
COURSES
Available courses
Youth Voice & Democratic Structures in Finland

Upcoming classes
9/14 - 9/18/2026 (5 days)
August 14, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Payment
Day price
80 €
Course days
5
Total
400 €
Course
Title
Youth Voice & Democratic Structures in Finland
Description
This course explores Finland’s multi‑level model of youth participation across schools, municipalities and national decision‑making. Participants visit the Youth Council’s student council seminar in Vihti to see how young people influence local issues. A full expert day at Opinkirjo introduces NGO‑led participation structures such as the Youth Parliament, DigiRaati and remote constituency dialogues between MPs and students. The programme also examines the city as a learning environment through guided tasks in Helsinki. A visit to the Parliament of Finland provides insight into national‑level democracy education. Throughout the course, participants engage in peer exchange, sharing their own school models, comparing structures and developing new approaches together. Workshops and discussions offer space for reflection, collaboration and the co‑creation of practices to strengthen student voice and democratic engagement in their own contexts.
Pre-assignment
Before the course, participants complete a short written task to reflect on youth participation in their own context. Each participant answers the question: “How is youth participation implemented in my school and in my country?”
Participants provide two concrete examples:
– a situation where students have been able to influence decisions
– a situation where participation has not been realised
The task helps participants connect the course content to their own school environment and prepares them for discussions during the programme.
Program (5 days)
The Finnish Democracy Model and Youth Participation Structures
Heli-Maija
Student Council Seminar by the Youth Council of Vihti
Heli-Maija
National Models for Youth Participation: Opinkirjo & Nuorten Suomi
Tiina Karhuvirta / Opinkirjo Kehittämiskeskus, (Heli-Maija)
The City as a Learning and Participation Environment
Heli-Maija
Parliament of Finland & Final Workshop
Parlements expert + Heli-Maija