Preventing street violence in Vaasa through youth work
The project develops a model of outreach and discovery youth work to prevent street violence among young people in Vaasa. The activities will target 13-18 year old young people at risk of violent behaviour.
A model for outreach and discovery youth work will be developed in cooperation with the target group. The approach will include meaningful and community-based activities for young people to replace violent behaviour, for example through culture, music, art and sport. In addition to this approach, street mediation will be introduced during the project. The aim is also to raise awareness of violent behaviour and related phenomena among those working with young people, young people, their parents and local residents.
The project started on 1 January 2025 and will end on 31 October 2027 with the aim of making the project activities a permanent part of the youth services of the City of Vaasa. The project has received funding from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s health promotion budget. The project is part of the “safe streets” project, coordinated by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), which also includes eight other projects around Finland.