Family

Oodi Library acts as Helsinki’s urban living room

The Finnish government built the flagship library Oodi as a present to its citizens after the country celebrated 100 years of independence in 2017. It is a clear indication of how important reading and education are to Finns.

Life & society Family

For more than 100 years, Finnish “neuvola” clinics have given families a healthy start

Founded in Helsinki in 1922, a nationwide system of maternity and child health clinics has benefited and helped shape Finnish society over a period that now spans more than a century. They provide everything from prenatal healthcare to postnatal support for parents.

Life & society Family

Finnish society places value on family time and inclusivity

The significance that Finnish people attach to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may reflect something that goes beyond the holidays themselves. It may be indicative of the way Finland, as a society, views and supports parents and families.

Life & society Equality

Spreading the word about equality, with the Finnish pronoun “hän”

Equality forms a core value for Finland and its people, and this may have something to do, in part, with the Finnish language. It covers both “he” and “she” with a single gender-neutral pronoun: “hän.”

Life & society Festivals

Finnish families get into the Flow Festival spirit

Family Sunday represents a literal growth area for Helsinki’s renowned Flow Festival. After all, these little kids are the music fans of tomorrow.

Life & society Wellbeing

Eighty years promoting a good start for every child in Finland

Finland’s maternity package for all expecting mothers has a history that goes back to 1938. We look at this life-changing Finnish social innovation and see what’s new in its 80th-anniversary edition.