Changemaker campaigned to end overfishing

Highlights of Changemaker youth network‘s activities included campaign to end overfishing, an international meeting and a new project for young asylum seekers.

The campaign against overfishing was presented at various events around Finland throughout the year. The petition requested Finland to take action and make sure that all European Union’s bilateral fisheries partnership agreements should include set maximum fishing quotas. The campaign ended in December and the petition with 2,586 signatures was handed over to the minister of agriculture and environment Kimmo Tiilikainen. It was also sent to Karmenu Vella, the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. The active and creative campaigning also attracted 212 new members to join Changemaker.

In October, Changemaker Finland hosted an international meeting to strengthen cooperation between Changemaker networks in different countries and improve their common advocacy. Participants included representatives from Changemaker in Iceland, Cambodia, Norway and Denmark, and they also took part in a training weekend.

Changemaker also started a two year project In My Own Words. The goal of the programme is to help young asylum seekers to integrate into Finland by giving them a chance to tell their own stories through short films. Video workshops were held in Helsinki, Espoo and Turku. Short films made in the workshops were screened to the public for the first time in Turku in December, and they drew a full capacity crowd.