19.6.2019

Promoting the Social Inclusion of Youth and Access to Labour Markets: Experiences in Finland, Sweden, and Russia

The report emanates from a Nordic-Russian cooperation project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Dr Mariya Riekkinen, of Åbo Akademi University (Public Law), coordinated the project in cooperation with the University of Gävle, in Sweden, and, in Russia, the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics, the Pskov State University, and the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (Kaliningrad).

The project attempted to promote knowledge and awareness of the significance of effective social inclusion of young people by exchanging experiences between the Nordic academic communities and the partners from Northwest Russia. It called together experts from the fields of public law, pedagogical studies, economics, and the social sciences. The goal was to open a dialogue for an exchange of views and ideas between young people, academics, and public authorities for the purpose of promoting youth rights.

The project findings confirmed that young people in Finland, Sweden and Russia go through comparable challenges regarding the transition from education to working life. Promoting social inclusion goes together with enhancing participation for the purpose of empowerment, which is crucial for the effective integration of young persons into all spheres of life.

The publication consists of papers which were presented at a project seminar in Saint Petersburg in December 2018 and further discussed during a study course in Kaliningrad in March 2019. The report is published in the Research report series of the Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University.

For more information on the project and its findings, please contact Dr Mariya Riekkinen, at: mariya.riekkinen@abo.fi