General
History
Activities
Structure
Allianssi member organisations

General

• is an umbrella organisation for Finnish youth organisations
• is an interest organisation for Finnish youth and organisations
• is a service organisation for those, who work with young people on the local or regional level and in youth organisations, and
• is a service organisation directly for young people.

Allianssi is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation independent of any political and denominational affiliation. Membership is open to all democratic nation-wide organisations dealing with youth issues.

History

Due to many overlapping members, activities and interests, it was decided to have only one organisation for youth workers and youth organisations and thus the Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi was established in 1992.

Activities

Allianssi

• offers educational services to local youth workers and organisations. The educational provision varies from organisational economics through multicultural education to training on street work.
• runs a Youth Policy Library. It is the only one of its kind in the Nordic countries. Its collections include research literature and other publications which deal with young people. It is intended for researchers and for anyone interested in young people's affairs. The collection contains some 13 000 publications and 200 volumes of journals and reviews.
• maintains Youth Info House -web service. Its mission is to facilitate access to youth studies resources as well as to promote internet skills and networking among youth workers and those interested in the field.
• provides information for young people. It produces independent information for local youth information centres and arranges relevant training. Allianssi represents Finnish youth information centres in international contexts and is a member of the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency ERYICA.
• manages youth exchanges. Each year over one thousand young people go abroad to work through the Allianssi Youth Exchanges. The programmes offer both stimulating long-term jobs and summer jobs. Possibilities range from au pair work in the USA and 15 European countries to jobs in European hotels, from 2-weeks work camps to voluntary work in developing countries. Moreover, Allianssi participates in the European Voluntary Service programme organised by the EU.
• administers the EURO<26 youth card system in Finland. It is a member of the European Youth Card Association EYCA.
• publishes different kind of guidebooks on youth work for organisations and municipalities. Allianssi publishes a yearbook with several articles and a directory of all its member organisations. Allianssi also publishes an educational magazine Youth Work (Nuorisotyö), eight times per year. For its member organisations Allianssi provides a newsletter called AllianssiExpress twice a month.
• promotes youth policy. Together with the Advisory Council for youth affairs (former State Youth Council), Allianssi arranges shadow elections since 1995 for young people between 15 and 18, who elect their own "youth parliament". In a project designed to alleviate youth unemployment, Allianssi compiled and passed on young people's own ideas for employment. Allianssi has also been involved with the Finnish youth work strategy from the beginning. The strategy is designed to promote youth work and activities, with a special emphasis on young people's living conditions.
• administers international youth co-operation in Finland. It is a full member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ). It also co-operates closely with its Nordic counterparts:
  AESI - Iceland , DUF - Denmark , LNU - Norway and LSU - Sweden
  Allianssi's international policy and activities are co-ordinated by the general assembly and the Board, as well as the international subcommittee, international seminars and study visits for its member organisations and also arranges them itself. Through Allianssi it is possible for the courses and seminars throughout Europe. Allianssi has actively participated in the Council of Europe campaign against racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and intolerance and is a member organisation of the Europeanwide network against rasism UNITED. Presently the main emphasis is in the promotion of multicultural youth work both nationally and internationally.

Structure

Allianssi holds a general meeting twice a year. The autumn meeting elects a chairman and a Board and approves the budget and action plan for the following year. The spring meeting approves the accounts for the previous year and discharges the outgoing Board from liability. The member organisations have votes according to the number of members.

The Board consists of a chair, a vice-chair and 14 members and their personal deputies. A deputy can take part in the meeting only if the acutal member is absent. In addition, the board includes the Secretary General of Allianssi and operational secretaries when needed.

The Board appoints an executive committee to prepare matters for it and to implement matters assigned by the Board. On application, the Board can set up other committees and subcommittees according to need.

Allianssi has about 30 employees. The office is directed by the Secretary General. The activities fall into five teams: administrative team, international team, youth exchange team, information service team and development team. Each team is headed by a team manager. The board and its chairs work without remuneration.

Allianssi member organisations

Member organisations