Prometheus camps

Last updated

Prometheus camps are politically and religiously unaffiliated coming-of-age camps originally arranged in Finland. They were conceived as an alternative to religious confirmation camps. The camps are named after the Greek myth of the titan Prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to the people. The objective of the camps is to encourage young people to reflect on and develop their own philosophy of life, to respect oneself and others, as well as taking responsibility for oneself and the world. The concept of Prometheus camps was acknowledged as a social innovation in Finland in 2006. [1]

Contents

Background

The first Prometheus camp was held in 1989 when the students of a secondary school ethics class developed the idea for an alternative to the Christian confirmation camps usually attended by 15-year-olds in Finland. The first camp was arranged by Feto ry  [ fi ] (Teachers of Philosophy and Ethics) and a year later the Prometheus Camp Association  [ fi ] (Protu) was founded. [2] In 2009 the Prometheus camp movement spread to Sweden where a sister organization to Protu, Protus Sverige  [ fi ], was formed. In 2012 The Prometheus Camp Association was one of the largest youth organisations in Finland along with Finnish Scouts and the youth organisation of the National Coalition Party. [3]

Participation in Prometheus camps and other Prometheus activities does not require a commitment to any values, politics, or religion. In summer 2006, a questionnaire given to Prometheus campers revealed that approximately 20% of campers had also attended another coming-of-age camp, usually the confirmation camps arranged by the Evangelical Lutheran church. Roughly the same percentage of people attending Prometheus camps were also members of a church. [4] In 2009 about a third of the campers also participated in the confirmation camp. [5]

Approximately 9740 young people attended Prometheus camps in Finland between 1989 and 2008. In 2008, 67 camps were organized in different parts of Finland, and about 1000 young people (1.5% of that age-group) attended those camps. [6] The attendance was fairly steady for a number of years. In 2012 there were 69 camps with about 900 participants. [7] In 2010 the Prometheus Camp Association organised a total of 67 Prometheus camps and had a budget of EUR 464,553. State grants accounted for EUR 82,000 of the budget. Direct expenses from the camps totalled EUR 178,599, and counsellor training cost EUR 76,013. [8] A distinct feature of the camps is that the staff do their work as volunteers.

The Prometheus Camp Association is a collaborative partner of the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation (IHEYO). [9]

Camp structure

Camps are attended after the 8th or 9th grade or between the ages of 14 and 16. For young people who have passed this age Prometheus organizes so called senior camps. Typically, the camps are attended by 18 campers. Prometheus camps are led by a team consisting of two adult leaders and five co-leaders. Co-leaders are between the ages of 15 and 19 and participants of earlier summers camps, whereas adult leaders are older. At Prometheus camps, both the leaders and the co-leaders participate in the processing, developing, preparation, planning and implementation of the themes throughout the camp. Adult leaders hold juridical responsibility of the camp.

Prometheus camps last eight days, typically from Sunday to Sunday. All camps deal with the following themes: differences and discrimination, intoxicants and addiction, the environment, society and participation, human relationships and sexuality, the future, worldviews and beliefs. [10]

Prometheus medallion Prometheus-koru.jpg
Prometheus medallion

Campers are encouraged to share their own views and perceptions and discuss them, as well as take into account the often-different opinions of others. [11] There are no lessons, only topics that are processed mostly through group discussions. Other methods of processing include debates, games, drama, group work, and other interactive methods. Prometheus camps may also invite guest speakers.

A Prometheus celebration is arranged on the last day of the Prometheus camp, with the families of the campers invited to participate. At the celebration the campers receive a wreath made out of fresh branches or flowers, and a silver Prometheus medallion. The camper’s name, camp location and date of the end of camp are engraved on the back of the medallion.

The Prometheus Camp Association also arranges special camps where the program emphasis or location differs from typical Prometheus camps. In 2009, two theater camps, two visual arts camps and a hiking camp were organized. Adult campers are also accommodated, and adult camps (for campers past the age of 20) are organized every year.

Prometheus camps in literature

In popular literature, the events of the novel Kipinä (2006), or Spark by Salla Simukka, take place at a Prometheus camp. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matti Vanhanen</span> Prime minister of Finland from 2003 to 2010

Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2003 to 2010. He was also Chairman of the Centre Party in 2006. In his earlier career, he was a journalist. Vanhanen is the son of professor Tatu Vanhanen and Anni Tiihonen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finns Party</span> Finnish political party

The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns, is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karelian question</span> Dispute in Finnish politics

The Karelian question or Karelian issue is a dispute in Finnish politics over whether to try to regain control over eastern Karelia and other territories ceded to the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War. Despite the name "Karelian question", the term may refer also to the return of Petsamo, ceded parts of Salla and Kuusamo, and four islands in the Gulf of Finland. Sometimes the phrase "debate on the return of the ceded territories" is used. The Karelian question remains a matter of public debate rather than a political issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Björn Wahlroos</span> Finnish banker, investor and chairman (born 1952)

Björn Arne Christer "Nalle" Wahlroos is a Finnish banker, investor, and the chairman of the Board in Sampo Group and UPM-Kymmene. Before switching to banking, Wahlroos worked as a professor at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, from which he also holds a Doctorate in Economics.

