Problem addressed

The KYKY projects, conducted by the City of Helsinki Education Division from 2015 to 2019, aimed to promote the social inclusion of unemployed parents from Somali, Arabic and Kurdish Communities. The objective was to prevent their social exclusion by developing services that facilitate the education and employment of this specific target group. These projects were being executed at Helsinki Vocational College and Adult Institute.

The primary focus of the initiative was on parents who are responsible for caring for their children at home, with Somali, Arabic or Kurdish as their native language. Additionally, the project targeted unemployed immigrant parents who speak Somali, Arabic, or Kurdish and have completed their integration period.

Helsinki has long been concerned about the inadequate integration and social exclusion risks faced by this target group. Immigrant women, especially those with a refugee background, exhibit a low employment rate. In 2014, only 46 percent of individuals who had migrated to Finland from Africa and the Middle East were employed, in stark contrast to the 74 percent employment rate among those with Finnish roots. Women with a refugee background encounter particular obstacles when attempting to re-enter the job market. These barriers include rapid family expansion, limited educational attainment, poor proficiency in Finnish, and a lack of work experience. In essence, the project's target communities experience substantial long-term unemployment and protracted exclusion from the labour market.

Mothers who spend extended periods at home caring for their children often do not acquire proficiency in Finnish and are unfamiliar with the City's services, their entitlements, and Finnish laws.

Low levels of education are frequently linked to illiteracy among project participants. Shockingly, 30% to even 50% of the participants in the KYKY projects were found to be illiterate. Despite residing in Helsinki for several years, many of them remain at a beginner level in terms of their Finnish language skills and require significant support to handle basic daily tasks.

Innovative solution

The services developed in the two projects included among others:

The provision of information-intensive peer-support groups and need-based IT workshops for stay-at-home parents in their own language.

The peer-support groups covered various topics, including local services, civic skills and advocacy, child-rearing, parental support, child welfare, employment in Finland, physical activity, and health. The key for success of these peer-support groups was certainly to have tutors speaking the native language of the group participants and providing child care during the meetings.

Furthermore, the project introduced digital workshops for the peer-support group participants, conducted in their native languages. These workshops enable participants to grasp the fundamentals of using a computer and email, as well as become acquainted with tools necessary for everyday tasks and family matters. This includes online banking services and the electronic services provided by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

The peer-support groups met for three-hour sessions once a week, while the digital workshops were held for two-hour sessions once a week.

A mobile application that introduces immigrants with poor reading and writing skills to the City of Helsinki’s service range and authorities.

The project set up a low-threshold information service for mobile use, called Discover Helsinki, intended for immigrants with poor reading and writing skills. The application was released in October 2018 with the content available in Finnish, Somali, and Arabic content and directly marketed to the target group and professionals working with the target group throughout winter 2018 and spring 2019.

Making the services of the Helsinki Vocational College and Adult Institute more accessible for those with low level of Finnish language skills and of education

The project provided pedagogical support in teaching groups of the Helsinki Vocational College and Adult Institute that include a great number of students who speak Finnish as a second language. Based on observation sessions and interviews conducted in the groups by the project planner, the project produced a report on pedagogical solutions in similar teaching groups.

Key results and benefits

In total, 41 groups consisting of 500 predominantly stay-at-home parents, primarily mothers who speak Somali, Arabic, and Kurdish, were involved in the project. Approximately half of the participants went on to pursue Finnish language courses, additional training, or entered the workforce. After one year, roughly 40% of them were either employed or pursuing higher education. By July 2019, the project's application had attracted more than 2,300 users. Overall, the participants benefited from valuable information, peer support, and guidance, and the project contributed to enhancing their self-esteem, sense of belonging, and inclusion within the Somali, Arabic, and Kurdish-speaking communities.

Potential for mainstreaming

The project has helped to develop and diversify the City of Helsinki’s services for immigrant stay-at-home parents and its current provisions for this target group such as ‘Finnish courses for stay-at-home parents (KOTIVA); adults and children learn Finnish together in playground and family houses (Kotoklubi Kaneli) and parents studying in their children’s school (Vanhemmat mukaan).

A discussion among European peers, including ESF managing authorities, on 12 June 2023 revealed that the project's approach is highly transferable to other communities and countries, such as the Sinti and Roma populations in South-Eastern European Member States. See more details about the event here.