Municipal elections are the most significant elections for students’ lives. The new city council elected in June has the power and responsibility to determine what student life in the Tampere area will look like in the coming years. And right now, the situation looks pretty good. Many of our students were elected to the council, and even in the mayor’s program, students are mentioned more than once.
During the municipal election, together with the student body of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, we met almost all of Tampere’s mayoral candidates and parliamentary parties. It was a pleasure to note that everyone treated us students positively and with the esteem we deserved as Tampere’s current and future makers. How we are treated during our studies has a strong effect on how many of us stay in Tampere in the future.
If Tampere wants to remain Finland’s best student city, it must actively invest in supporting our well-being. This responsibility cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of universities, but the city must play a strong role in improving the well-being of students. A comfortable, vibrant and safe urban environment and culture, as well as diverse leisure opportunities, are also important investment targets for students’ quality of life and the city’s holding power.
TREY’s work on urban advocacy got off to a good start for the new term of office, and we will continue our work by actively liaising with council groups, the mayor and those in office. TREY’s and Tamko’s joint municipal election program still has many excellent goals that would improve the lives of students in Tampere, and we intend to ensure as many achievements as possible over the next four years.
Ps. Regional elections are coming.