Young people from Imatra hope for improvements to public transport

Hobby opportunities are perceived as important.

Union of South Karelia carried out a survey for South Karelian youth in connection with the Vaikuta, älä valita days in the winter. The purpose was to make the voice of young people heard as widely as possible.

61 young people answered the survey from Imatra. Answers were received from Imatra's joint high school, Koske's school, Mansikkala's school, Saimaa's vocational college in Sampo and Vuoksenniska's school.

The opportunities for hobbies emerged as clearly important in the young people's answers. Other factors affecting the well-being of young people in Imatra were job opportunities and safety.

When asked about ideas for development, public transport and access gathered the most suggestions for improvement and development from young people. The young people hoped that there would be more bus routes on Imatra. More public transport was hoped for on weekends and in the evenings. A big problem with public transport shifts was that the timetables are difficult in relation to the start and end times of schools.

─ During the spring, we have developed new routes and schedules together with the schools. Hopefully we can answer the young people's wish next fall, city engineer Päivi Pekkanen says.

The results of the research will be utilized at Imatra.

─ The answers to the survey are reviewed in the management groups. Our purpose is to involve even more young people, for example, in the planning of common facilities and recreational areas, deputy city manager Kaisa Heino promise.

Attachments

Compilation report on the materials of the youth influence days and survey pdf

Youth development ideas

Public transport connections better in the city and northern municipalities.
For school lunch more options would be desired and it was hoped that it would be more versatile.
Job opportunities development ideas and comments received the third most. The young people from Imatra wished that there would be more versatile gigs and summer jobs available for them that were also suitable for minors. The summer work voucher received good feedback.
Safety regarding the winter maintenance of the roads worried the youth of Imatra. The young people hoped that winter maintenance (sanding and plowing) would be improved, especially on light traffic roads. The young people also hoped that more attention would be paid to the functionality of the street lights.
Hobby opportunities emerged as the most important thing for them in terms of the well-being of the youth of Imatra, but suggestions for improvement and development and comments related to the theme only came in the fourth most. Young people wish that Imatra had more different hobby opportunities. In addition to physical activities, more cultural activities and club activities were hoped for, which could be organized, for example, in connection with schools. The young people hoped that more hobby-based activities would be offered, and that the aim would not always be in competitive sports. They also hoped for more information about various hobby opportunities.
Cultural activities young people would like more cultural events in Imatra. In particular, it was hoped that the offer of concerts, gigs (no age limit) and movies would be better.
Sports venues. The young people wished that there would be more places for hobbies and exercise, as well as sport-specific sports places (e.g. skating rinks). The young people wished that there would be more shifts at sports venues, and the limited number of shifts in indoor gyms in particular emerged from the answers. The young people also took a stand on the condition and maintenance of sports facilities.
of social and health services development needs and improvement proposals were mainly related to social and health services in schools. The young people wish that schools would have a health nurse and curator more often and that they could be reached then.