The Student Union of Tampere University will hold a demonstration on Wednesday 13 April 2022 from 15 to 16 at the Tampere Central Square. The topic of the demonstration is the Finnish Student Health Service’s (FSHS) lack of mental health service resources. In concordance with the themes of Students’ Mental Health Day, taking place on 13 April, we demand that the government budgets more money for FSHS’s mental health services.
Students’ mental health problems have been on the rise for a long time already, and FSHS’s resources have lagged behind the growing service needs. Students do not receive treatment fast enough, and the waiting lists have grown too long. As studies have shown, symptoms of anxiety and depression are more common among higher education students than the rest of the adult population. We, the students, demand that more money be budgeted for FSHS’s mental health services. An equivalent demonstration will be held in Jyväskylä by the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä.
More information on the demonstration is available from Aatu Korhonen (aatu.korhonen@trey.fi, +358 40 713 0088), a member of the Executive Board of the Student Union of Tampere University. We emphasise that the demonstration is not directed at FSHS’s staff or services, but the insufficient funding, which is ultimately decided on by the government.