Fundraising
SYL’s Development Cooperation and the EMPOWER-project
The National Union of University Students in Finland SYL has supported education and students through its development cooperation for decades. Additionally, SYL raises awareness of global issues in Finland. Development cooperation supports SYL’s core principles: equality, internationalism, and education. SYL’s development cooperation projects are coordinated by the Development Cooperation Advisory Board (KENKKU), which consists of representatives from various student unions.
SYL has its own development cooperation project through which it supports higher education for students with disabilities in three public universities in Ethiopia through the EMPOWER project. The goal of the project is to provide students with disabilities with high-quality and accessible education, just like other university students.
The project promotes the inclusion of students with disabilities in the three partner universities by establishing or strengthening university disability services. The aim is that after the project ends, the universities will continue to provide these services and acquire assistive devices independently. This approach has worked well in previous projects. The project also seeks to reduce gender inequality by ensuring that both men and women participate in the training sessions organized within the project.
JYY organises a small-scale fundraising campaign for SYL through the OILI system in conjunction with the payment of JYY’s membership fee.
Read more about SYL’s development cooperation and the EMPOWER-project
Fair Trade
Fair Trade University title is awarded by the Fair Trade association in recognition of the university’s ethical responsibility and its commitment to acting according to sustainable development principles. The University of Jyväskylä has attained the Fair Trade University title for the first first time in 2014.
The University of Jyväskylä has received praise in particular for how extensively campus restaurants have incorporated Fair Trade products into their selections.
The Fair Trade system ensures fair compensation for producers and aims to reduce poverty through trade. The exploitation of child labor is also strictly prohibited. The additional income from Fair Trade supports community development projects, such as building schools and health centers.