In Suutarila, tenants look after each other and their shared matters: “Company and help is always available”

The scent of coffee and pastries fills the outdoor hut, and you can hear a buzz of voices around the blazing fire. At Iltatähdenkuja 1 in Suutarila, the atmosphere in the barbecue hut in the courtyard is quite warm and cheerful – for a reason. Tenants used to gather once a week to exchange greetings and grill sausages, but the activities have been on a long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“We finally get to see each other properly! We have been waiting for this,” says Markku Tapio, who is in charge of the grill.  

Tapio has been organising the regular barbecue sessions for several years. In practice, the grill is heated up at the same time every Thursday. 

“We have always had a lot of people attending. These barbecue nights are always organised on a volunteer basis. Someone will bring coffee, another person will bring sweet pastries, and a third person will bring something else.” 
 

Word has clearly spread since most benches in the hut are already taken. Some of the tenants move to sit by the tables outside. There would be room in the club room at the opposite side of the yard, but the idea of the barbecue nights is to spend time in and around the hut. On other days, the club room is in heavy use.  

“We have public sauna hours on Mondays, a bingo night on Tuesdays, games nights on Wednesdays and Sundays, an exercise session on Thursdays, and this barbecue. There is something to do every day,” says Karen Tamminen, who is sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee.  

Before the pandemic, American-born Tamminen also personally held an English Club for the tenants. 

“We got together once a week to speak English. We had such a good time together!” 

Activities based on tenants’ wishes 

Even though the barbecue tradition at Iltatähdenkuja has been going on for years now, the community activities in the building did not come from nowhere. They began in earnest in 2017 thanks to the Yhdessä Kotikulmilla (‘Together in the Neighbourhood’) operating model developed by the Age Institute for seniors.  

The idea of the Together in the Neighbourhood activities is to lower the tenants’ threshold for meeting others and doing things together.  

“When the activities are brought as close to home as possible, or to a shared club room, even tenants who may have trouble with mobility can join various hobbies. Even though the activities were originally designed for seniors, everyone is welcome to join, regardless of age,” says Jukka Murto, coordinator for Together in the Neighbourhood at the Age Institute.  

At Iltatähdenkuja, there have been enthusiastic participants from the start. One of the reasons may be that the housing location is intended for persons aged 60 and older. Most of the homes are studios, which makes the shared yard and club room substitutes for living rooms, of sorts.  

Volunteers help with joining 

Although the Age Institute is behind the Together in the Neighbourhood model, the tenants themselves are in charge of planning and organising the shared activities. For its part, Age Institute trains the talotsemppari volunteer group leaders who see to the practical arrangements. The volunteer group leaders participate in the group meetings, share information about the meetings and programme, and see to the catering. 

Although the Age Institute is behind the Together in the Neighbourhood model, the tenants themselves are in charge of planning and organising the shared activities. For its part, Age Institute trains the talotsemppari volunteer group leaders who see to the practical arrangements. The volunteer group leaders participate in the group meetings, share information about the meetings and programme, and see to the catering. 

At the moment, Iltatähdenkuja has six group leaders. According to Jukka Murto, fewer volunteers would be sufficient, but it is often more pleasant for tenants when responsibilities can be divided among multiple people.  

“The volunteer group leaders receive a start package which helps them launch the activities. We have also organised shared meetings with programme for the volunteers. For example, we have offered tutorials in using digital devices during the pandemic,” Murto says. 

The group leaders can receive support and guidance for their activities by contacting the Age Institute coordinator, for example. The Age Institute also organises various types of training and events for the volunteers to share their experiences with each other. 

Murto and other members of the Age Institute’s Together in the Neighbourhood team sometimes pop in to see what the activities are like in practice. In the middle of grilling, Murto also has time to greet Seppo Müller, the local volunteer group leader. The Age Institute awards grants for small shared purchases, so Müller and Murto are thinking if the Institute could help the tenants of Iltatähdenkuja buy a chess set.  

“Then you can have a chess tournament with the tenants of the surrounding buildings,” Murto suggests. 

Müller started volunteering at the beginning of the year, but he has been familiar with the tenants and shared activities for a long time.  

“I might not have done this alone, but it’s great to share the responsibility. The volunteers are tasked with getting people outside to meet each other, and it seems we have been successful,” he laughs. 

Community spirit to fight loneliness 

The main goal of the activities is to prevent loneliness and create true community spirit among the tenants. When listening to the stories of the Iltatähdenkuja tenants, it is easy to see that the goal has been achieved. 

“I moved here a couple of years ago. I didn’t really know the area or my new neighbours. One day, I sat down on the swing seat there, and in just a few minutes the neighbours showed up to chat with me and wish me welcome,” Pirkko Rynä says. 

Rynä describes the move as winning a lottery. In addition to a nice neighbourhood, the activities have had a great impact on Rynä’s living comfort, and she has since attended training to become a volunteer group leader herself. 

“I never could have imagined that such a group would be waiting for me here! Now I know that, whatever troubles I’m having, I can just walk to the yard and I’ll always find someone to talk to. 

 And what’s best, I’ve even found a number of enthusiastic people to walk my dog,” Rynä says. 

She mentions that tenants sometimes call Iltatähdenkuja ‘the Valley of Death,’ as a playful display of dark humour.  

“You only want to leave feet first!” she laughs. 

Next to her, Peter Schild nods in agreement. When people like their neighbourhood and find company whenever they need it, they do not look to move elsewhere. Schild attends both the barbecue nights and the building’s shared exercise sessions weekly. In his 12 years of living here, he has learned to know both the whole neighbourhood and its residents.  

“We try to stick together. Even though not everyone likes to come to the meetings, we still take care that they are alright. Should something happen, we can offer help when needed,” Schild says.  

“No one needs to be afraid of loneliness or growing old alone here. Company and help is always available, and we also cover the latest developments in world politics and social policy here, in addition to sharing the building’s and tenants’ personal news,” Schild says. 

And when there is reason to celebrate, a party can be easily arranged by working together. The tenants have made it a habit to organise a birthday party for everyone who wants to have one. 

“There have been several parties. All of us receive best wishes in turn, and we have had great times together,” Rynä adds. 

Low-threshold shared activities 

The Together in the Neighbourhood activities developed by the Age Institute are shared group activities for seniors living in Finnish cities. Tenants other than seniors are also equally welcome to join the activities. The activities can be organised in a shared club room or yard.  

The tenants themselves are in charge of the activities with the help of trained volunteer group leaders. The activities can include drinking coffee together, game nights, outdoor exercise or film nights in the building’s club room.  

The purpose of the activities is to offer tenants things to do close to their homes and increase a sense of community among the tenants.  

The best outcome is that the tenants get to know each other and come up with other shared activities, like at Iltatähdenkuja. 

Starting the activities is easy. If you are interested, you should contact the Together in the Neighbourhood team directly. The team will provide both training and tips for where and how to start the meetings.  

Ikainstituutti.fi/kotikulmilla (in Finnish)

Jukka Murto, coordinator of the Together in the Neighbourhood activities: tel. +358 40 552 7100