Young families in Sortavala get support from Finnish charities
Young families' club offers peer support and professional help
Around twenty women and one man are eagerly planning the future in the "wedding palace", or administrative court of the City of Sortavala on Lake Ladoga in Russia. They are writing down their ideas on how they to help young families in Sortavala.
More counsellors for young families are now being trained for the Young Families' Club, founded by The Finnish organisation Vaaka and Nadeza, a women's organisation based in Russian Karelia.
Young mothers and fathers have been invited to club meetings led by volunteers, where issues such as raising children, relationships, and contraception are discussed.
The spokesperson for Nadeza, Valentina Novikova, says that the main objective of the club is to help families that are dealing with social problems.
"The purpose is to offer peer support, so that young families could gather to discuss living with a small child," says Tiina Seppälä of Vaaka.
"Just talking helps, and other parents may have useful tips that help solve problems."
The families with the biggest problems are difficult to reach, but "it has to start from somewhere".
The Sortavala clubs have operated in the centre of the city, but they are now expanding to nearby villages. The standard of living is even lower in the villages than in the city centre. There is more unemployment, and there are less opportunities for hobbies.
The Finnish Association for Child and Family Guidance is training new club counsellors.
Volunteers for the training come from every walk of life, including doctors, psychologists, and teachers. They see social problems every day in their work, but have the will to help on their free time as well.
"I have always wanted to help, but now that my own children have left the house, I also have the time," says principal of the school of Haapalampi, Irina Gromkova.
A fathers' circle has also been established in Sortavala. According to Novikova, fathers do not want to sit around a cup of coffee discussing issues, but sports is the most natural form of communication for them. Fathers have gone jogging and ice skating, led by physical education teacher Aleksandr Karatoyev. Fathers' issues are discussed amidst the physical activity.
"At first the men spoke carefully. The most open were the grandfathers. Now other fathers are also opening up and getting involved in the conversation," say Karatoyev.
The club has also arranged meetings for people who have grown up in children's homes with no concept of normal family life. Meetings have also been held for young couples who are planning on having children.
Topics such as love, marriage, family relations and sex have been discussed in young people's evenings.
Anna Efimenko, 15, and Nikolai Kabanov, 17, who are studying to be cooks, have discussed sex and drugs with their parents, but not all have such a trusting relationship with their parents. Both think that the issues discussed in the club are interesting. "We need all this information in our lives," says Kabanov.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 23.1.2006 - TODAY |
 Young families in Sortavala get support from Finnish charities |
|
