Oh boy, politics!!
I’m currently advocating for grassroots climate action as a European Climate Pact Ambassador (European Commission), as well as more sustainable policymaking as Vice-Chair of the National Coalition Party Youth’s Environment and Urban Policy Network. Previously, I served as a member of the Agenda2030 Youth Group, operating in connection with the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office.
Party politics
I’m a member of the National Coalition Party, as I identify strongly with the party’s core values – freedom, education, democracy, patriotism, and (market-liberal) environmental awareness.
Within the National Coalition Party’s organisations, my political home is Aurajoen Kokoomusnuoret. I’m a member and Secretary of Varsinais-Suomen Kokoomusnuoret, the party’s regional youth organisation in Southwest Finland. I serve on the board of Kokoomuksen Nuorten Turun Aluejärjestö, the Turku regional organisation of the National Coalition Party Youth.
At its annual general meeting, I was elected to chair the regional organisation in 2027. In this capacity, I will also be entitled to attend meetings of the National Coalition Party’s group on Turku City Council.
A few labels, nonetheless
I consider myself a libertarian or classical liberal, depending somewhat on the school of thought. Whatever you choose to call an ideology that believes in extensive individual liberties, personal responsibility, and the right to build one’s own life without unnecessary paternalism.
Freedom and continuity aren’t mutually exclusive. Strong roots, such as Finland’s Christian cultural heritage and patriotism, can serve as catalysts for positive change. So I suppose there’s a conservative streak or two in my thinking as well.
My key objectives
I want to build an educated, internationally minded, and sustainable Finland, where young people actively participate in making decisions that affect them, rather than having their involvement reduced to a mere formality.
In the Finland I envision, everyone has the opportunity to try – and to fail until they succeed. No victim of domestic, intimate partner, or sexual violence is left without just treatment, and our country’s magnificent natural environment has the means to endure for generations to come. Just to name a few of the issues close to my heart.
My role models
My ideological role models (albeit somewhat retrospectively – I’ve sought out historical figures whose thinking aligns with my own) include Friedrich A. Hayek, Alexis de Tocqueville, John S. Mill, Anders Chydenius, Walter Eucken, Wilhelm Röpke, Elinor Ostrom, and Roger Scruton.
Although I certainly don’t agree with them on everything, my leadership role models include the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama; former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin; President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb; Moldova’s sixth President, Maia Sandu; and Ukraine’s wartime President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.