International youth work
Another Kind of Leadership – Young people as innovators of working life
Another Kind of Leadership is a Caritas project that gives young people the tools to cope with the challenges of working life. As part of the broader Connect for Global Change project, it is part of the European Union’s global education and promotes the rights of underserved young people.
In the project, young people get to participate in and plan workshops. The guest speakers are a wide range of professionals from various fields and tackle various challenges in working life. There are two types of workshops:
- The Youth Afterwork workshop series is implemented in collaboration with Strathmore University in Kenya. Young core group members contact guest speakers and plan workshops with them. The workshops are open to everyone and information about them is published on Yougncaritas Instagram. Welcome! If you are interested in joining the core group, you can contact project coordinator Lauri Leinonen directly.
- The Stadin AO workshops are 3 workshops planned by core group members, which are organized together with the Stadin AO. As part of the workshop planning, core group members will network with Stadin AO staff and learn important skills about teaching. The workshops will cover topics from the Youth Afterwork workshop series and combine the volunteers’ own experiences. The workshops will be held in the autumn as part of Stadin AO’s teaching.
Leadership Seminar and trip to Kenya
The whole project will culminate in a joint trip to Kenya with core group members in December. Core group members will participate in Strahmore University’s Leadership Seminar, which is part of their Another Kind of Christmas event. As part of the trip, the young people will also travel to Turkana, Kenya for volunteer work. To assist in Caritas’ development cooperation project.
Are you interested?
There is still an opportunity to join the core group and get to plan future workshops. In addition, everyone is welcome to participate in the Youth Afterwork workshop series!
Contact information:
Project coordinator
Lauri Leinonen, lauri.leinonen@caritas.fi
+358400902352
Youth Empowerment for a Stronger Europe (YES)
Young people will get new opportunities to make social changes in two years! Caritas Finland is involved in the Youth Empowerment for a Stronger Europe (YES) project, which aims to increase young people’s influence on social issues at both the local and European levels.
We offer young people tools, skills and opportunities to influence social issues, develop social innovations and promote their implementation.
concrete ways to participate, influence and make change – together and sustainably.
The project is based on the EU’s core values: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, which Caritas organisations also subscribe to.
The project particularly raises the voice of young people and encourages them to build a fairer and more inclusive Europe.
What happened in the project
- In autumn 2025, training was organised in Prague. The training developed tools to support young people’s social influence.
- In spring 2026, training was organised for young people in Berlin. In addition, a network of youth influencers has been built.
- The Youth Ambassadors launched their advocacy campaign “Light Together”. The mental health-themed campaign will continue throughout the project. Follow instagram account.
The YES project is coordinated by Caritas Czech Republic. Caritas Europa, Caritas Slovenia, Caritas Finland and YES Forum are also involved. The project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and will be implemented in 2025–2027. As part of the project, three youth ambassadors will work in Caritas Finland, who will participate in the project’s training and implement local campaigns.
Welcome to join the project or follow the progress of the project and support the voice of young people for a fairer Europe! For any inquiries about participation and project details, please contact the project coordinator Lauri Leinonen.
Contact:
Project coordinator Lauri Leinonen lauri.leinonen@caritas.fi,
+358 400 902 352