Janiika Vilkuna – In English
Welcome! I am Janiika Vilkuna, a 37-year-old wife, mother of two, a strong communcanications professional and an international doer. My roots run deep in Jyväskylä, four generations worth.
I work in decision-making and legislation as an Parliamentary Advisor and Communications Coordinator to MEP Henna Virkkunen. I have the means to make a difference.
I am ready to promote our shared cause ambitiously and reliably. What we need now is bold decision-making that secures the future for the coming generations.
No campaign can succeed without a great team and the best team spirit. Join us as a supporter, activist or anything in between and be a part of the most positive team of the spring! Join here!
I believe that everyone should know that they are able to make a difference and participate in society. Everyone must have the opportunity to be trustful of their future. Decision-making and politics should not be experienced as something far removed from everyday life.
Culture and values
Every functional society is predicated on a strong culture and robust expertise. A strong culture is a crucial counterpoint to populism and extremism. Culture allows for education, learning, growth, civilization and democracy.
In all its forms, cultural activity adds to well-being and cohesion. It promotes everyone’s participation in society. Support for cultural and creative fields is important for the lives of the young and old alike. Everyone must have the opportunity to participate in activities that promote well-being and involvement. Being a part of a community prevents social exclusion and loneliness.
Jyväskylä is a strong hub of education and knowhow. Conserving the region’s culture, creative industries and vibrant cultural environment is crucial in maintaining the area’s status and ensuring the growth of tourism. Let´s make Jyväskylä into an even stronger centre of European culture.
Career and families
We need a more encouraging work life. The risks of social exclusion must be minimised. As the working life undergoes a transformation, the birth rate drops and the populace grows old, creating life-long learning paths and making the social security system more flexible will play a crucial role in the future.
Employers must be able to hire the person who best matches the job description regardless of their age or sex. The dream of having a child should be an opportunity that is encouraged. Family leave practices must be updated to better match the needs of children and families. Improving family leave would also further improve the position of workers, especially women. Promoting transparency in salaries is also a way of increasing equality.
The foundation of expertise is already laid in early childhood education. Improving the services and forms of support for children and families is of crucial importance. Two years of free of charge early childhood education is an important goal to reach. When it comes to early childhood education, high quality and appropriate group sizes must be ensured.
Centre of growth and cutting-edge expertise
The future is all about people’s expertise and their opportunities to update it. Only when expertise and jobs meet can we create stable economic growth and sustainable development. Jyväskylä is a hub of education, well-being, sports and culture.
The high quality of multidisciplinary education must be maintained at all education levels in Central Finland. Cooperation between different schools, disciplines and education levels should be developed further. Efficient cooperation with working life is crucial. Multidisciplinarity allows us to meet the needs of the future.
Let´s strengthen the knowhow we have in Jyväskylä that provides solutions to global challenges in areas such as climate change, clean water, cyber security and the development of bioeconomy. With the upcoming Hippos 2020 project we will be even better equipped to serve as the capital of sport and health sciences. Then we will be able to offer top-tier solutions to the challenges of aging, too.
International cooperation
My way of thinking is characterised by a Central Finnish attitude with a mix of international openness and a yearning for knowledge. I have always seized the opportunity to learn something new and as a result I have lived abroad twice, always returning home to Jyväskylä. When facing the challenges posed by a distorted age structure and low birth rates, it is important to entice international experts to make Jyväskylä their home. Our universities and places of business are already active locations of student and professional exchange programs, so we already have all the necessary preconditions.
National pride and internationality are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, a deep understanding of our cultural heritage enables international cooperation that facilitates growth. In Finland we live in the safest and happiest country in the world. The road to this point has been built with the hard work of a number of generations. It gives us a reason for pride and we must continue building an even better society. Finnish knowhow can and should be marketed.
Finland’s EU membership guarantees us growth, peace and security. Being an active participant in a region of over 500 million people that forms the largest internal market in the world is important. EU’s decisions have global effects. We must be an active part of this decision-making process and promote such goals as sustainable growth, EU defence cooperation, climate change prevention and a unified asylum seeker policy and control of immigration streams.
Climate change
Preventing climate change and supporting innovations in circular and bioeconomy will be the most significant global challenges of the coming years. They should be at the centre of all decision-making. We must leave the world to future generations in a better and more sustainable condition than it is now.
No campaign can succeed without a great team and the best team spirit. Join us as a supporter, activist or anything in between and be a part of the most positive team of the spring! Join here!