JEF Finland is concerned about the lack of education on the European Union in Finnish general upper secondary schools and vocational institutions. Increasing education and awareness would give young people the opportunity to better understand how the European Union operates and to influence its decision-making.
“Finland has now been a member state of the European Union for 26 years. It is clear that young Finns must be given sufficient information about how the EU works and how it affects our everyday lives. At present, EU education in upper secondary institutions is very limited, which is why the significance of the EU remains completely unclear to many young people,” comment JEF Finland Vice Presidents Viivi Koski and Milla Ristikangas.
JEF Finland demands that discussion of the EU be increased in upper secondary studies. Adding factual knowledge would bring understanding of EU affairs and improve young people’s voter turnout in European elections. Voter turnout among under-25s in the last European Parliament elections was 24 percent, even though numerous issues critical to young people’s future are addressed at EU level.
“We live longest with the decisions being made now. Young people must be encouraged to get involved, and their voice must be heard both in political decision-making and at the ballot box,” Koski and Ristikangas emphasise.
There is a risk that false information about the European Union will influence young people’s attitudes, leaving the EU’s real added value for young people and for Finland obscured. The EU offers us a genuine opportunity to influence world politics and to find global solutions, for example to climate change.
“Education on the European Union should be added to upper secondary curricula, for example through a new social studies course covering how the EU operates, the opportunities it brings in relation to the internationalisation of education, and how young people can influence the European Union’s decision-making,” conclude Koski and Ristikangas.
For further information:
Milla Ristikangas
Vice President, JEF Finland
Viivi Koski
Vice President, JEF Finland
This statement was published as part of the Solidarity Corps project and was prepared by JEF Finland’s upper secondary working group.