Haukkala Foundation activities

Activities

The Haukkala Foundation seeks to build an operating environment in Central Finland where experts from different fields can network across sector boundaries. To fulfill its mission, the Haukkala Foundation works in collaboration with representatives of Central Finland municipalities and state administration, the University of Jyväskylä, organizations, and other foundations. The foundation's goal is to be an agile organization that brings to light current, overlooked issues.

Seminars

The Haukkala Foundation organizes open and free seminars that highlight current issues related to children's lives, supported by guest lectures. The themes of several seminars have been explored in greater depth at forums organized by the Haukkala Foundation, which have been documented in summaries.

Forums

The Haukkala Foundation's expert forums are invitation-based events for officials and elected representatives working with children, organization representatives, and researchers. The forums feature short presentations and group discussions across sector boundaries, chaired by members of the Haukkala Foundation's board. In the expert forums, seminar themes and other selected topics are explored in depth through discussions with Central Finland professionals involved in practical work.

Advocacy and Impact

Through our work, we promote the realization of the best interests of the child in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, while supporting parents and legal guardians in their role as caregivers. Our activities are child-centred, research-based, and responsive to current societal needs and public discussion. Our work is guided by a commitment to highlighting diverse perspectives that are important for children's mental well-being and by strengthening opportunities for collaboration among experts. We bring current research findings and perspectives into public debate and make them accessible to professionals through our events, stakeholder meetings, publications, initiatives, and expert statements. Collaboration and networking lie at the heart of all that we do.

The Haukkala Foundation’s events provide a forum where experts from different sectors can meet, exchange ideas, and build new connections. We have also compiled publications based on presentations given at our events in order to broaden their impact.

At the turn of 2024–2025, the Foundation organized an innovation challenge inviting participants to develop ideas for increasing the joy and appreciation of parenthood while reducing the pressures often associated with it. Based on the proposals received, the Foundation supported the “Gently Present” courses for parents, which combined mindfulness practices with principles of positive psychology. The courses encouraged parents to strengthen positive parenting and self-awareness skills, helping them to be more present in their children’s lives. The courses were led by mindfulness instructor Tiia Thil, and the materials have been made openly available online.

The Foundation also funded research at the University of Jyväskylä examining the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on school well-being and well-being promotion. Findings from the project were disseminated nationally and brought to the attention of decision-makers through a range of research publications.

As a member of the Alliance for Childhood European Network, the Foundation contributes to European efforts to improve the quality of childhood and children’s well-being.

The Foundation was also involved in setting up the Finnish Observatory for Arts and Cultural Education, which contributed to developing the Finnish Model for Leisure Activities. This is a national initiative that promotes equal access to meaningful hobbies and leisure activities for children and young people.

Bridge-Building

Children and their close communities are influenced by wider society, its structures and the decisions made within them. The Haukkala Foundation is committed to raising awareness of the diverse perspectives that are important for children's mental well-being, and to building bridges through networking, collaboration, and partnerships with other stakeholders.

We promote strong networking and cooperation among different stakeholders and support effective, inclusive collaboration between parents, children and those working with children and families. We proactively participate in public discussion and decision-making.

The Foundation played a key role in the national LAPE Programme (Programme to address reform in child and family services) by taking responsibility for the preparation of the The Children’s Programme for Central Finland. This work resulted in the publication The Children’s Programme for Central Finland: Lasten hyvinvoinnista hyvinvoivaan yhteiskuntaan (2018), which has been utilized in regional development work.

Between 2019 and 2020, the Foundation participated in Sitra’s Wellbeing Challenge, an initiative that encouraged cities to develop innovative solutions to emerging well-being challenges in everyday life, strengthening local well-being ecosystems in the process. The Foundation brought together residents, representatives of non-governmental organisations and public service experts to facilitate a collaborative process to identify challenges and develop practical solutions. The work focused on promoting meaningful encounters between young people and adults, reducing burnout among upper secondary school students, supporting young people’s integration into the Jyväskylä region, and creating engaging leisure activities for young people.

Awards

Every two years, in conjunction with the Conference on The Finnish Society for Research on Families and Personal Relationships (PELS), the Haukkala Foundation awards the Lea Pulkkinen Prize for a doctoral dissertation focused on services and quality of life that promote the well-being of children and youth. The PELS organizing committee selects the nominees, with Lea Pulkkinen making the final selection.