Päksy ry 1557459-2

Pääkaupunkiseudun Yksin- ja Yhteishuoltajat(Päksy ry) is an association founded in 1971 that supports single-parent families in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Our activities began with advocacy and legal advice, but over the years the focus has gradually shifted towards peer support, community building, and well-being activities for the whole family. We organise a wide range of activities for children, young people, and parents of all ages. Popular offerings include peer-support living room sessions with childcare, excursions, camps, events, and various recreational and social activities. We aim to provide a safe, low-threshold community where families can connect, find support in everyday life, and share new experiences together. In recent years, we have particularly invested in supporting young people and young families. There is still relatively little provision specifically aimed at young people within public services and the NGO sector. For this reason, we consider it important to develop activities, inclusion opportunities, and international experiences tailored to their needs. Through safe shared experiences, community, and new perspectives, we seek to strengthen young people’s self-confidence, social skills, and belief in their own potential. Our association has extensive networks among single-parent families in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. We reach out widely to families facing challenges such as financial difficulties, parental stress, and issues related to young people’s well-being. The goal of our activities is to strengthen community, equality, well-being, and active participation, while preventing social exclusion.Through Erasmus+ projects, we want to offer young people opportunities for international cooperation, intercultural learning, and meeting new people. International experiences can improve their language skills, boost their courage and independence, and strengthen their confidence in the future. At the same time, we aim to build long-term European partnerships through which we can develop our own activities and adopt new approaches to supporting single-parent families in Finland.