Mayor’s encouragement awards recognise efforts of young people and driving forces of sport
The Mayor’s encouragement awards, which have already become an established tradition, were given to their recipients in a ceremony that is part of the Espoo Day programme.
This year, the awards included two protégé and two mentor awards:
Mentor of the Year: Pekka Piri
has for a long time been the head teacher of the Haukilahden lukio upper secondary school. In addition to the education provided at the Haukilahden lukio upper secondary school, the school also has a sports programme that helps many young people reconcile everyday life with their involvement in top-level sports. Piri is enthusiastic about his work, and his approach, which aims to improve students’ well-being, is an example of the positive perspective of Espoo education.
Mentor of the Year: Jouni Vehkaoja
has worked as a physical education teacher in schools in Espoo. He is a former floorball player, a two-time world champion and a multiple-time national champion. His long career as the executive director of the floorball team Oilers came to a fitting conclusion as the team won the Finnish national championships in 2024. Vehkaoja’s actions are defined by the same values that define the Espoo Story: working together and community spirit.
Protégé of the Year: Emilia Soini
has won numerous national championships in squash. Perseverance and persistent work with the sport won her a bronze medal in the European championships last year, and this was Finland’s first squash medal in 12 years. Soini brilliantly repeated her feat last weekend. The positive emotional experiences, joy and perseverance highlighted by Soini’s success encourage both young athletes and adults and all of us Espoo residents in our everyday life.
Emilia is currently away for a competition and the award will be accepted on her behalf by her father Matti Soini.
Protégé of the Year: Tatu Maunu
won gold at the world championships in kickboxing in November 2023. Maunu also won two world cup events during his successful year. In the same year, he was elected by public vote as the Espoo Athlete of the Year. Sports success makes the entire Espoo community proud and encourages young athletes in particular. Maunu’s way of speaking and his achievements show how things are done in Espoo: "As long as young people are surrounded by a nice community, things will be fine".
The tradition of awarding the Mayor's encouragement awards began in 2011. The accolades promote the community spirit of the growing Espoo and draw attention to positive actions.
Espoo Day is a day of celebration for all Espoo residents and is held annually on the last Saturday of August. In 2024, Espoo Day will be celebrated on 30 and 31 August. On Espoo Day, Espoo residents celebrate their home city by organising events around the city.