SKUNK - young voices in the archipelago

SKUNK is an organisation that cares for the interests of youths in the Åland archipelago. The target group is 7-25 years old, but foremost for the ages 12-20. The word “interest” has a dubble  meaning:
partly to guard the interests of the youths in the archipelago and
partly to strengthen, develop and organize extracurricular activities.

SKUNK is a youth organisation which builds on the youth’s own ideas. The organisation is mainly built on the idea that “young people lead young people”, but also on that the organisation involves competent adults for different purposes. SKUNK is lead by a board where the participants are between 15-25 years old.

Board

Chairperson
Sonja Pettersson
​Vice chairperson
Sofia Lahtinen
Vice chairperson
Jacob Helin

Members     
Moa Rytterstedt
Emilia Engblom
Oskar Strand
Caspian Boström

Deputy members
Amanda Larsson
Taissija Pettersson
Viktor Thörnroos
Jonathan Vik
Saga Lindholm 
​Matilda Johansson    
Director
Mia Hanström
+358 400 784871
info@skunk.ax

Address
c/o Hanström
22820 Kumlinge
Finland

Office
​Ålandsvägen 40
22100 Mariehamn

SKUNK works for

  • Improving the possibilities for the youths in the archipelago to engage in stimulating extra curricular and cultural activities
  • Strengthening the youths involvement and responsibility taking in issues relevant to themselves
  • Guarding the archipelago youth’s interests and strengthening the influence the youths have on the development of the archipelago
  • Changing how adults see the young people, so that they are seen as resources in society
  • Strengthening the community between youths from different parts of the archipelago, the rest of Åland and the whole world.
  • Supporting cooperation in different shapes to develop and expand young peoples possibilities for stimulating and interesting extracurricular activities with a starting point in the young peoples own ideas and participation.

Thorough

  • Giving archipelago adolescents within different areas of interests better opportunities to exchange with adolescents within and without the archipelago
  • Continuously keeping a discussion about youth politics, youth culture, and the archipelago youth’s needs and desires
  • Taking initiative to projects that stimulates and develops youth work in the archipelago
  • Supporting and encourage societies and municipalities to organizing activities for children and adolescents.
  • Cooperation between the archipelago municipalities, organizations and other interested in young people, give children and adolescents a greater range of activities and possibilities to get involved.​

SKUNK’s main point

That active youth work in the archipelago gives greater opportunities for a living archipelago in the future. Adolescents are not the future, they are now and doeas therefore have a right to a stimulating life today. Adolescents who feel  that their ideas and initiatives are taken seriously and under consideration feel better and have a stronger belief in the future.