Espoo’s NGO Achievement of 2021 was announced on Espoo NGO Day

Espoo’s NGO Achievement of 2021 is the ‘Vahvemmaksi’ (stronger) project carried out by Espoon monikulttuuriset lapset ja nuoret ry (association of Espoo’s multicultural children and young people). The winner was chosen for the following reasons:

The activities of the association and the project supported parenthood among immigrants living in Espoo in a comprehensive and cheerful manner. The approaches were inclusive, i.e. participants were actively involved in the planning and implementation of the activities. The organisation’s employees were able to harness the power of cooperation within the Espoo community constructively, professionally and with a sunny attitude.

The project is founded on the organisation’s many years of active volunteer-based operations. The ‘Vahvemmaksi’ project, funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, inspired the new three-year ‘Yhdessä Vahvemmaksi’ (stronger together) project funded by Veikkaus. This is evidence of the project’s success and the professional development of organisations.  The ‘Vahvemmaksi’ project increased wellbeing and inclusion among Espoo’s foreign-language residents and supported the integration of participants in line with the Espoo Story.

Different operators were able to nominate candidates for the NGO Achievement of 2021 through an open survey. A multidisciplinary team chose the winner among the candidates. Mayor Jukka Mäkelä approved the final decision. The winner was announced at the Espoo NGO Day event on 8 September 2022.

The NGO Achievement of the year was now chosen for the second time. The “Suvelan basaari” event was chosen as the NGO Achievement of 2020.