Blog: Christmas peace

Matters related to vandalism by young people have been talked about during the autumn in different areas of Imatra. Towards the end of the year, we have heard unfortunate news about serious acts of violence, vandalism and disruptive behavior. The young people themselves and the organizations that work with young people know that substance use is on the rise among very young people. Young people and families are also very worried about the events. 

Nausea among young people has increased nationally, and Imatra's news is part of the national trend. According to THL, about a quarter of young people suffer from problems related to mental health, among other things. We are already living in the middle of a special exceptional time for the second year, the effects of which will be visible for a long time. 

At Imatra, youth work, schools, Eksoten's drug prevention work and curators, the parish, Mitra, the Ketju working group, Pelastakaa Lapset ry and many other actors cooperate closely in youth matters. All actors are aware of the increased nausea and disorderly behavior of young people. These phenomena cannot be solved by anyone alone, but professionals and families now have to cooperate closely in youth matters. 

In the network, we have jointly stated that at this moment, courage is needed to intervene in the negative phenomena visible in the lives of young people. Young people need more adult guidance from the home and the service system. The sense of belonging must be increased among young people as well as adults. Blaming and pointing fingers in no direction will not help matters, but every adult must be ready to hear the young person's case. 

Services aimed at young people must be properly targeted and timely. The starting cycle of violence or vandalism must be broken as soon as any adult working with the young person notices signs in that direction. Giving alcohol or drugs to minors should not be tolerated. Adult monitoring and courageous intervention are also needed for bullying or the spread of violent content on social media. Bullying should not be accepted in any form. 

Despite everything, it should be remembered that most of the city's young people behave nicely and responsibly. We adults now have to be present for all young people and keep the conversation open. Regarding malicious and violent news, it is also important that information flows between adults, professionals and young people. Events and negative phenomena make young people think about themselves in many different ways, so it is also important that they get information about current issues. All of us adults are doing our part to protect young people's growth path towards a balanced adulthood.

Securing Christmas peace is now a joint task for all of us. 

Niina Kupiainen
Youth services team manager
the city of Imatra

Arja Kujala
Service Director
the city of Imatra