Our Finnish member Deaconess Foundation has recently launched its annual Christmas campaign under the title “The Reason to Live.”
The campaign is aimed at ensuring that more and more youngsters in the country get the help and support they need to realise their dreams and to find their place in society.
According to official data, there are over 60,000 young people in Finland out of employment, education or training. Many of them also suffer from loneliness, mental health issues, and substance abuse.
“There are too many young people in Finland in difficult situations, people who are left alone with their problems or for some reason do not receive any support. Many young people are at risk of becoming hopeless about their future. They may even feel that there is really no reason to live” says Terhi Laine, Director of the Deaconess Foundation’s Vamos services.
Created over a decade ago, Vamos has already supported more than 12,000 young people in 8 different areas. More than 50% of the people supported by Vamos returned to school or to their work within a year, and 87% of them declared that their lives changed for the better. Support is provided for everyday life’s commitments, as well as for long-term life planning.
Kati, who is this year’s face of the Christmas campaign, said “First came depression, and then anxiety and panic attacks. The diagnoses piled up but I couldn’t get help. I couldn’t see any tomorrow. And I couldn’t care less about it. Nothing mattered to me, but I was not brave enough to kill myself. I held off right till the end. I thought that at Vamos there’d be someone judging me again. But I was treated with compassion, not seen as a problem but as a human being. It was almost the first time felt like that.”
Support “The Reason to Live”
You can make a donation via
– The campaign website www.hdl.fi/syyelaa
– By bank transfer to account number FI85 2065 1800 1084 62, message: Christmas Gift for the Young.
The proceeds of the campaign are used to support young people through the services of the Deaconess Foundation.
On social media, the campaign has the hashtag #syyelää. Everyone can support the campaign by stating what or who is your reason to live.
Fundraising permit: RA / 2019/120, issued 7 February 2019, National Police Board. Valid from 1.6.2019 – 31.5.2021 throughout Finland except for the Åland Islands.
Photo © Deaconess Foundation