Youth budget

The Youth Budget is intended for all 13–17 year old Helsinki residents. The Youth Budget has five stages: data collection, workshops, voting, advisory boards and implementation. You can participate in just the stages you want – or even all of them!

Youth Budget presentation video

Youth Budget in a nutshell

Through the Youth Budget, you can influence young people’s leisure time, recreational activities and services. Among others, what kind of activities are organised at the youth centres of your area or what kind of events are available for young people in Helsinki.

In youth budget workshops, you can also brainstorm larger proposals for improving your residential area or the whole city. They can be taken forward together with the instructors, through the Youth Initiative Channel or OmaStadi (OmaStadi), for example.

There are five phases in the Youth Budget. You can participate in just the phases you want – or even all of them! The youth budget is intended for all 13–17-year-old Helsinki residents.

The Youth Budget has five stages: data collection, workshops, voting, advisory boards and implementation. You can participate in just the stages you want – or even all of them!

1. Data collection (spring)

The Youth Budget is launched with data collection every spring. By answering the electronic data collection survey, young people can share their wishes, concerns and ideas. They usually respond to the survey at school.

2. Workshops (September)

Workshops are organised at youth centres in the autumn. All young people are welcome! Ask the employees of the youth centre when the workshop in your area will take place.

In the workshops, young people will first go through the responses to the survey in their area with the youth instructors. The idea is to get acquainted with what other young people in the area consider important. After that, the young people come up with proposals for what the Youth Services’ money should be spent on and how the lives and well-being of young people could be improved in Helsinki.

You can make small or larger proposals in the workshops. If the ideas concern the whole of Helsinki or if they cannot be implemented with the money of youth services, they can be the subject of an initiative, for example.

Area-specific proposals related to young people’s leisure time will proceed to the next phase of the Youth Budget, i.e. voting.

3. Voting (October)

In October, all 13–17-year-old Helsinki residents get to vote for their favourite plans developed in the workshops. The results of the voting show which proposals received the most support among young people. The voting events are usually part of the school day.

4. Advisory boards (November-December)

The advisory boards will decide how the proposals that received the most votes will be implemented in practice. Young people who have made proposals will be invited to contribute to the advisory boards, and others are also welcome. Ask the employees of the youth centre when the advisory boards in your area will take place.

Ideas with a cost estimate of less than 3,000 euros can be implemented from the youth centre’s own budget. A total of EUR 150,000 has been reserved from Helsinki’s common Youth Budget fund for more expensive proposals and their use is decided by regional advisory boards.

5.Implementation

The proposals selected for implementation by the advisory board will be implemented during the following year. The proposals will be implemented in cooperation between young people and youth instructors – the most important thing is that they meet young people’s wishes! All interested young people are welcome to participate in the implementation of the proposals.

Would you like to know when and where your area’s Youth Budget events will take place and how to get involved? Ask your nearest youth centre for more information! You can find the youth centres’ contact information here: Our Places – Youth Helsinki

Do you have any questions about the Youth Budget? Please contact us:

Eveliina Laine, Coordinator, eveliina.laine@hel.fi, tel. +358 40 709 2839
Ella Tanskanen, Designer, ella.tanskanen@hel.fi, tel. +358 40 358 0815