Secular coming-of-age ceremonies, sometimes called civil confirmations, are ceremonies arranged by organizations that are secular, which is to say, not aligned to any religion. Their purpose is to prepare adolescents for their life as adults. Secular coming of age ceremonies originated in the 19th century, when non-religious people wanted a rite of passage comparable to the Christian confirmation. Nowadays, non-religious coming-of-age ceremonies are organized in several European countries; in almost every case these are connected with humanist organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hirvisaari</span>

James Hirvisaari is a Finnish politician. He was elected to the Finnish Parliament in the 2011 general election held on 17 April on the electoral list of the Finns Party, but since 2013 he has represented Change 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teuvo Hakkarainen</span> Finnish politician

Teuvo Hakkarainen is a Finnish politician and former member of the European Parliament. Before being elected to the European Parliament in the 2019 election, he had been a member of the Finnish Parliament since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Finnish presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Finland in January and February 2012. The first round took place on 22 January 2012 with advance voting between 11 and 17 January. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 5 February, with advance voting between 25 and 31 January. Sauli Niinistö was elected the President of Finland for a term from 1 March 2012 until 1 March 2018.

Irreligion in Finland: according to Statistics Finland in 2020, 29.4% of the population in Finland were non-religious, or about 1,628,000 people. The Union of Freethinkers of Finland and other organisations have acted as interest organisations, legal protection organisations and cultural organisations for non-religious people. In a 2018 international ISSP survey, 40% of the Finnish population said they did not believe in God, 34% said they believed in God and 26% did not know. Nearly one out of every five people in the country is not a member of a religious organisation, and the number of people with no religious affiliation has doubled in two decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät</span> Finnish punk band

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was a Finnish punk rock band, formed in 2009 in a charity workshop for adults with developmental disabilities. They are the main focus of the 2012 Finnish documentary film The Punk Syndrome. In 2015, they qualified for the finals of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, which they later won; they represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 but got knocked out in the semi-final. The group disbanded in December 2016 when guitarist Pertti Kurikka turned 60 years old and retired from playing punk rock.

Jan Birger Store is a Finnish diplomat. He served as Finnish Permanent Representative in the European Union in Brussels from 2008 to 2013. Store's duties were also preparing for membership decisions at the Coreper-Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movement Now</span> Finnish political party

Movement Now is an economically liberal political party in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish People First</span> Political party in Finland

Finnish People First was a nationalist political party in Finland. It was founded in 2018 and de-registered in 2023 after failing to win seats in two consecutive parliamentary elections. In July 2023, the party filed for bankruptcy and announced its dissolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ano Turtiainen</span> Finnish politician

Ano Veli Samuel Turtiainen is a Finnish former powerlifter and Far right politican. who served in the Parliament of Finland for the South-Eastern Finland constituency from 2019 to 2023. He is also founder and former leader of the Power Belongs to the People party. He lives in Juva. Turtiainen was elected to the parliament in the 2019 parliamentary election. Turtiainen was expelled from the Finns Party due to him posting a tweet perceived as mocking the murder of George Floyd in February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riikka Purra</span> Finnish politician (born 1977)

Riikka Katriina Purra is a Finnish politician, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Finland, and Finance Minister, since 2023. She is also a member of the Parliament of Finland for the Finns Party for the Uusimaa constituency. In August 2021 she was elected the new leader of the party, after Jussi Halla-aho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Belongs to the People</span> Political party in Finland

Power Belongs to the People, formerly known as Parliamentary Group Ano Turtiainen (AT), is a political party in Finland. Ano Turtiainen was its group leader and was its only member of parliament. The group's rules state that the purpose of the group's activities is "to act in parliament in the interests of Finland and Finns and to have freedom of speech in elections".

In the run-up to the 2027 Finnish parliamentary election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Finland. Results of such polls are displayed in this list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisa Gebhard</span> Finnish politician

Elisa Sisko Gabriela Gebhard is a member of the Helsinki City Council and City Council and a Member of Parliament.

References

  1. ↑ 100 social innovations from Finland. Taipale, Ilkka (ed.). Helsinki: Itämerikeskussäätiö: 2007, Hakapaino. ISBN   978-952-99772-1-5
  2. ↑ Prometheus Camps as an Alternative to the Finnish Confirmation Camps Archived 2016-06-29 at the Wayback Machine University of Tampere, 2013
  3. ↑ Political organisations get lion’s share of state subsidies Helsingin Sanomat, 29.5.2012
  4. ↑ Haloo, vanhemmat! Me kuuntelemme! Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish) Protu-lehti 3/2007
  5. ↑ Prometheus-leirillä kannustetaan itsenäiseen ajatteluun (in Finnish) Yle Uutiset, 14.6.2011
  6. ↑ Protu-UKK (in Finnish) Kotkanpesä
  7. ↑ Prometheus-leiri on uskonnoton vaihtoehto (in Finnish) Helsingin Sanomat 22.07.2012
  8. ↑ Political organisations get lion’s share of state subsidies Helsingin Sanomat, 29.5.2012
  9. ↑ "IHEYO official web site". Archived from the original on 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  10. ↑ Näyttelijä ryhtyi ohjaajaksi (in Finnish) Helsingin sanomat, 12.3.2007.
  11. ↑ Prometheus-leiri kasvaa ajan mukana (in Finnish) Nurmijärven Uutiset, 10.7.2011
  12. ↑ Salla Simukka Kipinä [ permanent dead link ] (in Finnish) WSOY, 2006.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.