Marja Säikkä .
Area of work:
Public services.
Specific field of expertise:
Participation of elderly.
Type of work:
I work for the City of Helsinki as a Specialist in the participation of older citizens. My role is to coordinate and strengthen opportunities for the Elderly Citizens Council to influence decision-making and contribute to city development. In addition, I am a member of a strategic working group that promotes health and wellbeing across Helsinki.
What does ENIEC mean to you or your work?:
ENIEC broadens my perspective and offers valuable opportunities for professional growth and networking.
More about Marja
Every person deserves the experience of inclusion and participation. I want to work to make that possible. I am a professional in elderly care and diversity work. I network and develop services to make them more accessible to clients.
Practical matters and small things can lead to big changes.
Work
Elderly Citizens Council in Helsinki:
The Elderly Citizens Council is a body that influences the planning, preparation and monitoring of the city’s activities in matters that are relevant to the wellbeing, health, inclusion, living environment, housing and mobility of the elderly, or the performance of their daily activities and the services they need. The role of the Elderly Citizens Council is to ensure equal opportunities for older citizens to participate and contribute.
The Elderly Citizens Council:
- ensures that services in Helsinki are developed with regard to their adequacy and suitability for older people
- monitors that services in Helsinki take into account availability and accessibility
- highlights the perspective of the older population
- drafts proposals, statements and opinions to other actors in the City
- contributes to the development of the statutory Helsinki Welfare Plan to support the elderly population
- promotes cooperation between the City of Helsinki and organisations working with older people
- promotes communications concerning services and opportunities for participation.
Read here about the Elderly Citizens Council of the City of Helsinki.
Promoting health and well-being:
To promote equity for all age groups, the City of Helsinki has set up three strategic lifecycle working groups: the HYTE working group for children, young people and families with children; the HYTE working group for working-age people and the HYTE working group for older people. I am a member in the working group for for older people. The core task of the working groups is to manage, monitor and implement cross-administrative preventive work at each lifecycle stage, taking into account the priorities set for each council period of office.
Read more here about Health and welfare promotion in Helsinki
Previously I have worked in development of advisory services for foreign language speakers and as a social councilor for elderly people with a migrant background. Read more about my previous work in the ENIEC newsletter archives.
ENIEC:
I joined ENIEC in 2020 and immediately felt welcome. My connection began earlier, assisting the organising committee for the Annual Meeting in Helsinki in 2010. In 2024, I served again on the organising committee when Helsinki hosted the meeting under the theme “Human Rights of Older People.”
Since 2023, I have been a board member, contributing to administration, organising tasks, and arranging online meetings.
Giving my personal time as a volunteer has given me back much more. I have found a network of people; persons who care of their work, and care for others.
