JAMKO supports students’ cause during the parliamentary elections
The student union JAMKO’s year has started actively with influence work, and the parliamentary elections, that are about a month away, are the focus of the beginning of the year. The goal of the student union is especially to increase the voting activity and influencing possibilities of Jamk students and increase the awareness about the students’ situation. JAMKO is actively participating in the parliamentary election campaign of the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK and the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) Students above the poverty line. The top goal of higher education students is that, after the parliamentary elections, there will be an increase of €100 in the monthly student financial aid. For the student unions of universities of applied sciences, it would be vital to get public funding to secure their statutory duties.
“It is important to be involved in public influencing, so that the students’ situation is also reflected in the national decision-making. The average student lives below the poverty line even if they take out a full student loan or work alongside their studies. Imagine this equation! The end of the month is a stressful time for many, when there is only light in the refrigerator. Soon maybe not even that, if the energy crisis continues in the same way,” says JAMKO board chairperson Lauri Kujala.
Students increasingly have to rely on food aid, and the distress of students is reflected in the food aid provided by the Salvation Army and SPR. JAMKO organizes an event called “Inflation eats – students don’t!”, emphasizing the parliamentary election goals of university students. On Wednesday Mar 15th at 10:30 a.m. JAMKO is handing out macaroni and bread baked and donated by Juvenes for Jamk’s students, to ease the rest of the month. Note that there is a limited amount of goods, so be there early. The event will take place exactly one week before the start of preliminary voting for the parliamentary elections on Jamk’s Main Campus in front of F – doors i.e. in the vicinity of the future preliminary voting place. In this way, students are also encouraged to influence the prevailing situation by voting themselves. You can vote in advance at Jamk’s main campus on March 22nd – 28th. Polling stations for parliamentary elections (in Finnish)
In addition, JAMKO wants to share themes important to students directly with the parliamentary election candidates. We participate in a nationwide call round, where the student unions of each electoral district contact the candidates in the area and discuss their perspectives on student affairs. JAMKO organizes a call round for central Finnish parliamentary election candidates with the student union of the University of Jyväskylä from 27 February to 12 March.
JAMKO together with JYY will take over the election street on March 27, when the actives of both student organizations will set foot to Jyväskylä’s kävelykatu to discuss the students’ common goals and perspectives with the parliamentary election candidates. Raising the level of student aid, opposing fee-based education leading to a degree, and restricting the interest rate on student loans are important aspects of the discussions.
The actual election day is April 2, 2023. After this, it is important for the student movement to keep the themes on display so that the students’ goals also end up in the new government program.
More information
Chairperson of the Board Lauri Kujala, lauri.kujala@jamko.fi