The National Youth Leader Days were organized this year in Southeast Finland at the Anjala Youth Center Ankkapurha on November 15–17, 2024. The purpose of the days is to bring together young people active in Leader activities and employees of Leader groups working with young people, and to inspire young people to develop their own communities and youth Leader activities in the future. Read the story about Laura Nieme's travel experiences from the Liiveri Youth Division.
"The Liiveri youth division went to Anjala to represent the Youth Leader Days. We set off with three young people and a guide. We arrived in Ankkapurha in time for dinner. At the beginning, we went through the weekend's schedule and did a little getting to know each other.
We got to explore the magnificent grounds of Ankkapurha in the evening's ghost tour activity. With the help of Leader-themed questions, we solved a ghost mystery and got to tour Anjala's historic manor by flashlight.
On Saturday after breakfast, we received a video greeting from the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry From Sari Essayah, after which we received a specialist Laura Jänis to talk about the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Next, we got to what I think was the best part of the event, the workshops! Four different types of and diverse workshops had been developed for the young people, and in between, the leaders of the Youth Leader groups had the opportunity to network with each other. So we split into four groups. Each group had young people from all over Finland, so networking and sharing experiences was easy.
The workshops organized for young people were:
- A human library where two young entrepreneurs shared how Leader has supported their entrepreneurship. A representative from Kalaleader was also present to talk about their work.
- Speed Friending allowed us to get to know our group members quickly and effectively. A handy "icebreaker" that brought our group closer together.
- At the fish market, Kalaleader representatives talked about their work and the state of the fisheries industry. For the members of our group, Kalaleader was an organization we had not heard of before, so it was interesting to learn more about the fisheries industry and Kalaleader's services.
- Finally, we were able to attend the Miu Maaseutu – Siun Sanat! workshop, where we heard other young people's perceptions of the countryside and its future, and we were able to give our own views on the state of the countryside and what the Finnish countryside should be like in the future so that we could live here.
In the afternoon we were divided into different activities. There was ukulele playing, archery, making fishing equipment and learning wilderness skills. In the evening, we had a sauna and a longer break before the evening program.
On Saturday evening we also got to sing together.
The evening program included an emotional music quiz, featuring a singer from Eastern Finland. Aatu Raitala comedy show and lots of other activities. The rest of the evening was spent either in the hall singing evergreen classics (Brunsketusraidat –PMMP), or playing Trivial Pursuit from 2005.
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to meet entrepreneurs who had received Youth Leader support from the morning. There was a juggler there. Damian Santibañez, kantele player Viola Uotila, escape room game hosts Rasmus Ahola and Jannika Toikka and a shoemakerEmilia Ahokas.
Finally, there were closing remarks and lunch, after which we hurried to a taxi to catch the train. The excitement in our lives was brought to life by the last-minute news that our taxi had been forgotten from the lists, so we got a ride from Ankkapurha directly to Tikkurila station to catch our train to Seinäjoki. We made it to the train on time, although the taxi rumba caused a few gray hairs.
Ultimately, the Youth Days were a great opportunity to network. We shared contact information and actionable ideas. We look forward to next year's Youth Leader Days.”
Laura Niemi