The SEEYouth Family

A few weeks before we were first scheduled to meet in person in Finland to kick-start the project, most international travel was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the remainder of the collaboration, we were each to remain in our respective countries, working mostly from the isolation of our own offices and living rooms. As a result, the SEEYouth family is primarily one born in the virtual world, through videoconferencing, emails and digital collaboration tools. Still, strong bonds were created between us over time, as we learned to work together primarily from afar, supporting and mirroring each other’s work across the Atlantic. 

SEEYouth was led by an international team of researchers: Satu Miettinen (University of Lapland) in Finland, Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos (University of São Paulo) and Paula Cruz-Ladim (São Paulo State University) in Brazil, Anne Marchand (University of Montréal) and Jean-François Vachon (La Boîte Rouge Vif) in Canada, and Paul Wilson (University of Leeds) in the UK. The researchers who contributed to the project are Heidi Pietarinen, Ana Nuutinen, Enni Mikkonen, Katri Konttinen, Mari Riikonen, Melanie Sarantou, Amna Qureshi, Rosana Vasques, Rafael Szafir Goldstein, Lucas Merala, Mônica Moura, Solen Roth, Caoimhe Isha Beaulé, Étienne Levac, Karine Awashish and Tang Tang. Special thanks to Tiina Seppälä who worked on the successful funding application. 

A great many people have contributed to the project and to this website, through past collaborations with consortium members or active contributions to SEEYouth itself. We wish to thank each one of them warmly. A particular thank you goes out to the youth and community members without whom none of this would have been possible. In particular, our thanks go to the key collaborators: an advisor on multiculturalism and integration of young refugees Mikko Ylisuvanto, the youth participating in the research: Marthe Ndjashimo Osoko, Hamid Jafari, Mohammad Hosseini, Mahdi Hosseini, Ali Zafar Ahmadi, Davoud Hosseini, Dawod Noori, photographer Mosi Herati, 1st year students from Fashion, Textile Art and Material Studies and Senior Faculty Officer Heikki Aakkonen from the University of Lapland, Chief education officer Anu-Liisa Kosonen, Coordinator Maria Viinikka, Service Counselor Johanna Koivumäki, Outreach youth worker Sari Nevalainen, Service Counselor Tiina Hanhela, Service Coordinator Mirja Tuomela, Student Counselor from Lappia Vocational College Jaana Karjalainen, Specialist, employment and Economic Development Office Kristiina Ikonen, Specialist, employment and Economic Development Office Minna Lehto and Youth Secretary Tanja Paaso-Rantala from Kemi City and Coopamare and Auro Lescher, Graziela Bedoian and Esmeralda Ortiz from Projeto Quixote. Thank you also to Christiane Biroté, Noat Biroté-Boivin, Christian Coocoo and the Coop Nitaskinan for their contributions in Canada, and to Alessandro Medici, Mzi Ndzuzu, Nokubonga Mepeni, Mama Noisette for their contributions in the UK. 

If you find this list of acknowledgements to be incomplete, please do not hesitate to reach out to us so that we can correct the omission. Thank you.