Lasten ja nuorten hyvän arjen rakennuspalikoita : Erilaisten kuulemismenetelmien pilotointia, vertailua ja arviointia Hämeenlinnassa

Opinnäytetyö on osa Sitran rahoittamaa ja Hämeenlinnan kaupungissa toteutettua ”Uudistuva kylä kaupungissa” -hanketta, jonka tavoitteena on etsiä uusia ja rohkeita malleja lasten ja nuorten palveluiden toteuttamiseen. Hankkeen kesto on 1.8.2010 – 31.12.2012. Hämeenlinnassa on jo pitkään ollut käytössä 8. luokkalaisille suunnattu ”Vaikuta – älä valita ” eli V-päivä, jolloin nuoret voivat tehdä aloitteita ja esitellä ne päättäjille. Tämän kuulemismenetelmän rinnalle on pilotoitu yhdessä nuorten kanssa kaksi uutta menetelmää: päiväkirjahuone ja iPhone -haastattelut. Kuulemismenetelmät kumpuavat nuorten maailmasta ja tuovat osallisuuden kautta nuorten näkökulmaa lasten ja nuorten hyvinvoinnin edistämiseen. Lapsilla ja nuorilla on oikeus saada äänensä kuuluviin ja heidän mielipiteensä on otettava huomioon heille suunnattujen palvelujen suunnittelussa, toteuttamisessa ja arvioinnissa. Uusia ja innovatiivisia kuulemismenetelmiä tarvitaan, jotta nuoret kiinnostuisivat osallistumaan ja vaikuttamaan niin yksilön kuin ryhmän tasolla. Erilaisia kuulemismenetelmiä tarvitaan myös päättäjien asukasymmärryksen laajentamisessa ja vuoropuhelun ylläpitämisessä. Päiväkirjahuonetta ja iPhone -haastatteluja kokeiltiin koulussa ja eri tapahtumissa kevään ja kesän 2011 aikana. Tutkimusmenetelminä käytettiin osallistuvaa havainnointia ja haastatteluja. Nuoret ottivat uudet menetelmät vastaan innostuneesti ja suurella mielenkiinnolla. Kaikki menetelmiä kokeilleet nuoret olivat sitä mieltä, että menetelmät ovat toimivia ja niitä voisi olla useammin käytössä eri paikoissa kuten tapahtumissa, koulujen teemapäivissä ja nuorisotiloilla. V-päivän, päiväkirjahuoneen ja iPhone -haastattelujen vertailussa nousee esille, että menetelmät tukevat toisiaan ja vahvistavat nuorten ääntä. Toisille kirjoittaminen on luontevaa, mutta toisille on helpompaa kertoa asioistaan puhumalla. Kirjoittamalla ja puhumalla kerrottujen aloitteiden ja palautteiden aiheet eivät kuitenkaan olennaisesti eroa toisistaan. Menetelmiä arvioitaessa voidaan listata kuulemisen rakennuselementtejä, joihin kuuluvat mm. päättäjien tahtotila ja sitoutuminen sekä tiedonkulku läpinäkyvästi ja säännöllisesti nuorilta päättäjille ja päättäjiltä nuorille. Hämeenlinnan lasten ja nuorten kuulemisen malli ”Vaikuttamisen polku” (0-29-vuotiaille) saa uusia ulottuvuuksia nyt pilotoiduilla menetelmillä ja niitä jatkojalostamalla. Eri alueilla asuvat ja eri elämäntilanteissa olevat lapset ja nuoret voivat digitaalisen tarinankerrontamenetelmien avulla tehdä näkyväksi kokemuksiaan ja asiantuntemustaan, joita tarvitaan palveluiden kehittämiseen ja palvelumuotoiluun asukkaiden tarpeiden mukaisesti. Tavoitteena on lapsiystävällinen kaupunki, jossa lasten ja nuorten asiat huomioidaan koko kaupunkiorganisaatiota läpileikkaavana toimintatapana.This thesis is a part of a project called “Uudistuva kylä kaupungissa”, which is funded by Sitra and implemented in Hämeenlinna. The aim of the project is to seek out new and bold models for the services aimed at children and young people. The duration of the project is 1.8.2010 - 31.12.2012. There is a day for 8th graders in Hämeenlinna schools called "Vaikuta – älä valita" (Make a difference – do not complain) in other words the V-Day, when young people make initiatives and present them to policy-makers. Alongside with this hearing method, two new methods have been piloted together with young people: a diary room and interviews with iPhone. The hearing methods rise from young people´s own world and bring their perspective on children and young people's welfare. Children and young people have the right to be heard and their opinions must be taken into account when their services are designed, implemented and evaluated. New and innovative hearing methods are needed to entice young people to participate and to influence at both individual and group level. A variety of hearing methods are also needed for expanding, understanding and maintaining dialogue between policy-makers and inhabitants. Diary Rooms and interviews with iPhone were tested at schools and at various events during the spring and summer of 2011. The research methods used were participant observation and interviews. Young people welcomed the new methods with enthusiasm and great interest. All the young people who tested the methods believed that the methods would work and they could be used more often in different occasions, such as events, theme days in schools and youth houses. Comparing the V-day, diary room and iPhone interviews showed that the methods support each other and strengthen the voice of the youth. For some, it is natural to write, but for others it is easier to open up by talking. The themes of the written and oral initiatives did not substantially differ from each other. When evaluating these methods, some building blocks can be named, such as policy-makers’ volition and commitment, as well as transparent and regular exchange of information between young people and policy-makers. The methods piloted and their further processing offer new dimensions for the children and young people's hearing model “The Path of participation” (0-29 years of age) in Hämeenlinna. Children and young people who live in different areas and are in different situations in life can make their experience and expertise visible by digital storytelling methods. These experiences are needed to develop and design municipal services in accordance with the needs of the inhabitants. The goal is a child-friendly city where the issues of children and young people are taken into account throughout the city organization as a cross-cutting practice

