Working for a more healthy society

Folkhälsan is a modern non-profit organisation working with social and health services. Every summer they arrange Folkhälsan’s Summer Meetup where teenagers from the ages 12-15 get to do activities and spend time together.

Folkhälsan’s Summer Meetups started in 2016 with the purpose to give young people on Åland an unconditional and safe place during the summer. The goal is to create an inclusive environment for teenagers to spend their time together without any sort of demands. It is an opportunity to get to know new friends and be in contact with adults according to their own wishes. Folkhälsan believes it is important that the teenagers don’t spend their summer time alone and that they are given a good possibility to spend time together with others in their own terms.

“The best thing about our Summer Meetup is how the teenagers get to participate fully on their own will. We give them our confidence and everything works out great that way. They get to take their own responsibility and join in on whatever activities they would like to participate in,” says Camp-Coordinator Frida Sjöroos.

The Summer Meetup goes on for three weeks during the summer and it is made for teenagers in lower secondary schools. Around 20-30 teenagers participate every summer. The meetup is free of charge and there is no limit to the amount of participants.

“It is great to see how our leisure activities have such a high demand. During the summer we also arrange a summer club and a sailing-camp which is very popular. The teenagers appreciate our association and it is nice since so many return the next summer as well,” says Coordinator for the Children- and Youth department Joakim Svensson.

All young people should feel welcome

Folkhälsan’s Summer Meetup is made for everyone, nothing should limit a teenager from participating. This year two girls from Ukraine participated in the Summer Meetup. Either of the girls knew English or Swedish but they succeeded in communicating with the others through a translation app on their phones.

“We think it is exciting to be here at Åland, there is a lot of beautiful nature. Folkhälsan arranges a lot of different kinds of activities which we enjoy participating in. We have met a lot of people here and everyone is very open minded to meet us,” says the two girls.

Folkhälsan is one of the organisations that founded Paf in 1966. Folkhälsan receive support in the form of Paf funds for their association. It helps them run the organisation and arrange different activities for everyone’s well-being.

“It is great that the money goes to those who need it. I think that is a good thing with Paf. We are very grateful for the help and support that we have received in the form of Paf-funds throughout the years,” says Joakim Svensson.

Find out more about the work Folkhälsan does.