The year 2024 was filled with events, development, and community empowerment for the Mallusjoki Youth Association. Diverse activities, a strong sense of community, and local projects enriched the course of the association’s year.
Spring
We kicked off the PoliRuralPlus project in Prague, where we met many new friends. Back home, we immediately began planning and developing our activities to ensure that we continue to have a vibrant and community-oriented rural village in the future.
During the spring, we managed to develop and plan many new projects and get to know our new project partners. Close cooperation with the PoliRuralPlus team was valuable for our community and provided us with important information about the project.
Summer
In July, we organized the traditional summer festival "Turnaround Week", which was the most anticipated event of the year in the region. Music performances, joint games, and workshops brought together young people, families, and adults. It was the largest event of the year, creating a strong sense of community. The festival employed around 100 volunteers, and 30 young people had summer jobs at the festival kiosks. The summer festival had a total of about 2,500 visitors and was a free event for all ages. The festival is also one of the Youth Association’s most important events, raising funds for future projects and maintaining our operations.
Autumn
In the fall, we developed an entirely new concept, "Autumn Festivals," a concept we had never tried before! The idea was to offer different music events for people of all ages during the same festival. We successfully organized events for seniors, children, and adults. Several key partners were involved in the organization, and we concluded that the festival was a huge success. The city of Orimattila immediately wanted to organize a new concert for seniors with us, and we also began planning a new event for children in collaboration with the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare. The festival had around 450 visitors, employing about 30 volunteers and 10 partners with their representatives.
Stakeholders and ecosystem
Throughout the year, cooperation with stakeholders and partners strengthened, and we worked together on several interesting projects within the youth association network. We also started a collaboration project with Päijänne Leader, aiming to explore the livability of the area. This project will run until 2025 and will provide valuable data from the PoliRuralPlus perspective as well.
During the year, we also focused on increasing youth participation. Regular youth nights and events brought together many local young people, further strengthening the volunteer culture for future generations. The youth eagerly joined projects, and together with them, we applied for funding for a new youth meeting place. And we received the funding!
Next generation
The youth nights originated from the "Vintiöstä vaikuttajaksi" project, which aims to involve local 13-17-year-olds in the association's activities. The youth participate in organizing events, trips, and evening gatherings, and every year we also aim to employ a few local youth, for example as group leaders, summer workers, and caretakers. Youth involvement in rural areas is crucial, especially when services are far away.
And much more.....
In addition, we had many other remarkable events throughout the year. We organized a Youth Association Day celebration, had an amazing theater season, a circus arrived in the village at a local farmer’s arena, and we actively participated in events and network meetings organized by the Finnish Youth Associations. We also worked closely with various partners. We faced challenges as well, but we overcame them by keeping our heads high and continuing our important work together.
2025 plan
In the fall, we already turned our attention to 2025. Our goal in 2025 is to further investigate the appeal and livability of Mallusjoki village. Luckily, we have fantastic community partners!
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