Substitute or addition to hypermobile lifestyles? Second home mobility and Finnish CO2 emissions

Tourism produces an increasing share in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These are mostly derived from transport emissions, and long-haul air travel in particular. Short-haul domestic tourism is believed by some to be a potential substitute for long-haul tourism. Using the example of Finland this paper examines the extent to which domestic second home tourism can substitute for other leisure trips and therefore contribute to reductions of travel-generated GHG emissions. Survey data are used to evaluate the CO2 emissions caused by travel to domestic second homes, and to create statistical models that verify if the owners of domestic second homes travel to other leisure destinations less frequently than others, and if they cause less emissions by their leisure mobility than others with comparable economic and demographic background. We find that although the owners and users of domestic second homes travel for other leisure purposes less frequently than others, this does not mean their leisure mobility generates less emissions. Overall, owners of second homes produce significantly more CO2 by their leisure mobility than non-owners. The use of second homes does not seem to be a substitute for high emission long-haul travels, but rather a part of an overall highly mobile leisure lifestyle. It is therefore necessary to better understand and influence the entire range of individual mobility behaviours in order to reduce travel-related GHG emissions

Health, well-being and second homes: An outline of current research and policy challenges

Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfare policies. However, policies and research on living conditions have mostly explored people’s permanent living environments, adhering to thinking about health in terms of fixity in place. What has not been acknowledged is that a considerable amount of Nordic people live in a continuous interaction of more than one place of dwelling. An illustrative example of the significance of mobile lifestyles is the use of second homes. Second home tourism is usually assumed to increase health and well-being. However, research on well-being and the health effects of second home tourism has been limited. In this paper we propose a research framework to approach second homes and well-being by identifying place and mobility as the key aspects in comprehending the relationship between health, wellbeing and second homes. Furthermore, we argue that the mobile lifestyles considerably challenge existing regulatory frameworks and provision of services as multi-local living is not systematically accounted for. Failing to acknowledge mobile lifestyles and multiple dwelling will degrade possibilities to respond to the current and long-term challenges of the distribution of health and welfare.Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfare policies. However, policies and research on living conditions have mostly explored people’s permanent living environments, adhering to thinking about health in terms of fixity in place. What has not been acknowledged is that a considerable amount of Nordic people live in a continuous interaction of more than one place of dwelling. An illustrative example of the significance of mobile lifestyles is the use of second homes. Second home tourism is usually assumed to increase health and well-being. However, research on well-being and the health effects of second home tourism has been limited. In this paper we propose a research framework to approach second homes and well-being by identifying place and mobility as the key aspects in comprehending the relationship between health, wellbeing and second homes. Furthermore, we argue that the mobile lifestyles considerably challenge existing regulatory frameworks and provision of services as multi-local living is not systematically accounted for. Failing to acknowledge mobile lifestyles and multiple dwelling will degrade possibilities to respond to the current and long-term challenges of the distribution of health and welfare

Second home tourism in Finland - Perceptions of citizens and municipalities on the state and development of second home tourism

