Active citizenship and entrepreneurship In Finland

1
Active citizenship and entrepreneurship In Finland

• Opinions in Sotunki senior high School, Vantaa

2
FINNISH COUNTIES

• 432 counties in all
• Have a high level of local autonomy

3
The Council

• The decision-making authority
• Decides the services the county offers
• Appoints the municipal manager and the municipal
  executive board
• Elected by the residents in free elections every
  4th year
• The voting rate last year was only 58,6

4
THE SERVICES OF THE COUNTIES

• The education schools and cultural services
• Childrens daycare and other social services
• Social support
• Medical and dental care
• Environmental protection
• Promoting employment in their area

5
City of Vantaa

• 67 councillors
• The voting rate was lowest of the country 50,9
• The biggest parties are Finnish social Democratic
  Party and The National Coalition Party
• The municipal manager is Juhani Paajanen

6
Opinions in Sotunki

• It is important and interesting to know about the
  decisionmaking in the counties (1-5)
• 2,7
• 2 2,59
• 2.875
• I am satisfied with the level of health services
  in my county
• 1 3,3
• 2 3,22
• 3 3.75
• I am happy with the level of leisure time
  services in my county
• 3,1
• 2 2,88
• 3 3.375
• I am going to vote in the local election of 2008
• 1 52
• 2 62,9
• 3 75

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Nuorisovaltuusto

• The youth council of Vantaa

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• Current youth council is third in succession.
• It consists of 30 members, all fourteen to
  eighteen years old
• The council has monthly meetings
• The meetings are open to everyone

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The idea of the youth council

• To improve the youths role in the decisionmaking
• To politically activate the youth
• How the youth council works
• Co-operation with the pupil councils in schools
• Regional co-operation
• Work groups and projects

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Targets and purpose

• To teach youth to take part into the county
  decisionmaking and give them opportunities.
• The youth council can give town administration
  initiatives about any subject
• The youth council has a representative in board
  of free time activities, board of education and
  in all seven regional boards of Vantaa.

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Opinions of our pupils

• I know at least one member of the youth council
• 1. yes 52
• 2. yes 50
• 3. yes 48,1
• The youth council can make a difference (1-5)
• 1. 2,5
• 2. 2
• 2,37
• I have knowledge of how the youth council works
  (1-5)
• 1. 2,1
• 2. 1.875
• 3. 2,3

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Eduskunta the Finnish parliament
13
Basic information

• 200 seats
• Eight parties, three big and five smaller
• The center party (right)
• SDP (left)
• National coalition party (right)
• The left union (left)
• The Greens (left)
• The swedish speaking party (right)
• The christian democrats (right)
• Finnish party (right)
• The chairman of the parliament is Paavo Lipponen
  (former prime minister)
• The parliament has the supreme power in Finland

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The elections

• Members of parliament are elected in general
  elections once in four years.
• There are fifteen election districts.
• The amount of seats per district depends on the
  amount of population
• All eighteen year old citizens can vote in
  parliamentary elections

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The duties of the Finnish parliament

• Makes laws
• Approves the national budget
• Elects the prime minister
• Supervises the government politically
• Ratifies any international treaties made by
  government
• Decides about war and peace together with the
  president

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• How many important tasks of the parliament can
  you name? (1-5)
• 1,9
• 2,22
• 2.875
• I find the decisions made by the parliament
  interesting
• 1. 2,2
• 2. 2,56
• 3. 2.35
• Are citizens able to make a difference via
  members of the parliament
• 1 2.6
• 2 2,67
• 3. 2.75
• I am planning to vote in the next parliamental
  election 2007
• yes - 44
• yes - 70,4
• 3. yes - 75

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Business in Finland
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General Information

• There are about 220 000 entrepreneurs in Finland.
• Business and economy has grown well after year
  1995, about 3-4 in average.
• The Finnish economy has now recovered from the
  great depression of early 1990s
• Each year about 2200-2300 companies are formed

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• Companies are small, most of them employ 1-9
  people.
• In 2003, there were about 575 Big Companies with
  over 250 employees.
• Average age of entrepreneurs is much higher than
  the age of employees
• Only 5 of working age people are Entrepreneurs,
  while in many other European countries the figure
  is about 10.

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Obstacles to enterpreneurship

• Fear of risks, high taxation
• At paid job you can lose your job but as an
  enterpreneur you can lose everything
• Social security for unemployed is better than in
  many other countries.
• Forming a company is difficult because of the
  bureaucracy

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Entrepreneurship important?

• Do you think entrepreneurship is important
• 1st graders 3.70 / 5
• 2nd graders 3.93 / 5
• 3rd graders 4.25 / 5
• Are there any entrepreneurs in your family?
• 1st 59
• 2nd 40,8
• 3rd 12.5
• Im interested in business and it is possible I
  become an entrepreneur
• 1st 2,7 / 5
• 2nd 3.04 / 5
• 3rd 2.75 / 5
• I think I have sufficient knowledge to become an
  entrepreneur (1-5)
• 1st 2,3
• 2nd 2,26
• 3rd 3.375

22
European parliament

• Josep Borrell Fontelles, Speaker of the EP.

23
European parliament in short

• There are 732 Members of European parliament
  (MEP).
• The latest MEPs were directly elected in the 25
  Member States in June 2004.
• The MEPs represent the 457 million citizens of
  EU, and they are working together to build a
  better European home for us.

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The Finnish MEPs in EP

• There are 14 MEPs from Finland, five women and
  nine men
• Four of them work in the Christian democratic
  party
• One is in the Greens
• Five are in the Group of Alliance of Liberals
  and Democrats for Europe
• Three are in the Socialist party
• One represents the Confederal Group of the
  European United Left.

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The tasks of EP

• Approves EUs budjet
• Nominates the members of European commission.
• Takes part to the legislation process with
  Council of EU.
• Ratifies the treaties signed by the Union

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Voting

• People choose the members of European parliament
  once in five years in general elections.
• During the first election in 1996 the voting rate
  in Finland was about 60 but it has sunk to 41
  in 2004.
• All the 14 finnish MEPs are elected from a
  single constituency.

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• How much do you think you know about the EU
  parliament? (1-5)
• 1. 1.7
• 2.5
• 1,93
• Can you name any Finnish MEPs?
• 1. No 67
• 2. No 37.5
• 3. No 63
• Are you interested in how the EU works? (1-5)
• 1. 2,3
• 2.125
• 2,19
• How many tasks of the EU partliament can you
  name?
• 1. 1,4
• 1.875
• 1.67