Tiina Kasvi: Hobbies provide a sense of community and being together
In Espoo, we focus on ensuring that everyone has equal access to arts and culture and that residents of all ages have diverse opportunities for engaging in arts and culture. We want to enable every child and young person to feel included and find a hobby that they like. A good growth environment is built through wide-ranging cooperation – in addition to schools, various options for meaningful leisure time are also needed.
For example, children and young people can engage in cultural activities at educational institutions that offer basic education in the arts. Espoo has 16 private educational institutions providing education in architecture, visual arts, crafts, music, literary arts, circus, dance and theatre.
Espoo Hobby Path in turn implements the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Finnish Model for Leisure Activities in Espoo. Free hobby activities for the duration of the whole school year will begin on Espoo Hobby Path in September. Across Espoo, there are a total of around 290 different hobby groups to choose from. The hobby groups meet at schools, near schools or remotely. Espoo Hobby Path received a discretionary government grant of EUR 750,000 for the organisation of leisure activities for the school year 2026–2027.
The goal of Espoo Hobby Path is to support the participation, agency and safety of children and young people and their engagement in society. In a hobby group, many children can for the first time feel included and feel that they are seen without being compared to others. Guided leisure time is above all a space where a child or young person can discover their own interests and find their place among other people.
The wellbeing of children and young people is affected by many stress factors. Positive emotions, safety, functional capacity and experiences of connecting with other people can be strengthened particularly well through engagement in cultural activities. Strengthening children’s own agency in arts promotes their resilience skills and their ability to act innovatively, to see alternatives in their own activities. Flexibility of thinking and acting, and the ability to face emotions related to challenges are all important future skills for children.
A wide range of leisure activities from arts to coding are available on the Hobby Path. Dedicated groups have also been set up for children and young people who need special support. In addition to Finnish, activities are organised in Swedish and English. The actors providing leisure activity services have committed to offering the best possible hobby options to support the growth of children and young people in Espoo.
There are a number of associations and hobby groups in Espoo, and even adults can easily find a hobby that they like. Now that we are returning to our daily life, it is a perfect time to start something new or continue with the old familiar hobby. You can also engage in culture by going to concerts and visiting museums and exhibitions, and Espoo’s wonderful cultural provision in the autumn offers numerous opportunities for this.
Welcome wonderful everyday life! See you all in hobby activities soon!
Tiina Kasvi
Cultural Manager
Cultural Promotion and Partnerships