Second homes are an important part of Finnish leisure, mobility and rural policy. There are 499,000 second homes in Finland according to the official statistics, but this number is probably underestimated and over half of the Finns actually use the leisure opportunities offered by second homes. This report characterises the phenomenon of second homes in Finland from two perspectives: of their users and of local policy makers. It presents the results of two surveys conducted in years 2012 and 2014 among representative sample of Finnish population, and officials from municipal offices responsible for development and planning issues. The population survey investigated who has access to second homes in Finland, the ways of acquisition of these properties, their location and technical standard, time patterns of use, economic and social relations of second home users with host areas, and their perception of quality of permanent and second home environments and their transformations. This survey enabled to explore practices and opinions not only of the owners of second homes, but also those who use second homes owned by their family or friends. It also did not limit to one second home, as a significant proportion of Finnish population has access to more than one such property. The second survey was sent out to representatives of Finnish municipal governments and aimed to explore their perception of the impacts of second homes on local environment and communities, the role of second homes in local development planning, and policies employed by municipal authorities to manage second homes development. The results show that the municipal authorities in Finland usually perceive second homes as a positive contributor to the local economies, particularly in peripheral locations, but do not treat them as a primary development strategy

Vapaa-ajan asuminen Suomessa - Asukas- ja kuntakyselyn tuloksia vapaa-ajan asumisen nykytilasta ja kehittämistarpeista

Vapaa-ajan asunnot ovat merkittävä osa suomalaisten vapaa-aikaa ja suomalaista maaseutua. Meillä on tilastojen mukaan noin 499 000 vapaa-ajan asuntoa mutta niiden määrä on todennäköisesti vieläkin suurempi. Lisäksi yli puolella suomalaisista on käytettävissään vapaa-ajan asunto. Tässä raportissa tarkastellaan suomalaista vapaa-ajan asumista niiden käyttäjien ja kuntien viranhaltijoiden näkökulmasta. Raportti esittelee kahden, vuonna 2012 toteutetun väestöotantaan perustuvan ja vuonna 2014 kuntien kehittämisestä ja maankäytön suunnittelusta vastaaville viranhaltijoille suunnatun, kyselyn tuloksia. Väestökyselyssä selvitettiin vapaa-ajan asuntojen käyttäjien asunnon hankintaa, sijaintia, varustetasoa, käyttöaikoja, paikallisyhteisöön liittyviä taloudellisia ja sosiaalisia suhteita ja elinympäristöjen laadussa havaittuja muutoksia. Kyselyn tulokset mahdollistavat vapaa-ajan asumisen tarkastelun paitsi niiden omistajien myös muiden käyttäjien osalta. Lisäksi kyselyssä on huomioitu se, että merkittävällä osalla suomalaisia on käytössään useampi kuin yksi vapaa-ajan asuntoa. Toisessa kyselyssä kartoitettiin kuntien edustajien näkemyksiä vapaa-ajan asumisen vaikutuksista alueen ympäristöön ja yhteisöön, merkityksestä paikallisessa kehittämisessä ja huomioimisesta osana kuntien maankäytön suunnittelua. Tulokset osoittavat, että vaikka vapaa-ajan asumisen katsotaan erityisesti syrjäalueilla tuovan taloudellisia hyötyjä alueelle, sitä ei pidetä kuntien ensisijaisena kehittämistavoitteena

FinnGen provides genetic insights from a well-phenotyped isolated population

Population isolates such as those in Finland benefit genetic research because deleterious alleles are often concentrated on a small number of low-frequency variants (0.1% ≤ minor allele frequency < 5%). These variants survived the founding bottleneck rather than being distributed over a large number of ultrarare variants. Although this effect is well established in Mendelian genetics, its value in common disease genetics is less explored1,2. FinnGen aims to study the genome and national health register data of 500,000 Finnish individuals. Given the relatively high median age of participants (63 years) and the substantial fraction of hospital-based recruitment, FinnGen is enriched for disease end points. Here we analyse data from 224,737 participants from FinnGen and study 15 diseases that have previously been investigated in large genome-wide association studies (GWASs). We also include meta-analyses of biobank data from Estonia and the United Kingdom. We identified 30 new associations, primarily low-frequency variants, enriched in the Finnish population. A GWAS of 1,932 diseases also identified 2,733 genome-wide significant associations (893 phenome-wide significant (PWS), P < 2.6 × 10–11) at 2,496 (771 PWS) independent loci with 807 (247 PWS) end points. Among these, fine-mapping implicated 148 (73 PWS) coding variants associated with 83 (42 PWS) end points. Moreover, 91 (47 PWS) had an allele frequency of <5% in non-Finnish European individuals, of which 62 (32 PWS) were enriched by more than twofold in Finland. These findings demonstrate the power of bottlenecked populations to find entry points into the biology of common diseases through low-frequency, high impact variants.publishedVersionPeer reviewe