Youth Council (Nuva)

The Youth Councils Task is:

• Promote and develop the youth's position in the municipality without any political party or religious linkages
• Work as the voice of the youth in commissions and other public communications and bring the youth's perspective to the town's decisions
• Represent the youth in the municipality's decisions and bring thoughts from the youth for the municipality to process
• Take part in the planning of the towns different municipal administration's work, execution and evaluation
• Develop cooperation between the youth and the municipality
• Keep contact with the youth and those who work with them
• Prepare presentations and initiatives for the municipality's working organs and other bodies and follow the processing of them and the municipality's decision making
• Get the youth to be interested in society level matters
• Create stimulating activities for the youth, like events and sessions and the possibility to influence youth-related matters
• Represent the youth of Pyhäjoki in provincial northern Ostrobothnia's youth council
• Keep in touch with other youth councils of Finland

Youth Council's History in Pyhäjoki

The last time the Youth Council had been working in Pyhäjoki was at the end of the 1990s. After a few years break, at the start of 2005 the idea of a Youth Council was being revived. The fraternities of the Secondary and High School gathered and from those were formed the Youth Council of Pyhäjoki (VANU), which has been thinking how the youth of Pyhäjoki could be brought more into the center of things.

Based on the negotiations between the high school's fraternity's council 24.11.2005. and the secondary school's fraternity's council, it was decided that the Youth Council Elections would not be held at the end of 2005.

The fraterinities council's saw, that the model used in 2005, where the secondary school's and high school's fraternitie's councils gathered as needed, was the optimal one on behalf of the youth of Pyhäjoki.

In 2007 VANU arragned a movie night for the youth at the Multipurpose Sports Centre and the participant count broke expectations! In 2010 the idea was woken up, that the Multipurpose Sports Centre could have shifts reserved for secondary and high schoolers. This shift has been actively in use by the youth from then on and they also continued to the use of it in the spring of 2012.

Leisure Activity Office commissioned a survey in 2013 about the youth's interest in the Youth Council activities. 93 people responded (7th and 8th graders as well as high schoolers). We asked if any young person wanted to get into the Youth Council activities or if someone would be ready to be a candidate. The answers divided as follows: Yes 24.7%, Maybe 3.3%, no 72%. It seems from the basis of the answers that it would be natural to continue the old conventions, where the youth can make their own suggestions and initiatives to the secondary and high schools fraternities.