Picture
Children playing on a climbing frame.
The feel-good Karelian city includes child-friendliness.

Asukaslehti 2/2022: Right solutions for children in everyday services and municipal administration

Release
7.12.2022 14:39
The city of Imatra was accepted into UNICEF's child-friendly municipality model in December 2021.

The survey of the current situation regarding the realization of the rights of children and young people, which began in January 2022, is coming to an end. The goal is to map things that are already good at Imatra and to locate areas for improvement.

The mapping helps to identify particular areas of deficiency in the realization of the child's rights.

In addition to children and young people, various actors and stakeholders in the city have been involved in the implementation.

This is how responsibility and understanding of development work for a child-friendly municipality is shared.

As part of the mapping, the views of children and young people of different ages have been clarified on which things they think are good and which are important areas for development at Imatra.

 - In practice, children and young people have been consulted during the survey in different ways. For example, at the well-being days organized for middle school students in October, the students first received information about UNICEF's child rights and the Child-friendly municipality model, says the coordinator Kirsi Mäyrä.

- After that, they were able to answer a survey to tell their own opinion about Imatra and whether children's rights are fulfilled in the city and in their own lives.

The work continues with setting goals

Earlier this year, surveys were also carried out for families with children, kindergarten and primary school children, and 15–18-year-olds.

- Based on the results of the current situation survey, the municipality sets the goals of its Child-friendly municipality development work and chooses concrete measures in its action plan. It is aimed especially at realizing the rights of children and young people in a weaker position, says Mäyrä.

If Imatra achieves the set goals, it will be granted UNICEF's Child-Friendly Municipality status.

In general, recognition can be granted no earlier than about two years after the municipality has been accepted into the model. Unicef ​​supports the achievement of the goals and monitors the realization of the goals.

Residents' magazine