The City of Turku is conducting a questionnaire on hobbies to chart hobbies, hobby-related costs, obstacles and wishes of comprehensive school-aged children and youths as well as secondary level students. By responding to the questionnaire you can help to promote children’s and young people’s hobbies in Turku and enable every child and young person in the city to have a meaningful hobby, regardless of their background.

The questionnaire on children and young people’s hobbies

The questionnaire will be open until 30 November 2021.

The City of Turku's Recreation and Education Divisions are conducting a questionnaire on children's and young people's hobbies during Autumn 2021. The questionnaire is aimed at the guardians of children and young people at comprehensive school age (grades 1 to 9 and voluntary additional education) and secondary level students. The purpose of the questionnaire is to chart hobbies, hobby-related costs, obstacles and wishes of comprehensive school-aged children and youths as well as secondary level students. The results of this questionnaire on hobbies will be used as part of the work on updating the pricing of the City's Sports Services and grants system and the study on children's and young people's hobbies. Each response is important!

Instructions for responding

The Wilma system will be used to send the questionnaire to the guardians of comprehensive school age children. The questionnaire will be open for comprehensive school pupils and their guardians until 30 November 2021. Secondary level students will respond to the questionnaire at their educational institutions until November. Responding will take around 15 minutes.

  • All responses will be given anonymously. 
  • If your child has dropped out of a hobby or your child’s hobby has been interrupted or there have been fewer opportunities to engage in the hobby due to the current state of emergency, please answer the questionnaire according to the situation preceding it.
  • Fill in a separate questionnaire for each child in your family. 
  • If possible, respond to the questionnaire together with your child.
  • Those who respond can participate in a raffle and win prizes related to hobbies. All respondents who have provided their contact details will participate in the raffle, which will take place after the questionnaire has been closed.

Draw prizes:

  • 10 two movie theater ticket sets (value around EUR 40/set)
  • 4 gift cards to a sports store (value EUR 50)

The goal is that each child and young person in Turku can have a meaningful hobby that enhances their well-being

Turku promotes children’s and young people’s hobbies in many ways. The goal is that each child and young person in Turku can have a meaningful hobby. Among other things, a pilot project titled The Turku model of hobbies was launched at the beginning of 2021 with the aim of promoting children's possibilities of pursuing hobbies as set out in the Government Programme. One of the key projects of the Mayor's Programme in Turku is to enable all children living in our city to have a hobby.

With the help of the questionnaire, City of Turku Sports Services will also assess the suitability of the so-called Icelandic model for Turku. In this model, all children and young people are given a grant directly from the city that they can use to cover the fees charged for their hobbies. The information collected through the questionnaire will enable the City to develop in the best possible way the possibilities of all children and young people in Turku to have hobbies.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has also stated that hobbies are an important part of children's and young people's lives. They are about fostering relationships with friends, self-development and finding your strengths, following your dreams and having interactive relationships with such persons as coaches or teachers. A hobby is a choice that the child or young person makes to spend their free time in a meaningful way. It also promotes their participation in society. At best, hobbies support the whole family through being and doing things together.

Turku is a Child Friendly Municipality

The City of Turku has been implementing UNICEF Finland’s Child Friendly Municipality operating model for three years now. As special priorities, Turku has selected raising awareness of and promoting children's rights and inclusion. This questionnaire on hobbies addressed to a large number of residents represents our wish to treat all children in Turku equally as residents of the municipality. By responding to the questionnaire, children and their guardians can participate in planning, evaluating and developing the City's services.

Further information about the questionnaire:
Sports Planning Officer Jaakko Saarinen
City of Turku Sports Services
jaakko.t.saarinen@turku.fi

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