Clubs and Activities

Ehjä organises low-threshold

• groups
• camps
• excursions
• courses
• events, and
• personalised guidance in individual cases for young people.

The aim is to promote young immigrants’ integration into Finnish society and strengthen their social networks.

Contact us

Check the contact information on Ehjä’s website in ‘Central Ostrobothnia’.

Kokkola office

Ryvärinkarintie 1
FI-67100 Kokkola

Silta is a meeting place for association and leisure time activities and a community lounge and information centre in the region of Central Ostrobothnia.

International Club

• every Wednesday
• at 16–18 
• at Yhteisöklubi Silta, Ryövärinkarintie 1, Kokkola

Website of Yhteisöklubi Silta (in Finnish).

Villa Elba is an international youth centre in the beautiful Sannanranta villa area.

Come and get to know the multicultural and friendly service of Elba or apply to volunteer work projects!

Villa Elba’s website

Koivutupa is a meeting place for people of all ages. You can go to Koivutupa to play with your children or to meet other children and adults.

‘You can stop by to read the day’s paper, to play with your children, to enjoy a cup of coffee or just to have a chat to brighten your day. You can buy coffee, juice and pastries from the kitchen, where you can also warm up your own lunch’, describes Soite’s website.

Koivutupa (Soite’s website, in Finnish)

The Kokkola branch of the Finnish Red Cross (SPR) organises different activities, including:

• friend activities
• multicultural activities
• culture friend activities

Contact us

Ystävätoimisto
Vaunumiehenkatu 4B (SPR Kirppis),
FI-67100 Kokkola
tel. +358 40 044 2953
ystava.kokkola(at)gmail.com

Finnish Red Cross Kokkola branch website (in Finnish)

An association for people who want to understand Russia, practice Russian or travel to Russia.

Contact us

tel. +358 40 962 3993 

kokkola.venajaseura(at)gmail.com 

Finland–Russia Society Kokkola branch website (in Finnish)

[Information on the association in Spanish below]

Asociación Hispano-Americana en Kokkola Cuya finalidad es conectar a toda la gente que tenga en común la lengua española o que desee aprender el idioma y desarrollar nuestras diferentes culturas y tradiciones creando una conexión e intercambio cultural con Finlandia.

Facebook: @HispanoamericanadeKokkola

Hope distributes concrete donations of clothing and goods to families of limited means or families who have undergone a crisis. They also offer hobby support and leisure-time experiences to children and young people.

At Hope, you can choose your own way to help:

• Donate your time. Come on as a volunteer.
• Donate goods or clothes.
• Donate money.
• Become a member of Hope.
• Companies can also help – get in touch.

Hope Kokkola website and contact information (in Finnish)

The eViljo database contains information on associations in Central Ostrobothnia. 

Central Ostrobothnian eViljo database website(website available only in Finnish) 

Advisory boards and councils are bodies of representatives appointed by the City Board, and they convene when needed. 

Councils and advisory boards are generally decided upon at the beginning of the City Council’s new term of office. 

Council on Multiculturality

The council’s task is to promote ethnic groups’ integration into Kokkola. The council follow issues related to cultural diversity and the ethnic relations of the different groups living in the city, promote good ethnic relations and make suggestions and initiatives and give statements related to these topics. 

The aim of the council’s work is to improve the well-being of the clients who have come to Kokkola from other cultures by promoting intercultural understanding, encouraging immigrants to engage in societal affairs and by bringing up means to improve immigrants’ integration into Finnish society in the city administration. 

The council on multiculturality is comprised of immigrant members, officials from different fields as well as a City Board representative. Council members are appointed for a two-year term. The launch of the council operations is based on the City Board decision on 21 December 2015. 

The council can also choose to cooperate with organisations and people related to the work on multiculturality outside the city. 

The council draft an annual report on their operations to the City Board, in which they present the previous year’s activities and their results.

The 43-member City Council exercises the highest decision-making power in the City of Kokkola. The tasks of the Council are laid down by the Local Government Act and the administrative regulations.
The City Council members are elected in municipal elections every four years.

The 43-member City Council exercises the highest decision-making power in the City of Kokkola. The tasks of the Council are laid down by the Local Government Act and the administrative regulations.
The City Council members are elected in municipal elections every four years.

Eligible to stand as a candidate in municipal elections is a person
whose municipality of residence the municipality in question is,
who is entitled to vote in municipal elections in some municipality, and who is not without legal capacity.

How can I stand as a candidate?
Instructions on standing as a candidate (vaalit.fi, in Finnish)

Materials and information about elections in Finland (ETNO)