The project aims to prevent Somali youth from using drugs and joining gangs. The goal is to protect young people from the harms of substance abuse and to increase the awareness of parents and mosque teachers about substance abuse and ways to deal with the subject with young people. Youngsters are also offered examples and role models that enable positive identification.

Activities include developing textbooks, training parents and teachers, and “living library” activity.

The pilot phase of the project will be implemented in the Helsinki metropolitan area. In the dissemination phase, all mosques in Finland are approached, of which there are a total of 80. Through them, the vast majority of adolescent (aged 11 to 15) Somali youth in Finland are indirectly reached, as more than 90 percent of them participate in weekly education classes in mosques. The project also directs training to Somali youngsters’ parents.

The project has three goals:

1. Raising the awareness of young people
   The target group is 11 to 15-year-old Finnish-Somali youths, who attend the mosques reached by the project. Content on the prevention of substance abuse is being created in the mosques’ textbooks. The teachers discuss the topics with young people.
   
2. Raising the awareness of parents and teachers
   The target group is parents of young people and teachers of mosques and Koran schools. Information on the prevention of substance abuse is provided for parents in information sessions, and training days are organized for teachers, where they will gain the means to discuss these topics with young people.
   
3. Providing examples and positive role models for young people
   The target group is Finnish-Somali youths aged 11 to 15. A “living library” activity is organized in the pilot mosques, where young people can interview people of Somali background who have been successful or who have survived difficult stages of life.

The partners in the project are the Islamic communities of the Helsinki metropolitan area, EHYT ry and the Helsinki Police Department. The project started in March 2024 and will continue for three years. The project is funded by STEA.

Contact us

in Finnish or in English
Päivi Kärnä
paivi.karna@somaliliitto.fi
tel. +358 50 370 3794

in Somali or in Finnish
Sugulle Salah
sugulle.salah@somaliliitto.fi 
tel. +358 50 473 4358