Young people from the City of Kuhmo in Finland called for improvements in education, leisure and cultural opportunities, as well as better communication and opportunities for participation. The findings will be used to support the City’s development work.
This autumn, the University of Turku and the City of Kuhmo explored young people’s views on strengthening the city’s attractiveness and vitality and youth engagement through a survey and a Citizens’ Jury.
Researchers invited all Kuhmo residents aged 16–34 to participate in the survey. After the survey, everyone in the age group had the opportunity to join a Citizens’ Jury, which explored the survey’s themes and findings in more detail.
The Jury convened in Kuhmo in November 2025 and was attended by 13 local young people and young adults. The City of Kuhmo will use the results of the questionnaire and the Citizens’ Jury in its strategic planning and well-being programme.
Citizens’ Jury identified five key challenges and proposed solutions
The Jury’s task was to write a statement on the city’s challenges in attracting and retaining citizens and to propose concrete solutions. Notably, the identified challenges mainly concerned educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities. The proposed solutions focused on improving communication and strengthening youth influence, for example through regular surveys.
The Jury highlighted uncertainty over the future of upper secondary education, fragmented vocational training provision, and young people’s general lack of awareness of educational opportunities. The recommended solutions included better communication about study opportunities and consolidating upper secondary education providers in shared spaces that could also serve as venues for leisure and business activities.
Participants felt that communication about local services is inadequate, and that marketing targets tourists rather than current and potential residents. The Jury proposed making the city’s website more attractive and disseminating information about services and leisure opportunities, for example, through a Kuhmo app and an activity calendar.
The Jury was concerned about the small number of highly educated residents and young women, and about the limited employment opportunities for these groups. They suggested adopting financial incentives used in other municipalities, such as baby bonuses and student loan compensation, to attract and retain such residents.
Additionally, the Jury noted that the city often rejects new initiatives due to a lack of funding. To address this, the city should seek project funding and additional sponsors and partners to help implement new initiatives.
The Jury noted that cultural activities do not sufficiently engage young people and that the threshold for participation is high. Proposed solutions included strengthening cultural education and extending the youth pass scheme to cover all young people.
Three-day deliberation enhanced by expert knowledge
The Jury’s statement was the result of three days of deliberation. The Jury convened online on 26 November and in person at Tuupala School on 29–30 November.
In the first session, participants learned about the citizens’ jury method, heard an expert presentation on attractiveness and retention, and formulated questions for city representatives.
Over the weekend, participants heard the responses from Kuhmo’s Well-being Coordinator Riikka Kähkönen, Director of Education Marjut Kyllönen, and Mayor Juhana Juntunen. The Jury then deliberated these answers in small groups and in plenary sessions, before drafting and unanimously approving the Jury’s final statement.
Survey results show young people want more activities and participation opportunities, and are optimistic about the future
The Citizens’ Jury built upon the results of the earlier survey, which explored young people’s experiences of living in Kuhmo and their opportunities for participation.
The researchers sent the questionnaire to all residents of Kuhmo aged 16–34 and received 122 responses, representing 14.4 percent of that age group.
The survey findings closely align with the conclusions of the Citizens’ Jury.
Two-thirds of respondents felt that there are not enough activities, events, or leisure opportunities in Kuhmo. Over half felt that there are not enough opportunities for young people to participate in decision-making.
Despite this, respondents were rather optimistic about the future. Most believed that by expanding opportunities for youth involvement, Kuhmo could achieve great things and address existing shortcomings. In particular, participation opportunities should be improved for young people living in rural areas, for students, and for those with low incomes.
The majority of respondents felt they could be themselves in Kuhmo, and about half expected to still be living there in ten years’ time.
The survey and Citizens’ Jury were conducted by researchers of the University of Turku in Finland as part of the EU-funded Sincrony research project, which develops new ways to strengthen youth participation. In particular, the research on the Citizens’ Jury examined new methods for recruiting participants. The statement of the Citizens’ Jury is available on the Sincrony project website.
Inquiries
Project Researcher Miikka Korventausta, University of Turku, +358 29 450 3718, miikka.korventausta@utu.fi
Well-being Coordinator Riikka Kähkönen, City of Kuhmo, +358 44 725 5423, riikka.kahkonen@kuhmo.fi
Photos: Aki Niskanen
