TASSU prize awarded to maternity and child health clinic’s diversity group and special support pupils’ TET periods

17.9.2021 10.34Updated: 29.4.2022 10.57
Pia Parviainen, Restaurant Manager of Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio (left.); Kimmo Relander, Manager of K-Market Kilo; Arja Erma, Manager of Maternity and Child Health Care Clinics at the City of Espoo; and Stina Venho, Public Health Nurse, accepted the 2021 TASSU prizes form mayor Jukka Mäkelä.
Pia Parviainen, Restaurant Manager of Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio (left.); Kimmo Relander, Manager of K-Market Kilo; Arja Erma, Manager of Maternity and Child Health Care Clinics at the City of Espoo; and Stina Venho, Public Health Nurse, accepted the 2021 TASSU prizes at City Hall. Mayor Jukka Mäkelä serves as the patron of the TASSU contest.Photo: Kaarina Salonen

NeMo, the diversity group of the Espoo maternity and child health clinic, was awarded the TASSU prize in the city work communities category by the Espoo Equality Committee. The TASSU prize nominated by the residents of the City of Espoo was awarded to Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio and K-Market Kilo for accepting pupils needing intensive special support for TET practical training periods.

NeMo, the diversity group of maternity and child health clinics that won the city work communities’ TASSU prize, develops maternity and child health clinic services to meet the needs of a diverse customer base. The group shares information and know-how related to multiculturalism, which increases the equality of services. In particular, the TASSU prize jury praised the fact that prejudices are being reduced and working methods developed as part of basic work. The city’s services require the ability to meet a wide range of clients with respect for human dignity.

“Diversity work and its development are also necessary in maternity and child health clinic services. Responding to the needs of a diverse customer base, strengthening the competence of the personnel and smooth service increase equality. A nurse meets diverse families with different needs at the clinic, and the development idea emerged from practical work. The nurses have enthusiastically helped come up with ideas and implement the NeMo model. I am glad that the work done by the nurses at the clinic was acknowledged this year with the TASSU prize,” says Arja Erma, Manager of Maternity and Child Health Care Clinics.

Work periods for pupils needing intensive special support

Municipal residents were also allowed to nominate acts that increase equality. The act for equality category nominated by the residents was won by Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio and K-Market Kilo for hiring pupils needing intensive special support for TET work experience periods. Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio and K-Market Kilo have offered the pupils appropriate and motivating work tasks. For example, the TET trainees shelve items and tidy up premises.

“Organising the candy bar shelf is a popular task. The pupils participate in concrete work with us. When an employee bakes bread rolls, for example, the pupil bags the roll, puts a sticker on the bag and closes it,” says Pia Parviainen, Restaurant Manager at Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio.

Based on the feedback, the pupils have experienced feelings success and have been satisfied with the TET period and work tasks.

“Even though some pupils may have found the work hard compared to normal schooling, their experiences have been tremendously important to them. At the end of the TET period, the pupils received a TET certificate, which they can use as an appendix to the joint application, for example, when applying for further studies,” says Kimmo Relander, Manager of K-Market Kilo.

If necessary, working hours were also adjusted on an individual basis according to support and ability to cope. The prize jury said that the activities reflect appreciation of diversity and human rights in concrete terms.

TASSU prize is awarded to a concrete act that promotes equality

There are two categories in the TASSU contest. Work communities of the City of Espoo can participate in the contest with their own equality acts or suggest acts by associated partners. Residents of Espoo can also nominate acts that increase equality. A total of eight applications were submitted to the competition.

The TASSU prize for the city’s work communities has previously been won by, for example, multilingual telephone counselling for the COVID-19 pandemic, a joint project by the Espoo City Library and the Riilahti activity centre for adults with intellectual disabilities to support the employment of people with intellectual disabilities, and a project against hate speech by the Espoo Youth Services. 

In previous years, the TASSU prize nominated by Espoo residents has been awarded, among others, to the Haaveleiri dream camp for young people and the Nicehearts neighbouring mothers concept.

TASSU is a contest organised for the sixth time by the Espoo Equality Committee. The objective of the contest is to bring to light concrete acts that promote equality in Espoo, share them as good practices and highlight the theme of equality. Mayor Jukka Mäkelä serves as the patron of the prize.

The winners in the two categories, work community of the City of Espoo and equality-promoting acts nominated by municipal residents, will each receive EUR 1,000 for equality development work.

Read more about the TET experiences of Shell HelmiSimpukka Vallikallio

Read more about the TET experiences of K-Market Kilo.

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