cultural activities
15
finnish cultural foundation
annual report 2013–2014
Each Acorn Club also needs rent-free
premises. A feeling of joint responsibility
is therefore required and has indeed been
found, not only in private individuals but
also local authorities, parishes and other
local organisations.
Clubs in their workers’ image
Establishing a new Acorn Club always
starts in the same way. A herald invites
the chairmen of the local organisations and
a few volunteers to a workshop designed
to gather ideas according to the particular
needs and potential of the area.
“In voluntary work, the desire to do
something must come from the workers
themselves,” says Project Manager
Tarja
Satuli-Kukkonen
. “The planning stage is
therefore very important in winning the
commitment of the local volunteers. If the
Acorn Club seems alien, the motivation is
more likely to flag as time goes by.”
The heralds are assisted by a handbook
compiled at the pilot stage. An Acorn Pack
containing material for clubs has also been
produced.
In practice, both the planning work-
shops and the clubs nevertheless all
vary greatly, depending on the people
involved. Both Juhana Lassila and Tarja
Satuli-Kukkonen insist that this is fine: the
most important thing, at least at the initial
stage, is to get the clubs up and running.
Once they are, more thought may be given
to the types of activities that work best for
both the participants and the campaign.
All the Acorn Clubs work on three basic
premises: cross-generational encounter,
a relaxed atmosphere, and activities
for children aged 5–10. This does not,
however, mean that anyone will be turned
away from the door; the club will welcome
people of all ages.
From play to creativity
Setting up Acorn Clubs is not the
campaign’s only major mission; the other
is to make the importance of play a topic
for broader discussion in society.
Child psychiatrist, Professor
Tuula
Tamminen
, is the chair of the group that
planned the campaign. She raised the
subject of play when the campaign was
first announced, and in autumn 2014 it
continued to be addressed at several public
lectures in different parts of Finland linked
with the anniversary of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
Creativity, the arts and culture are
already manifest in the Acorn Clubs, in,
for example, story telling and all kinds
of crafts. The aim is for these to be more
closely integrated in the campaign at some
point in the future.
“Of course we hope the Acorn Club
model will live on after this campaign
ends,” says Juhana Lassila. “The potential’s
there, if only we can get the positive Acorn
Club message across to as many Finns
as possible, and can recruite an army of
volunteers.”
At Acorn Clubs children aged 5–10 will get together with pensioners and other adult volunteers.
