Country presentation in relation to flight and migration on national regional local level

1. Finland /
Oulunkylän
yhteiskoulu
Country presentation in relation to flight and
migration on national/regional/local level 11.12.2016
Photo: Sissi Puranen

2. Refugee and asylum seekers in Finland
Status Dec. 2016
Total population of Finland: 5 501 297
Share of migrants: 231 295 (4.2%)
Population density: 18 people per sq. km of land area
Popul. density in metropolitan area: 390 people per sq. km of land area
Gender split: 2.7/2.8 million men vs. woman
Wage earners: 2.0 million
0-14 years: 16.3 %
15-64 years: 63.2%
65+ years: 20.5%
Age distribution in population of Finland
Men Women
Unit 2020 2060 CAGR
Population 1000
/ %
5 595 5 979 1.5
0-14 % 16.2 14.3 -3.5
15-64 % 61.2 56.9 -1.5
65+ % 22.6 28.8 5%
Language Unit Share Change
over years
Finnish % 88.7
Swedish % 5.3
Saamish % 0.05
Russian % 1.3
Other % 4.7

3. Citizenship of
migrants
Amount in 2015
Estonia 50 367
Russia 30 813
Sweden 8 174
China 8 042
Somalia 7 261
Thailand 7 229
Iraq 7 073
Turkey 4 992
Vietnam 4 552
UK 4 427
Germany 4 112
Poland 3 959
Afghanistan 3 741
Former
Yugoslavia
3 535
Others 76 893
TOTAL 229 765
Number of migrants in Finland 231 295
Refugee and asylum seekers in Finland
Status Dec. 2016
In 1000 / % 2010 2014 CAGR 2015 2016 est.
Asylum seekers
total
4 018 3 651 - 9% 32 476 6000
Asylum
granted
181 501 66% 1 112 n/a
Residence
permit granted
1 603 845 - 11% 767 n/a
Received
refugees
3 207 2 204 - 5% 1 815 1000
Refugees and asylum seekers 5 407

4. Refugee and asylum seekers in Helsinki
Status Dec. 2016
Total population of Finland: 634 940
Share of Migrants: 88 132
Population density in Helsinki:
2964 residents/km2

5. The situation in our school
At our shool, Oulunkylän Yhteiskoulu, the number of refugees is extremely low,
even on a Finnish scale.
Our school has around 900 students (ages 13-19 years), out of which only 25 – 30
doesn't speak Finnish as their native language.
However, there is going to be built a new reception unit for minor asylum seekers
who have arrived in Finland alone. This will drastically change the number of
refugees in our school and school has to react different ways, for ex. more S2-
teaching (finnish as other foreign language).

6. How do we participate?
• In Finland there are many ways, how people can participate. For
example you can do voluntary work through your hobbies (scout,
church and sports).
• Churches for example collaborate with reception centers and organize
a lot of happenings, where people donate clothes and money for
them. Scouts raise money for charity organizations.

7. How do we collect information ?
We will interview people involved in refugee issue:
- We had a meeting with Kalle Kekomäki who told us a lot about Finnish refugee situation. He
works as Ministerial advisor in Ministry of the interior.
- We will meet Cucu Wesseh (an Liberian refugee) who has worked for ex. as psychosocial
counsilor/educator, in the city of Espoo, and as refugee counselor, in The Espoo Group Home
(minors arriving in Finland as asylum seekers and without their guardian) and also as Sports
Consultant (soccer/football, empowerment both Finnish and immigrant through sports education
and physical agility training; implementing participatory approach to user-empowerment, rights and
advocacy methodology models for cultural diversity and multicultural integration.)

8. • We will interview Jutta Kivistö, who was co-founder of Support for
asylum seekers (Turvapaikanhakijoiden tuki ry.)
• We will interview Jonna Wickström who directed a documentary
theatre Kielirikot: a project done about encounting and prejudices
How do we collect information ?

9. • We will meet a Family which participate as support family / godparents
to one unaccompanied minor from Afganistan (17 year old boy)
 in Finland at least Deaconess Institute of Helsinki organizes support
family activities
How do we collect information ?

10. What are we going to do ?
• Finnish refugee council (Suomen pakolaisapu) Themes
• gives us an opportunity to do volunteer work by organizing a training
(for 3 – 6 months volunteer work) in February
• Usually there is an age limit (18) to do volunteer work
• We can volunteer by organizing activities, meeting asylum seekers via
meeting cafés, teaching finnish etc.

11. We will also get to know how art makes a difference
• Watch Me and the refugee –documentary short films (7 films)
Over the past six months or so, refugees have entered all of our lives
here in Europe. A few filmmakers documented events last fall when
an unprecedented number of asylum seekers arrived in Finland, too.
Lasting 102 minutes, the Me and the Refugee screening includes
seven movies taking the viewer around Finland and all the way to
Aleppo in Syria.
• Interview either the producer of these films (Rostislav Aalto) or one
of the directors

12. • We visit Kotka to watch the theatre play Turvallinen maa (Safe
country) made together by refugees and finnish people
• It is based on true stories
• There is also a documentary of making this play
• We can interview the director Piia Kleimola