate in Finnish society. The services of public libraries can help immigrants find opportunities to learn Finnish or Swedish, become familiar with Finnish culture and safeguard their own mother tongue and culture.
Youth work supports young people's inclusion, leisure activities and sense of community in many ways.
Religion also bears cultural meanings and builds identity. Taking part in the activities of a religious community may play an important role in enabling immigrants to integrate in the Finnish society. The activities of a religious community may also help safeguard one's own ethnicity, language and culture, connect with other people and serve as a spiritual resource. To make sure that equality is materialised in integration services, it is therefore necessary that the spiritual needs of immigrants are taken into account.
Culture
The municipalities are responsible for providing cultural activities. Cultural activities in municipalities are governed by law (Act 166/2019). The aim is to bring people opportunities to engage in creative expression and activities; promote equal opportunities for all population groups, and further their participation in cultural activities, arts, and education; strengthen people’s health and wellbeing, as well as their inclusion and community engagement; and create conditions for bringing about more vitality.
When organising their cultural activities, municipalities must promote and take into account local conditions and the needs of different demographic groups. Financial grants provide opportunities for cultural self-motivated leisure activities and professional artistic activities for immigrants too.
The Public Libraries Act aims promote equal opportunities for people to access education and culture, help find and use information, encourage a culture of reading and versatile literacy, offer possibilities for lifelong learning and developing competence as well as advocate active citizenship, democracy and freedom of expression. The implementation of the objectives of the Act is based on a sense of community, pluralism and cultural diversity. Public libraries offer materials and other services in their collections in many languages.
Cultural diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities for people to access education and services are also promoted in other legislation on culture, such as the Museums Act (314/2019), the Act on the Promotion of Performing Arts (1082/2020) and the Act on Government Funding for the Promotion of Film Culture (1174/2018).
The Ministry of Education and Culture has drawn up an action plan to promote diversity in arts and culture (2023). The action plan aims to take into account the diversity of the Finnish population in all planning and decision-making processes in the arts and cultural policy. The action plan contains six sets of measures that promote cultural diversity, equity and integration in cultural policy, in the government agencies of the Ministry's branch of government, in the national art institutions, and when collaborating with cultural communities.
Based on section 11 of the Constitution of Finland, everyone has the right to freedom of religion and conscience. Freedom of religion and conscience consists of the right to profess and practice a religion, the right to express one's convictions and the right to be a member of a religious community or to decline to be a member of such a community. The Act on the Freedom of Religion (453/2003) is one of the legislative instruments that protects the exercise of the freedom of religion. Everyone has the right to decide on their religious affiliation by becoming a member of a religious community that accepts them or leaving such a community.
Sports and physical activity
The objectives of sport policy are laid down in the Act on the Promotion of Sports and Physical Activity (390/2015). The objective is to promote (1) the opportunities of various demographic groups to engage in sports and physical activity; (2) the health and wellbeing of the population; (3) maintaining and improving the capacity for physical activity; (4) the growth and development of children and young people; (5) civic activities in the field of sports and physical activity, including club activities; (6) elite sports; (7) integrity and ethical principles in the context of sports and physical activity and elite sports; and (8) greater equality in sports and physical activity. The efforts to achieve these objectives are based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination, community spirit, multiculturalism, healthy lifestyles, respect for the environment and sustainable development.
Central government uses guidelines, measures and financial resources to encourage people to take part in sports and physical activity. The Ministry of Education and Culture provides financial support for the activities of national organisations that promote sports and physical activity. Decisions on discretionary government grants apply the principles of non-discrimination and equality comprehensively.
Municipalities, organisations, associations and businesses all play a key role as providers of sports and physical activity. Municipalities are responsible for creating suitable conditions for sports and physical activity at the local level by providing their residents services in sports and physical activity as well as promoting health and wellbeing by means of sports and physical activity, taking into consideration different target groups, and for supporting civic activity in sports and physical activity and for the construction and maintenance of sports facilities.
Versatile services in sports and physical activity that are accessible and inclusive as well as opportunities for self-motivated physical activity reinforce inclusion and a sense of community. Sports activities that take minorities into account support the participation of all those who enjoy exercise.
Sports and physical activity are among the most popular forms of leisure activities. The Ministry of Education and Culture aims to increase the opportunities for leisure activities and low-threshold physical activities for children and young people at the local level. The Finnish model for leisure activities aims to provide, in connection with the school day, every child and young person with an opportunity to engage in a leisure activity that they enjoy and one that is free of charge.
Various forms of cooperation and measures across different branches of government help encourage the whole population to be physically active.
Youth work
All young people may take part in open youth work activities whenever they wish to do so and on their own terms. Young people with an immigrant background actively use youth work services and their numbers are steadily growing.
The underlying principles for achieving the objectives of the Youth Act (1285/2016) are solidarity, cultural diversity and an international scope; sustainable development, healthy lifestyles, respect for life and the environment; and cross-sectoral cooperation.
Municipalities are responsible for youth work and youth policy. Municipalities must create scope for youth work and youth activities by providing services and facilities intended for young people, and by supporting civic activities for young people. Municipalities perform these duties in cross-sectoral cooperation with other authorities that provide services for young people. Apart from municipalities, organisations in the youth sector, parishes and other organisations and associations engaged in youth work also take part in implementing youth work.
Outreach youth work and youth workshop activities are an important part of municipal youth work. The purpose of outreach youth work is to reach young people in need of assistance and improve access to services and other support designed to promote their growth, independence, life management skills and participation in society as well as to improve access to education and make it easier to enter the labour market. Youth workshops are communities that provide coaching to bolster young people’s wellbeing, identify their skills and competence, and coach them for education and training and finding work. The coaching helps improve young people’s capabilities to access and complete education and training, enter the open labour market or access other services they need.
As a rule, youth policy is cross-administrative. Once every four years, the Government adopts the National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme (VANUPO), which is a cross-administrative programme for youth work and youth policy that defines the objectives and measures for youth policy.
National youth policy and the implementation of the National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme take into account the differing backgrounds of young people and promote the realisation of equal opportunities for young people belonging to different groups.