Organization for Youth Education & Development (OYED)
Laws Concerning Youth in Finland
Laws Concerning Youth in Finland
In Finland, youth work has been governed by legislation since 1972. Youth work legislation has been reformed every ten years (1986, 1995 and 2006). The most recent law, the Youth Act, entered into force on March 1st 2006.
Finnish youth work and its objectives and development is defined through legislation. In current legislation, youth work is assigned the task of promoting young people’s active citizenship and participation. Finland is characterized by a large number of youth work professionals. Youth work education is provided at upper secondary and university levels in Finland. The government and local authorities are responsible for creating framework conditions for youth work, as well as for supervising the funding and implementation of youth work. The scope of youth work as non-formal education within youth education is very extensive and challenging.
Even though the field of youth work in Finland has historically been based largely on voluntary youth leaders acquiring skills for encountering young people through activities, Finnish youth work professionals today are trained professionals.
2010
- Act Amending the Youth Act (693/2010)
Multiagency Network and Outreaching Youth Work becomes legislative. The Act included a requirement for cross-sectoral cooperation at the local level as well as for referring young people in need of support to services and counseling that promote growth and independence, and improve access to education and the labor market through outreached youth work.
2006
- Youth Act (72/2006)
The purpose of this Act is to support young people's growth and independence, to
promote young people's active citizenship and empowerment and to improve young
people's growth and living conditions. The implementation of the purpose is based on communality, solidarity, equity and equality, multiculturalism and internationalism, healthy life styles, and respect of life and the environment.,
1995
- Youth Work Act (235/1995)
Youth policy becomes a new objective. The purpose of this act is to improve young people's living conditions and to create favorable conditions for young people's civic activities. In addition, the purpose is to promote equality between generations, genders and Finnish regions, tolerance and cultural diversity and to ensure sustainable development.,
1993
- Young Workers' Act (998/1993)
Youth boards lose their legal status. The state subsidy system for local authorities changed considerably concerning youth work. The objective of the act was to increase the autonomy of local authorities. This also meant removing the statutory system of municipal youth committees.,
1986
- The Youth Work Act (1068/1985)
The new act removed the right to state subsidies for youth facilities based on the rental value system. The upper age limit for young people was raised to 29 years at the request of student organizations. In addition, national youth centers, as well as their operational and investment grants, were now governed by legislation.,
1973
- The Act on Government Transfers for National Youth Work (1035/1973)
Established the support system for national youth organizations.
1972
- The Act on Youth Committees and State Subsidies for Municipal Youth Work (117/1972)
The Act laid the foundation for the development of a statutory system of youth committees in Finland. The act secured state subsidies to local authorities for organizing youth work: state subsidies for the salaries of youth workers, operation of youth associations, rental costs and rental value costs of youth facilities, travel costs incurred in youth work as well as discretionary costs related to the construction and renovation of youth facilities. Under the legislation of the time, young people are referred to persons as aged 7-24 years.
