One Game Dad

I det här avsnittet funderar Gregory Pellechi på hur framtiden ser ut för invandrare i Finland som integreras på svenska i och med den kommande landskapsreformen. Hur kommer det att påverka den svenskspråkiga servicen?

Andra utmaningar är den åtstramande ekonomin, minskat stöd för arbetssökande och myndigheter som inte är förberedda på de förändringar som samhället står inför.

Hur ser framtiden i övrigt ut?

On the latest episode of the Duck Pond, Gregory Pellechi doesn’t attempt to divine the future but he does talk to those who have an idea of what it may hold for Finland’s immigrants.

Finland, as mentioned in previous posts and podcasts episodes is set to change. Not just because of immigrants, but the benefits allotted to the unemployed. In their continual attempts to stimulate growth, job creation and thus tax revenue the current government has decided to cut unemployments in terms of time and money.

Those aren’t the only changes immigrants are facing. Professions both advanced and menial are being disrupted through a combination of technology and globalization. Yet TE-byrå and many other government structures are not prepared for such changes. Just the other week appeared another account of how ill-prepared the unemployment service is for the growing gig economy. Which is the very same agency that immigrants deal with more than any other.

If the government isn’t able to serve the general populace in a reasonable and realistic manner then what hope do minorities like immigrants have. That’s not to say the social workers at TE-byrå are poor service providers, they’re doing the best they can within the limits of the system. It’s the system that’s limited though, to old methodologies that aren’t reflective of our modern realities.

The future isn’t dire though. It’s merely unknown. With today’s changes and there are a lot with more to come it can be hard to know what to do. And humans are notoriously bad at planning for their future. Immigrants like everyone else just need to take into account the changes occurring around them when planning their futures. Any knowledge will only aid their integration and agency in doing so.

This episode included Corinna Tammenmaa, Ida Schaumann, Katri Saarikivi, Farid Karimi and Pia Polsa.

Finland är föreningarnas förlovade land. I det här avsnittet av the Duck Pond talar Gregory Pellechi med några föreningar som arbetar med eller för personer som integreras på svenska i Finland.

Life in Finland means taking part in associations. On this episode of the Duck Pond Gregory Pellechi talks to a number of associations that are for or work with Swedish-speaking immigrants.

I found a way to integrate in Finland before I had even arrived. It’s one I’ve used to find friends and social life in other countries when I’ve known no one or had any other connections to the community – rugby.

Rugby may not seem like the ideal sport for making friends. After all, you’re actively running into others, trying to wrestle them to the ground and steal their ball. All while wearing short shorts and playing in the mud. But I know no better way to create a feeling of comradery than that caused by the shared hardships of competition.

Immigrants share similar hardships which is why those in integration classes often find friends on the course. But there’s an organization specifically for those integrating in Swedish seeking to help immigrants gain a connection to everyone who’s integrated, not just their classmates – Svenska.fi. For those wanting a connection to the wider Swedish speaking community there’s Luckan.

Associations, as important as they are to life in Finland, aren’t all there is. Finland’s literary, theatre, music, arts and sports scenes are all vibrant and lively with shows, events and creations in both Swedish and Finnish. But being part of a culture is about more than just being able to consume in a particular language, read in it, listen in it. It’s a matter of being able to create and contribute to that culture.

That ability to contribute is an understated element of inclusion. While the internet may have democratized many forms of creation it doesn’t guarantee an outlet within the popular culture. Not that it should. But minority voices are a vital aspect of any culture, especially one that aims to be democratic. So if Finland wants to continue to include its immigrants it needs to find ways to integrate them in a way where they can contribute more than just to the nation’s tax revenue.

Of course, the opportunity to do this podcast is one of those ways. So thank you Liselott Sundbäck and the Kommunförbundet crew.

This episode included Alexandr Foy, Charlotte Wieliczko, Tina Rehnström, President Barack Obama, Tobias Pötzsch, Susanne Osterlund-Pötzsch and members of the public.