Saastamoinen Foundation has granted €726,000 in funding to Junior Achievement Finland (JA) for the years 2025–2027. With Saastamoinen Foundation’s continued funding, over 300,000 children and young people can explore the cultural sector through JA’s Yrityskylä.
© Nuorten yrittäjyys ja talous NYT
© Nuorten yrittäjyys ja talous NYT
JA’s Yrityskylä is a Finnish learning module awarded as the best education innovation in the world. It provides Finnish 6th and 9th graders with positive experiences about working life, the economy, entrepreneurship and society. With the foundation’s support, entirely new jobs in the cultural sector will be crates in the Yrityskylä learning environment, allowing children and young people to explore the field through hands-on activities.
The aim of the project is to introduce the importance of culture and the career opportunities it offers. New Cultural Centers will be established in the sixth-grade mini-societies, enabling approximately 55,000 new 12–13-year-old children each year to learn about the cultural sector. At these Cultural Centers, sixth graders will work as musicians, artists, influencers, and producers. They will also organize cultural experience tours as well as an Art Corner, where students can create art together.
A brand-new case company will also be introduced to the ninth-grade Yrityskylä, enabling young people to learn about career opportunities and educational pathways in the cultural sector. Through this new collaboration model made possible with the funding from Saastamoinen Foundation, around 50,000 15–16-year-old students will explore the significance, possibilities, and skills needed in the cultural sector each year.
“Together with the foundation, we want to provide children and young people with equal opportunities to explore the cultural field. Thanks to this funding, around 91% of all Finnish sixth graders and 87% of ninth graders will annually learn about the activities of the arts and cultural sector. Over the three-year project, more than 300,000 Finnish children and young people from over 260 municipalities will gain insights into the field,” says JA’s Yrityskylä Director Kaisa Koistinen.
The Cultural Sector Attracts Young People
According to the results of the 2023 NYT Youth Future Report, the most popular fields among young people include tourism and hospitality, arts, culture and entertainment, as well as media and communications. Additionally, 45% of respondents expressed interest in becoming entrepreneurs, showing clear growth in recent years.
“We constantly hear in youth feedback that visiting Yrityskylä is one of their highlights of the year. Yrityskylä is a miniature society that introduces young people to various sectors, including the vital cultural field. Through Yrityskylä, we want to strengthen young people’s positive belief in the future and offer them tangible, inspiring experiences,” says Anton Karttunen, a member of the foundation’s board, representing the fourth generation of its founding family.
Through Yrityskylä’s nationwide operations, the cultural sector is presented as a viable option for children and young people considering their future. Yrityskylä offers practical opportunities to explore various professions, tasks, and forms of culture. The content particularly emphasizes the perspectives of responsibility and cultural sustainability.
More information:
Kaisa Koistinen, Director of Yrityskylä, Junior Achievement Finland
kaisa.koistinen@nuortennyt.fi
050 5303 969
