Youth issues sparked a lot of discussion

The life of young people in Imatra has recently been marked by, among other things, the introduction of school centers, the corona era, and worrying news headlines about school bullying and violence. The city's young people were the topic of a two-hour panel discussion held in the main library last week. There were Finns and immigrant youth, municipal decision-makers and people working with young people. The discussion was moderated by a library expert Ari Sareslahti and responsible for youth services Johanna Mäkinen.

Youth spoiled?

The event had been given a deliberately provocative title "Is Imatra's youth ruined?" Looking for an answer to this question, the panelists pondered what "being spoiled" actually means. Does it mean, for example, that you need support at school, have mental health problems, show bad behavior or vandalism? What about throwing away what's ruined or trying to fix it? How can you already be spoiled if you haven't even fully matured?

Being spoiled was seen as having a double meaning – "spoiled" can be because of negative things, but also because of too many good things. It was found that there is polarization and differences in well-being in our society; one enjoys abundance and indulgence while the other suffers from want. It was noted that even well-to-do families produce misbehaving young people. Being spoiled was also talked about as a generational issue: according to older generations, youth has always been spoiled.

- The difference of youth is always a little wrong, said one panelist.

A university researcher from the University of Tampere who participated in the panel Antti Malinen The statistics presented showed that the youth situation in Imatra is not as alarming as the headlines might suggest. Negative actions easily become news, which overshadows the fact that the majority of young people are doing quite well.

In one speech, it was emphasized that it is necessary to be able to distinguish between the wrong kind of act and the person who did it.

- A young person from Imatra is no matter what, but in the end, he's only human. The mistake made must not stigmatize the young person.

Adults spoiled?

What if it's the adults who are the ones who are ruined? Adults were found to be adept at making moral judgments rather than gathering information and building consensus. The panelists who worked in the field of trade and customer service stated that they had encountered more misbehaving adults than young people.

- It is easier to criticize another group than to do self-reflection.

It was found that a person grows in social contexts. It should be up to adults to think about what they have done or failed to do while raising children and young people. Of course, the effect of the mutual group pressure of young people was also recognized both when physically gathering and in social media. The task of adults was to guide them in the right direction, even if it would be difficult to establish a conversational connection with the young person and the threshold to intervene in what others are doing is high. Adults are needed, said several panelists.

The participation of young people in decision-making came up at many points in the discussion. It was found that there is a huge group of young people who are not represented in decision-making. The youth council works and has a desire to participate, but its time and opportunities to get familiar with the issues being discussed are limited. Even the council only represents a small part of young people, so it has to try to think about things on behalf of "ruined" young people as well. Most of the decision-making power regarding young people belongs to former young people, i.e. adults, even pensioners. We thought about whether they know how to keep up with the times and make decisions that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of today's youth.

Challenges of young immigrants

During the event, young immigrants talked about their experiences of loneliness. One wondered where all the young people disappear to after the school day, when in their own country, togetherness only started at that point. Another said that he is not wanted as a friend because of his Russianness, as if the war raging in Europe was his fault.

- Russianness is always brought up again.

The lack of language skills was also found to limit the opportunities to participate in, for example, the youth council. According to one speaker, Finns do not have a huge tendency to say hello and take new people into the group; an adult model would be needed for this. Non-native speakers also have the right to participate and feel safe.

Community spirit in search

The interlocutors felt that in large school centers, individuals, especially those without language skills, are in danger of drowning in the mass. Teachers don't know their students, and cohesion doesn't necessarily arise between students either. The corona era with distance learning deepened the problem. The world of adults at home has also changed rapidly: there may be irregular working hours, and grandparents, let alone other adults, do not necessarily participate in raising children as they did in previous generations. Digital technology continuously produces stimuli for people of all ages.

- Before, everyone watched the same TV series and movies and listened to the same music. Today, it's easier to find your own community and like-minded young people online, one panelist thought.

Common hangouts and doing things together were seen as a solution to the problem of lack of community. Young people's time together at school was found to be important, but it alone is not enough. Joint activities would also be needed after school. A hobby can also be a place to find a safe adult for a young person who doesn't have one at home.

Perhaps the most heated part of the discussion concerned a practical topic as well as moped myths among young people. On the one hand, we wondered how Imatra, which recognizes itself as a motorsport city, cannot organize meetings. On the other hand, it was stated what kind of challenge organizing the fairs would be from the point of view of the authorities and responsibility. Intentional disruption in traffic – possibly with illegal gambling – cannot be viewed positively at all. It was reminded that there were not enough visitors or instructors for the moped garage tried last year in Vuoksenniska.

- The discussion brought up the fact that there are many kinds of young people and most of them are doing just fine, Ari Sareslahti summarizes the discussion.

The My municipality project is led by Lahti city library, and the city libraries of Imatra and Lappeenranta from South Karelia participate in it. This was the third discussion event held at Imatra. The project will continue with a new discussion topic later in the fall.

Additional information:
Library expert Ari Sareslahti, tel. 020 617 6603, ari.sareslahtiimatra.fi (ari[dot]sareslahti[at]imatra[dot]fi)