Anton
Pajoslahti
Helsinki
"A Well-being, Safe, and Enabling Helsinki - Teachers' well-being up, drug mortality down!"
I am 29 years old with roots in Helsinki and Ostrobothnia. I grew up in Vaasa, studied in Turku, and recently started my third year as a citizen of Helsinki. Here, I have previously lived in Jätkäsaari and recently moved to Lauttasaari. I am a business school graduate, and work as a career coach. I help people with work-related issues such as looking for a job, negotiating their salary, and planning their career. It feels great to be able to help while having the chance to influence society at a micro level.
As a candidate, you will find that my views are liberal, slightly to the right of center. I advocate for a society where individuals take responsibility for themselves, their loved ones, and the wider community. It’s a society that rewards hard work while also fostering mutual support and care. Opportunities are made available to everyone, regardless of their background or the challenges they face. However, it is up to everyone to seize these opportunities. This is a society that not only distributes welfare but also ensures that there is welfare to distribute in the future.
I believe that the most crucial task of society is to ensure the safety of its inhabitants and to provide education and healthcare. When priorities need to be set, safety must be guaranteed, and education and healthcare must receive continued investment. In my work for the benefit of Helsinki and its residents, I am guided by three key principles: well-being, safety, and enablement.
The significance of these principles can vary for each resident, so I am eager to hear what specific measures would make Helsinki well-being, safe, and enabling for you. Please feel free to contact me.
Important topics
What does a safe, prosperous, and enabling Helsinki mean to me? What are the concrete actions I will work towards in the next four years, should I get the opportunity? I would like to focus particularly on three important areas: daycare centers, schools, and drug-related mortality in our city. High-quality education is a priority for me. To achieve this, we need skilled and well-supported teachers in our schools and daycare centers. Adequate resources must be available, and teachers should have the chance to use these resources as they best see fit. Additionally, drug mortality and addiction are escalating problems in our city. It is crucial that we invest in preventative measures, expand care, and enhance support for those most in need. This approach is not only about aiding those affected but also about fostering a safer environment for everyone.
If there's a need to summarize my campaign in one sentence, it could be the following: Teachers' well-being up, drug mortality down!
Would you like to donate to my campaign to make it possible?
Recipient: Anton Pajoslahtis stödgrupp
Account Number: FI93 1711 3500 0083 72
Message: Donor's Name
Important political topics
The best schools
Daycare Centers and Early Childhood Education and Care
I will always advocate for more resources for daycare centers. High-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) is an investment in the future, helping children get off to a good start in life. It supports children's development and allows for the early detection of any support needs. Ensuring the highest quality ECEC throughout Helsinki gives the city’s children the best possible start in life. Through early support measures, we can not only foster children's development but also prevent larger and more costly problems later—an approach that is both humanly and financially sustainable.
However, effective ECEC is not possible if the staff at our daycare centers are not well-supported. Therefore, it is crucial that we invest in their well-being now, before it is too late. In many of the city's daycare centers, staff face an impossible task: meeting all set requirements without the resources needed for this. This situation leads to feelings of inadequacy, value conflicts, and exhaustion, driving increasing numbers of people to leave the profession. At a time when we need to maintain and strengthen competence in ECEC, reversing this trend is essential. If resources are insufficient, we must adapt the requirements to ensure that daily operations are manageable without jeopardizing staff well-being.
To position Helsinki as Finland's best employer, we need to avoid micromanaging our competent educators, who are highly trained specialists in their field, and trust their professional judgment. This applies to both our daycare centers and schools. Elevating the goals and status of the teaching profession in ECEC to the level it deserves is a crucial investment. However, continuing to set higher standards without ensuring sufficient resources could lead to serious consequences. When resources are tight, we should reduce reporting requirements and digital paperwork, allowing teachers to focus on what really matters—being present with children, supporting their development, and identifying when further support is needed.
In the long term, the goal is for Helsinki to offer free ECEC in which as many children as possible can participate. The activities must be conducted in well-planned facilities, designed and adapted for ECEC needs. Our aim is to establish the best ECEC in the country, but success also depends on ensuring that teachers and other staff are content and enjoy their work.
