Kiattrakoolchai, August

Introduction

I’m a 17-year-old upper secondary school student and a former Chair of the Youth Council I am standing as a candidate because I want to promote the influencing opportunities of young people in Helsinki and continue my work for the benefit of all young people in Helsinki. I want to make Helsinki a better city for all us young people. As a young Helsinki resident, it is important for me to be able to influence matters that are important for young people through the Youth Council. In the post-crisis period, it is particularly important, among other things, to develop community activities and improve the well-being of young people in Helsinki. Let’s do this together!

Hobbies: Adventures

Ressun lukio

Answers to the election machine

Schools should have more days during which they only serve vegetarian food.

Research shows that vegetarian diet prevents various diseases. Increasing the number of days when only vegetarian food is served helps guide children and young people towards healthier food options. At the same time, the quality of vegetarian food should be improved and the chance to increase the use of more environmentally friendly game in the remaining meat dishes should be considered.

 

Schools should focus on grouping more extensively than now.

Grouping pupils is especially important when transitioning from one school level to another. A good group gives strength and peer support. Grouping students also builds good team spirit, a sense of mutual trust and smooth interactions between the group members.

 

Distance learning needs to be established as a permanent learning method in addition to contact teaching.

I think teaching is more efficient and interactive in contact teaching. Contact teaching also allows ensuring that no one is left behind. I don’t support distance learning in comprehensive school. In secondary education, however, remote and online courses have worked well in the City’s general upper secondary schools, at least, and I support that these are maintained as an alternative to contact teaching. Students should have a choice in the matter.

 

The competitiveness of young people’s sports activities should be reduced.

I think competitive sports hobbies should be available to those interested in them, and their competitiveness shouldn’t be reduced. However, the City and recreational operators should arrange more relaxed and approachable, competitive or non-competitive hobby activities to solve this issues.

 

The City of Helsinki should primarily offer summer jobs to those young people who do not yet have work experience.

The City should try to prioritise those without any work experience in the recruitment of some summer jobs. However, I don’t think this should be the City’s priority, as the City already offers a summer voucher for all 9th graders. The summer voucher is an easy way to get one’s first work experience. The City should focus on increasing awareness of the summer voucher.

 

The public spaces in Helsinki should maintain the division between women’s and men’s toilets.

People who are uncertain about their gender identity or gender expression or non-binary people should not have to decide between two different toilets. Unisex toilets do not harm binary people, either.

 

Helsinki should start offering free public transport to those under 18.

“Some things may not cost anything, but nothing is ever free.” Even free public transport has to be paid for somehow, either by reducing the quality, such as the number of buses on a route or level of cleanliness, or via tax funds, which may increase taxation.

 

It would be better if there were no e-scooters in Helsinki.

The safety of e-scooters is a problem. I think their safety should be improved by developing solutions that improve safety rather than removing the electronic scooters. Removing a problem instead of solving it is not a very sustainable solution for any problem.

 

For a member of the Youth Council, pushing their own goals through is a more important quality than agreeing on compromises.

Compromise is a central part of all decision-making processes. Making compromises is an important part of influencing in the Youth Council. The goals of an individual member never represent the will of all young people. By taking into account as many opinions as possible and finding a compromise, we can achieve the best possible solution for young people in Helsinki.

 

On which topics would you like the Youth Council to focus, in particular? Select the three that are the most important to you.

The Youth Council should focus on matters essential to youth, such as schools and education and equal opportunities and equality. Other topics are important, too, and should not be forgotten. We work on behalf of young people, for young people. I will personally work for this.