Authors

• Häikiö, Liisa (City of Tampere. Development Unit for Welfare Services)
• Vänninmaja, Paula (City of Tampere. Development Unit for Welfare Services)

Keywords

bullying, children, cooperation, educational environment, extracurricular activities, hobbies, organizations, parents, physical activities, schools, social exclusion

Abstract

In the Tampere Afternoon Activity project (Harrastava Iltapäivä in Finnish) initiated in 2007, the city of Tampere organized voluntary afternoon club activities for pupils from the third grade to the ninth. The activities were organized in co-operation with various organizations, clubs, and churches. In this mid-evaluation, the realisation of the goals and practices of the project during the first phase of activity was assessed. The assessment of the project was carried out from the viewpoints of children, parents, school staff, and club leaders.

First, the parents were asked questions on their occupational status, their child's gender, and whether the child participated in the club activities. Opinions on the characteristics of the club (e.g. no fees) and its significance for children and young people were charted. The parents also assessed the organization of the club activities, the diversity of supply, and the effect of the project on their child's welfare. The parents whose child did not participate in the club activities were asked to give reasons for their child's non-participation. Further questions covered attitudes towards the snack provided by the school, and reasons for their child's potential refraining from eating the snack. The parents gave feedback on the club leaders and listed characteristics of a good club leader. Finally, the parents assessed information exchange related to the Afternoon Activity project and gave their opinions on what kind of afternoon activities they would like to see organized in schools in the future.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, occupational status, spouse's occupational status and child's gender.