04.11.2025
North Ostrobothnia Association Award to Oulun Tervaporvarien Nuorkauppakamari
The North Ostrobothnia Association Award 2025 is awarded to the Oulun Tervaporvarien Nuorkauppakamari. The award is given to the Youth Chamber of Commerce for the development and implementation of the VIBEs project and concept that promotes mental health work among young people. This year's theme was Youth, Future and Hope. The selection emphasised in particular the cross-border dimension and effectiveness. The award-winning association receives 1,000 euros to support its operations.
“We would like to thank the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for this valuable recognition. We want to show that well-being belongs to everyone and that there are many paths to it. At this point, I would like to thank the entire VIBEs team for their tremendous work and dedication. Our mission is to be the adults who care and the community that stops to listen. VIBEs is our way of saying: all kinds of vibet are allowed", comments the project manager Tyttilotta Aaltoosto.
The Oulu Tervaporvarien Youth Chamber of Commerce has demonstrated a uniquely impressive and broad approach to the development and implementation of the VIBEs concept. The VIBEs project is a concrete example of what the dedication of volunteers can do in the presence of a strong desire to support young people and give them more hope for the future. The activities are boundary-breaking and the theme of the year, Youth, Future and Hope, is implemented in an exemplary way.
The project has created a new concept that brings together different actors: young people, local businesses, municipal organisations and the third sector. VIBEs facilitates the participation of companies in mental health work for young people. Companies can offer their services to young people and at the same time build a positive image of themselves, increase the sense of community and also have an impact on the societal level.
The project is a low-threshold activity. The goal is to offer young people the opportunity to participate in easily accessible activities in the Oulu region. The new experiences create positive and hope-provoking sensations, as well as attachment surfaces to the surrounding society.
The VIBEs pilot will start in the Oulu region and serve as an example of how young people and companies can be combined in a new way. Based on the pilot, the project will be modified and developed, and the goal is to extend it to the entire region of Northern Ostrobothnia.
On Tuesday, 4 November 2025, the prize to be presented at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia will be received by the members of the VIBEs project, Tyttilotta Aallosto, on behalf of the Youth Chamber of Commerce. Liisa Vanharanta, Jenna Enbuska, Sara Leaked and Matleena Pinoniemi. Awarded for the seventh time by the President of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Lauri Nikula Chairman of the Organisational Advisory Board Esa Aunola.
In September, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia requested proposals for the Organisational Act of the Year 2025 in Northern Ostrobothnia. The applicant was supposed to be a registered local association. A total of six nominations came from different parts of the region, of which the Regional Government of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia selected the winner at its meeting on 3 October 2025.
Additional information:
https://jciouluntervaporvarit.fi/
https://allvibes.fi/ (Website still under construction)
