Lapin Letka – promoting gender equality in education and at workplaces

Women and men are not carved from the same wood and neither are people in general. That is why one’s gender must not dictate what one will do in the future. Choices, forced by attitudes and prejudices, can have far-reaching consequences. Therefore, it is important how one deals with things. Everyone of us deserves the same as others do. Exactly the same.

Lapin Letka dismantles segregation and promotes equality by organizing equality education and consulting for cooperating parties on the following topics: gender equality in education and at workplaces, gender sensitive guidance, gender equality in operative planning of an educational institution and equality oriented personnel policy of an enterprise.

Gender equality is taken into account of educational institutions’ marketing with various campaigns and by reviewing and updating existing marketing material. In addition to that, gender perspective is included, for example, in teaching programs and initiation guides in order to make gender equality an everyday practice. The project also performs consultative and preparatory training (responsibility of Lapland’s Center of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), which persuades unemployed and people with unstable employment to seek labor opportunities in the spheres, traditionally occupied by the opposite gender, for example, encouraging men to seek work in health care and women in technology industries.

Moreover, the project produces information through research and reports, for example, about segregation in Lapland and it’s role in the economy, about power, gender and chairmanship situation in trust bodies of municipalities and about the situation with gender equality planning. The information is disseminated through project’s website, marketing and advertisement campaigns in order to stimulate the debate about gender equality and influence people’s attitudes and stereotypical opinions. We are, in effect, aimed at purifying the old-fashioned attitudes of Lapland’s people on gender equality.

As a result of project’s actions, the students are applying more actively to the education in the spheres, traditionally occupied by the opposite gender, the gender perspective is included into the marketing of educational institutions, ground schools receive the educational material, generated by the project, the institutions and municipalities develop and update their gender equality plans, different games and materials are produced in order to support the promotion of gender equality, which can be used in the institutions and at workplaces. Under the influence of the project, gender equality awareness and expertise of educational institutions, municipalities and other Lappish actors are increasing.

The project is promoted by Lapland Vocational College, Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences, Lapland Summer University, University of Lapland, Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences, Lappia Vocational College, Hunistinen University of Applied Sciences (Tornio Campus), Peräpohjola Folk High School, Regional Council of Lapland and Municipality of Salla. Additionally, the project works in cooperation with annually joining parties, such as other municipalities of Lapland, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Lapland’s offices of Centre of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Rovaniemen Kehitys, as well as with other regional actors.

The project is financed by The European Social Fund and the executing authority is Lapland’s Centre of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. The region of operation of the project is Lapland and the duration is 1.3.2008-31.12.2013.

Lapin Letka belongs to the national gender equality promotion and popularization program (Valtava) of the Ministry of Employment and Economy.

Project Manager Tatja Karvonen
Lapland Vocational College
Tel. +358 20 798 5468
tatja.karvonen@lao.fi

www.lapinletka.fi