Schools
In addition to ensuring our schools are housed in suitable buildings, they must also provide safe and calm environments that offer a counterbalance to the increasingly stressful everyday life where many struggle with concentration. We should move away from school designs that mimic open offices. Our schools need to be calm spaces with minimal disturbances, benefiting both students’ and teachers’ well-being. This should be a primary focus when constructing new school buildings and renovating existing ones. In Helsinki, it is crucial to maintain reasonable class and group sizes that allow children to form secure relationships with their teachers. Therefore, I advocate for a model in the lower grades where each student has a fixed class and designated teacher, ensuring parents always know whom to contact. While some children may thrive in open environments with rotating teachers and changing groups, this can cause uncertainty for parents of children with support needs, making it unclear who to approach.
We also need to allocate additional resources specifically to address and reduce societal segregation. Effective procedures must be implemented to intervene decisively in schools where students and staff feel unsafe.
It is good that Helsinki has begun to address the issue of competitive salaries for the city’s teachers. Excluding early childhood education teachers, the median salary for teachers in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area is significantly lower than the national average. To attract the best teachers to Helsinki, we must offer competitive salaries. Otherwise, we risk losing them to regions that provide higher pay and lower living costs.
Drug mortality:
Finland has the highest rate of drug-related deaths among young people in Europe, with Helsinki being particularly affected. One in five drug-related deaths in Finland occurs in Helsinki, where the number of deaths reached a tragic new peak of 58 in 2023. Reducing drug mortality, especially among young people, is an urgent priority.
Drug deaths among individuals under 30 are often linked to mental health issues. Half of the young people who died from drug poisoning between 2019 and 2021 had a diagnosed mental illness. In Helsinki, it is crucial to offer holistic care that addresses both mental health and various types of addictions without requiring patients to navigate multiple agencies. Additionally, we should provide integrated treatment options that can address both drug abuse and alcoholism concurrently.
We also need to consider how we can provide accessible assistance to those in greatest need. Policies requiring drug-free periods or sustained sobriety before receiving care often leave the most vulnerable without necessary support.
According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), young people who die from drug poisoning often do so at a private home in the presence of others. The younger the individual, the more likely they were not alone at the time of death. In about a third of these cases, those present were awake and could potentially have called for help. A critical initiative is to enhance education on recognizing overdose symptoms, seeking immediate help, and training in lifesaving techniques. Increasing awareness on this topic is a straightforward approach that could have a significant impact.
We need a progressive drug policy that is rooted in scientific evidence and works to eliminate the stigma surrounding drug use. I advocate for the courage to try different approaches that have been successful elsewhere and to adopt the ones that prove effective. Avoiding new strategies due to fears of normalizing drug use is a mistake. Therefore, I support initiatives like user rooms, which have shown success in other Nordic capitals. Moreover, efforts to curb drug supply are essential, though such measures are managed at the national level.
Opinions on other things:
Public Transportation Strategy
I believe that individuals who feel like they need a car for daily life are unlikely to abandon them, just as those using public transport are unlikely to switch to driving due to increased ticket prices, considering the substantial costs of car ownership. Therefore, the best outcomes are achieved by focusing on the margins. This approach involves developing public transport and infrastructure to make sustainable transport modes more attractive. We need to ensure that those deciding between a car and public transport see public transport as the superior option, and those weighing public transport against walking or cycling find the latter more advantageous.
Achieving this, while not worsening conditions for those who feel they have no other options and managing financial challenges, is undoubtedly complex. However, I am confident that it is an equation that can be solved with careful planning and prioritization. For example, extending the validity of one-time tickets could encourage more residents to use public transport for shopping trips and sports activities, making it a more attractive option than private cars or app-based taxis, which often seem more economically viable.
I also think that we are going to have to reevaluate the system where half of the Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) expenses are covered by ticket revenue. While it is a reality that our world-class public transport network requires funding, we must find a balanced approach to maintain and enhance its efficiency and accessibility.
The war in Ukraine
Ukraine's defensive war against russia is one of the most critical issues of our time, and its outcome will significantly impact both Finland and Europe as a whole. Therefore, it is essential to consider this issue across all government levels. We need to contemplate what support we can offer Ukraine and how we can assist Finnish volunteers upon their return. Each city and municipality in Finland has a role to play, and Helsinki, as the capital, is uniquely positioned to lead by example.
