The past two years at the helm of JEF Finland have been incredible. Last year we ran a wonderful and successful European elections campaign, took part in media debates, organised countless events, and lived through a super-year of European politics, not to mention the largest Castle Seminar in history. Going into the year, I had no idea how much can happen in a year, how much you can learn, and how much our organisation can grow.
This year, the incredible has come in the form of a global pandemic, which brought our finely tuned European train to a halt — but thankfully only for a moment. A huge amount of work went into adapting our traditional annual cycle, finding new channels for participation and influence, and developing entirely new event and activity concepts. The ongoing Europe 2050 webinar series is only the tip of the iceberg of all the wonderful work JEF Finland has developed under exceptional circumstances.
When I decided two years ago to run for President of JEF Finland, I wanted to build a more open, more equal, and above all more influential organisation. Real strides have indeed been made on these fronts in recent years. Developing and activating an internal discussion culture has been set as a conscious goal, and equality has become a core value guiding our work over the course of the strategy period. Political programme work has become an established part of the organisation’s activities, and JEF Finland is recognised and acknowledged as a meaningful, outspoken and bold voice in the European debate. We have moved from reactive statements towards opening up discussions and setting the agenda. Our Europe 2050 vision work was even picked up in a ministerial debate on A-studio. JEF Finland may well be one of Finland’s most EU-critical organisations, if you look at the pace at which we put forward development proposals and envision the future.
There is a huge demand for JEF Finland in this era. Where EU-critical voices have existed before, the noise has only grown louder in recent years. Fake news, populist soundbites, and the age-old net-payer debate dominate Finnish EU coverage. On top of that, the climate emergency, the coronavirus crisis and political unrest in neighbouring regions challenge our faith in the future. It’s easy to think that the EU has failed.
We need bold voices who understand that the EU is about so much more. We need strong voices who understand that we are the EU, not some separate, independent actor. We need us, young people, because we have grown up in an open Europe and understand its value. Our future is being built right now, and we must shape it together. The EU is exactly what we build it to be.
JEF Finland is the actor capable of uniting the youth organisation field around a shared goal. Broad cooperation is JEF Finland’s key channel of influence. It’s wonderful that JEF Finland is a sought-after partner and expert organisation. It has been fantastic to notice that there are more and more things uniting youth organisations on EU policy than there are points of disagreement. We must keep our constructive approach, but we also need to speak up even louder and bolder. According to a JEF Finland survey, Finnish young people consider EU membership a good thing. We have a duty to bring this message forward and to state clearly what kind of Europe we want to live in.
I want to see JEF Finland as an organisation that doesn’t need to defend its own existence, that genuinely reaches Finnish young people regardless of educational background, and that is a strong, recognised expert in Finland’s European debate. JEF Finland must be bold, hold on to its values and its distinctive character, and not try to adapt to other people’s models. Our strength lies precisely in boldly doing things our own way.
JEF Finland is the organisation dearest to me in the whole field. JEF Finland is my political home. JEF Finland has given me more than I can put into words, and I have tried, through my own work, to give as much back as possible. I feel that JEF Finland is now at the point that could be reached under my leadership. Now it is time for others to continue developing the organisation further.
This autumn will be seen through to the finish with the same enthusiasm and passion with which I have taken part in JEF Finland’s activities for the past five years. The Europe 2050 webinar series, welcome evenings for new members, autumn events, and especially preparations for the General Assembly will give the rest of the year plenty to do and look forward to. I intend to enjoy every moment.
Thanking every member of JEF Finland for the shared journey, and looking forward to seeing you this autumn,
Iiris