Päivi Alaniska is the recipient of Leader Liiver's 2016 "From a young age" diploma. The fire that started at a young age in the life of associations and organizations has indicated his career path as a regional developer, teacher and expert in event production. Currently, Alaniska works in services for start-up entrepreneurs at Into Seinäjoki Oy.
Liiver's Diploma is awarded annually for good development work. In honor of Leader's 20th anniversary, Liiveri wants to highlight the development story of Päivi Alaniska, who has grown from a young activist to a business developer.
Raised in Jalasjärvi Päivi Alaniska was an enthusiastic boy scout and member of SPR when he was young.
-In my childhood, the Mukula event lived in its golden age. My parents also worked in Mukula and I was able to join them in the hustle and bustle of the event, says Alaniska.
When a youth council was established in Jalasjärvi in the second half of the 1990s, one of the first in our country, Alaniska was chosen as its member. He gives thanks to the Jalasjärvi youth workers at the time, who made it possible for young people to do and participate through, for example, Nuorisotalo Wilhola.
- Adolescence spent in a small town is not a pleasant experience for everyone, but it was for me because I got to do the things I liked - and a lot, laughs Alaniska.
"I didn't think then that the events would become such a big part of my life"
At the turn of the millennium, after high school, Alaniska ended up at the University of Jyväskylä to study to become an English teacher. There, his free time was filled with subject organization activities and organizing gigs and clubs with his fellow students.
- I didn't think then that the events would become such a big part of my life, says Alaniska.
Although the Aukusti event was already conceived when Alaniska was in the Jalasjärvi Youth Council, she did not participate in the organization of the event until 2004, when she promised Mikko to Jokipi and Juha Siirtolan to help for the first time in August, which was organized on a larger scale.
- Then we stayed on that path, smiles Alaniska.
In a video filmed ten years ago, Päivi Alaniska and Juha Siirtola share their experiences of developing Aukusti. Both of them have also worked for short periods as Liiver's youth activators.
- Within the framework of Aukusti's production, I also got to know the active people of Selmu and, accompanied by them, I myself ended up getting involved in the activities of the Seinäjoki live music association, says Alaniska.
- Being involved in organizing events is rewarding. It's unbelievably great and terrible at the same time, depending on how much it has rained in the last few days, Alaniska laughs. I think that if you succeed in some tasks or surpass yourself, then you have usually also been in good company. I have been able to work with brave, creative, different people, and those people around me have made my own growth possible, Alaniska continues.
Getting to know the project world
Alaniska started working at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences as a teacher in the fall of 2008, when Seinäjoki became her home. The first wetness of the project world had already happened in the Leader projects financed by Liiver, implemented by Mukula ry, which developed Jalasjärvi by involving young people. Alaniska has worked in projects for most of her working career so far. The projects of both the rural program and the structural funds have become familiar.
-I have been able to participate in great things. The Mars event was launched from SibA's Rytminno project, and the Autohifi & Tuning event and the Särkyneen silta market were started with the help of the Liiveri-financed Eventloading project. All those events are still organized, Alaniska states with satisfaction.
The event uploader project organized Dream event workshops, where the recipe for a good event and new event blanks and locations were searched for. Päivi Alaniska (pictured on the right) instructed the participants of the Ilmajoki workshop in spring 2013.
Alaniska considers the Yhdistämö project implemented in 2015 to be an interesting experiment. In it, communal workspaces were searched for and organized for sole proprietors and remote workers. Such HUB facilities were also found in surprising places, such as empty business premises in shopping centers.
-Even though we didn't manage to get any entrepreneurs to set up a HUB space, the seed was definitely left to germinate. Building networks was valuable because it was important for sole proprietors to meet their peers and share experiences. New job opportunities also opened up for many.
Coaching for those who intend to become entrepreneurs
The current work is a clear continuation of the previous work among entrepreneurs. Alaniska works as a project manager at Into Seinäjoki Oy in services for entrepreneurs starting out, where they provide, among other things, coaching for entrepreneurs starting out.
- We organize community business idea development coaching for those who intend to become entrepreneurs. Before becoming an entrepreneur, you can come to coaching to develop and clarify your business idea. We help with sales, marketing or product planning, among other things. In addition, we have collected information on the yrittajaksiseinajoelle.fi website about various entities that can help a budding entrepreneur. For many who are planning to start a business on their own, the biggest help that can be offered is listening and asking questions. Coaching offers a place and time to think about your business and meet others in the same position, Alaniska says.
Alaniska served on the board of Mukula ry and in the production team of Aukusti in the years 2005-2013 and is still working on the event in August. Alaniska was elected to Selmu's board in the fall of 2006, where she continued until 2014, during which time she also served as the first female president in the association's history.