Exercise Opportunities
Opportunities for exercise must be accessible to all residents of the city, as they are crucial for both mental and physical well-being. Over the long term, promoting regular exercise also contributes to financial savings through reduced healthcare costs. I hope that the construction of the Jätkäsaari Community Centre, Helsinki’s largest new construction project, will proceed quickly and efficiently. It is important to avoid delays, especially considering the significant investments involved. Koivusaari has the potential to develop into a significant recreational area that all city residents can enjoy.
Taxes
The municipal tax should not be increased.
Candidate's answers in election machine
1 / 11
Early childhood education should be free for everyone.
Finland\'s fertility rate continues to decline. In 2024, it was 1.25, the lowest ever recorded, leading to an extremely unsustainable demographic development. This trend cannot be reversed by telling women to have more children, but by promoting family-friendly policies. Free early childhood education is a step in this direction. Currently, only 5% of the costs of early childhood education are covered by client fees. Therefore, I believe it is possible to eliminate these fees entirely. Today, the fees for early childhood education are quite high, yet fewer and fewer pay the full price since the fees are income-based. This situation leads to a significantly steeper progression in our income taxation than many might realize. For example, a single parent earning a monthly salary of 4700 euros could face a marginal tax rate of up to 63%.
2 / 11
Schools should prioritize traditional textbooks over digital learning materials.
I think a combination of both options is best. Digital learning materials offer opportunities that physical textbooks do not provide. At the same time, it is not desirable for all learning materials to be digital. There are indications that using only digital materials can negatively affect learning.
3 / 11
One of the municipality’s most important tasks is to invest in sports facilities and opportunities for exercise and recreation.
I believe that Helsinki\'s most important tasks are education and healthcare. However, sports, exercise, and leisure are also important. Koivusaari has the potential to develop into a significant recreation area that all residents could enjoy. It is also important that the construction process for the Jätkäsaari multi-purpose building is quick and efficient, so that Jätkäsaari can offer diverse exercise opportunities as soon as possible!
4 / 11
It is important to provide all residents with equal opportunities for cultural activities.
Yes, municipalities should strive to offer their residents equal opportunities to participate, regardless of the type of activity.
5 / 11
The municipality should introduce or improve opportunities for residents to influence how municipal funds are used through participatory budgeting.
Participatory budgeting is a form of direct democracy that actively involves municipal residents in decision-making. The hope is that this will not only enhance the experience of having influence but also strengthen communal responsibility within society.
6 / 11
The municipality should invest in public transportation.
Helsinki has world-class public transportation. The problem is that many find the pricing unfair, so unfair that they prefer to travel in other ways or travel without paying. We need to make people feel that choosing public transportation is a more attractive option than ordering a taxi through an app. One concrete measure is to extend the validity period of single tickets so that one does not need to buy two tickets when going to the store or to sports activities.
7 / 11
It should be possible to be a resident in more than one municipality, for example, through digital municipal citizenship.
The topic does not evoke strong feelings in me. However, on principle, I believe that administration should create opportunities rather than obstacles. It is important, however, that this does not open the possibility for \'municipality shopping.\' People should pay municipal tax to the municipality whose services they primarily use.
8 / 11
The municipality should better facilitate the expansion of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
Renewable energy is good – Additionally, I\'ve noticed that it\'s very windy in Helsinki :D Wind and solar power plants also bring more tax revenue to the municipality, which in turn leads to a stronger economy.
9 / 11
The municipality should mix more housing types in planning than is currently the case.
It\'s a good idea for people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to live in every area of the city. This is one way to try and prevent segregation.
10 / 11
The municipality should introduce anonymous recruitment.
There are many studies that show there are several underlying factors that influence choices in recruitment; we tend to recruit people who remind us of ourselves, which does not always lead to the best recruitment outcome. I believe that private companies may do as they wish. However, for recruitments where we taxpayers pay for the recruitment and also for the salary of the employee, it is important that the most competent and suitable candidate for the job is hired.
11 / 11
If you could give a superpower to your future political leader, what would it be?
Climate change is one of the biggest threats of our time. It is also a problem that is both costly and demanding to fix, but it is essential that we do so. Moreover, it is an issue that polarizes our society. Wouldn\'t it be nice if this problem just disappeared?