Supporting young people's growth and development
Finland's nationwide Youth Centre network acts as a series of regional support points for national and international youth work. The primary task of the Youth Centres throughout the country is to offer services that support the growth and development of young people for children and youth and also for organisations focused on young people and education.
Finland's Youth Centres are regulated by government acts and decrees concerning youth in Finland and Youth Centre operations are financed and overseen by the Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture.
The idea to found a nationwide network of youth centres began at the historic CSCE summit held in Helsinki in 1975. One of the declarations of the resulting Helsinki Accords was to promote the national and international mobility of youth in Europe.
Finland's response to the challenge was to establish a network of Youth Centres. The first five centres were founded in the early 1980s, while the last Centre was integrated into the network in 2000 in Anjalankoski, a part of the larger Kouvola area. Located throughout the country, the Centres serve local youth and organizations working with young people, in addition to guests from other regions of Finland and the world.
