A child-friendly Vörå
Since 2023, the municipality of Vörå has participated in UNICEF's model for a child-friendly municipality. The model is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and focuses on promoting children's well-being and realizing children's rights within the municipality.
In practice, this means we treat children equally as residents of the municipality, ensure that all children have equal opportunities to participate, and take into account children's knowledge of their everyday lives when making decisions in the municipality. We want to be a child-friendly municipality, and it is important to us to take care of both the present and the future in the best possible way.
In a child-friendly municipality
- every child feels valued
- every child gets to live in safety
- every child can pursue hobbies
- every child has friends and a trusted adult
- every child's voice is heard
- every child is considered in decision-making
(www.lapsiystavallinenkunta.fi)
Every child has the right to equality, security, health, and education. These rights apply to every child under the age of 18.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes children's rights according to four principles:
- Children must not be discriminated against.
- The best interests of the child must be considered.
- Children have the right to life and development.
- The opinion of the child must be respected.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was approved by the UN General Assembly in 1989. In Finland, the convention became law in 1991. A total of 196 countries have ratified the agreement, meaning they have committed to changing their laws and practices to comply with the convention.
www.unicef.fi/vart-arbete/barnets-rattigheter/barnkonventionen
We want to be a child-friendly community—an inspiring and safe place where one can grow up in security and where one's voice is heard. In Vörå, we want children to feel loved and respected. We create a place where play, learning, and community are important. Through collaboration among residents, schools, and others, we promote children's unique talents and creativity.
The goal is to provide every child with a good foundation to become independent and responsible individuals. In Vörå, we value respect and unity between generations and people.
In 2023, we conducted a survey of our current situation, which means we reviewed how we are currently working with and for child-friendliness. We also asked the children of the municipality what they think is child-friendly and what they believe could be even better.
The children of the municipality mentioned that they consider Vörå a safe place to grow up, with beautiful nature and many leisure activities. The library and reliable adults are important, and they wish for us to focus more on having trustworthy adults, playgrounds, and gathering places dedicated to children. Additionally, we should stop littering and take better care of each other.
We are currently working on creating our operational plan, which includes our goals and actions. The operational plan outlines how we will work towards becoming more child-friendly. We had an initial review of our operational plan with UNICEF in March 2024, and we are currently updating it to get it approved. After UNICEF approves our operational plan, it will need approval from the municipal council.
By working according to our operational plan, we aim to achieve child-friendly municipality recognition from UNICEF in 2026.
The work on the child-friendly municipality model has a coordination group that includes representatives from all municipal sectors, the youth council, and the council for people with disabilities.
Coordination Group 2024
Anna Bertils, Chair of the Municipal Board (Chair of the Coordination Group)
Mats Dahlin, Planning Engineer
Helena Emaus, Director of Education
Simone Envall, Head of Early Childhood Education
Joel Hahn, Representative from the Youth Council
Hannah Helsing, Representative from the Youth Council
Nicole Kolehmainen, Youth Leader
Carolina Lassus, Educational Planner
Leena Nikkari-Östman, Representative for the Board of Education and Early Childhood Education
Heidi Nyman, Director of Welfare (Coordinator and Secretary)
Carina Nyqvist, Chief Administrator
Kristine Paulin, Representative from the Council for People with Disabilities
Elisabeth Redlig, Public Health Nurse, Ostrobothnia Welfare Region
Åsa Sjöberg, Preschool Director
Alf Wiklund, Recreation Secretary
Jan Östman, Technical Director
The Theme Day "Influence! 2025" was organized for 7th grade students on March 13, 2025, by the Leisure Office. The day featured five workshops in cooperation with the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, HBL Junior and FSS, the Martha Association, the Student Council and Youth Council, as well as decision-makers. The theme day gives students an opportunity to get involved in social issues and develop their skills in influencing and participating in democratic processes.
The theme day "Influence!" is an initiative by Nuorten Suomi to inspire and encourage young people to make an impact in society. It complements civics education in comprehensive school and fulfills the goals regarding democracy and citizenship education. The first time the theme day was held was in 2024, and the aim is for it to become a recurring event for 7th grade students. The event is also an important part of the action plan for a child-friendly municipality.
Greetings to the decision-makers