Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius
The Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius team / © Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius
Who we are
The project staff works at the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius which carries out teaching and research under the auspices of the universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu and Vaasa, Finland. SEMPRE project is under the Social Sciences Unit (Social Work).
Our SEMPRE partner group at the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius consist of:
D.SocSci Kati Turtiainen (project leader)
D.SocSci Johanna Hiitola
L.Soc.Sc Tuomo Kokkonen
L.Soc.Sc Katri Viitasalo
Departmental Secretary Mira-Jonna Myllykangas
Why we are involved in SEMPRE
In the past year there has been a strong increase in forced migration to Europe. Many refugees are now settling to rural Finland, which will require rural social services to develop better tools to ensure well-being and integration of the new residents. Of course migration to rural Finland is not a new phenomenon and we will also be working with different groups of migrant workers as well as marriage and family related migrants in the duration of the SEMPRE project. We are expecting to find new empowerment tools for social services to be able to support unemployed migrants’ participation and well-being in Ostrobothnia and Central-Ostrobothnia. These tools will be connected to creating new employment opportunities as well as increasing participation and agency in general.
What will be the most important result of SEMPRE?
Increasing opportunities for migrant participation and agency in the Finnish society.
Whom we are working with
Our Local Empowerment Network (LEN) consists of Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius, the Foreign Office in Kokkola and the Integration Services in Pietarsaari as well as the Public employment and business services in Pietarsaari. In addition we will be working with several service providers from local NGO’s.
Together with these actors, our project aims to reach a wide range of migrants. Our SEMPRE project will work with social service providers in order to adjust their work to the changing socio-economic circumstances. For example, we will be creating job opportunities for migrants by developing tools for small business to get support for employing migrant residents. During SEMPRE we will also work with social service providers to increase migrant’s involvement in service development. We will be hosting annual seminars where working groups of service providers will be provided a possibility to share ideas. A panel of unemployed refugees in the area will provide us with information and guide on what are the essential obstacles for participation which the SEMPRE project should be addressing. With the tools of Action Research we will also be carrying out Academic research on participation and empowerment of unemployed migrants.
| Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius Kokkolan yliopistokeskus Chydenius Kokkola, Finland Contacts: Johanna Hiitola johanna.hiitola(at)chydenius.fi Kati Turtiainen kati.turtiainen@chydenius.fi |
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