 (Kuva: Jussi Hynninen) |
Anni Haataja
Translated by Linus Atarah
The Finnish Broadcasting Company's (YLE) campaign "YLE Helps" already familiar to many Finns will be renewed in the autumn. The BBC's Red Nose concept arrives in Finland in the form of "YLE Helps Nose Day". The target of the information campaign is among other things SASK's child workers project in India and Nepal.
YLE's fundraising campaign has raised money for developing co-operation work since 2002. The campaign will experience a significant change in its five-year history; in the autumn a new version of "Red Nose Day" campaign concept will be brought into Finland, in Finnish "Nenäpäivä".
The concept is a creation of the BBC and the charity organization Comic Relief, and the mark of the campaign, going by its name is a red nose. On the Nenäpäivä everyone regardless of age collects money for different good causes by performing all kinds of funny tricks with an attached red nose.
- Right from the beginning YLE Helps has tried to avoid the furrowed-brow approach to development co-operation and apportioning blame. It has instead wanted to raise the interest of new people in development co-operation work. Therefore for many years already, we have moved towards the red nose concept and that is why we decided to open up discussions for bringing the Nose Day into Finland with Comic Relief, says
Riikka Kämppi, executive director of YLE Helps.
By coincidence Comic Relief was at that time in search of new countries for its red nose concept. In addition to Britain, the red nose is already familiar in Germany, Hungary, Australia and Iceland. It will arrive in Finland in October.
First Red Nose Day in October
Proceeds from the YLE Helps campaign will be used for the projects of nine organizations such as SASK's child workers in Pakistan, India and Nepal. Kämppi does not see any conflict between poverty and a campaign based on fun.
- We are in no circumstance making fun of people in developing countries; rather we deal with the issue in a respectable manner. This doesn't however mean that funds cannot be raised for a serious cause using fun as means.
According to Kämppi, Nenäpäivä has been received with enthusiasm in partner organizations and she believes that it will quickly gain popularity with large audiences.
- The first Nenäpäivä in October is a big test. We shall see then how people will receive the new format. I believe that to Finnish people it is a relief in itself that helping doesn't have to be done with furrowed brow, says Kämppi.
Noses to be available in nearest kiosks
Detached noses made of plastic will be the logo of Nenäpäivä. They will be sold in nearby kiosks and profits from their sale will go into the chest of the overall campaign. The first Red Nose Day in Iceland was organised around Christmas and there the nose was a hit product. Ten thousands noses were sold in the island nation of
300 000 people.
- Children in particular think a detached red nose is an excellent idea and in Iceland it was precisely children who provided enthusiasm for other family members to participate in the campaign, say Kämppi.
As a first task when Kämppi began planning Nenäpäivä she wanted to verify the ethics surrounding the manufacture of the noses. She considers it important that YLE should more than ever take notice of the origin of all products "so that the products do not give the whole campaign idea a slap in the face".
For instance T-shirts coming for sale in connection with the Nenäpäivä will be made from fair trade cotton.
The Nenäpäivä will be organized on October 26 when YLE regional radio stations will be broadcasting fundraising programmes the whole day. The day will climax with a five-hour live Nenäpäivä TV broadcast on YLE television channel 2. Fifteen celebrities whose identities are still a closely guarded secret will serve as public symbols of Nenäpäivä.
In addition to radio and television programmes fun activities will be organised in schools, daycares, work places and sports clubs during the campaign weeks of the Nenäpäivä. In the workplaces the Nenäpäivä campaign will be most visible in the form of the challenge campaign of the trade movement taking off in the beginning of the autumn and carried out by YLE Helps and SASK.
The challenge campaign provides local branches of the trade unions an opportunity to challenge each other collecting money for the YLE Helps campaign. Workers can for instance, search for ideas for different funny street activities as well as joke comeptition between employers and staff, explains executive director of SASK
Hannu Ohvo.
The challenge campaign will be carried out through the web pages of YLE Helps which enables the person challenged to become aware instantly. In this way a positive "snowball effect" is created, says Ohvo.
Proceeds from the Nose Day campaign will be shared among the campaign partners. Last year the fundraising realized €1.9 million, the best in its history. According to Kämppi the aim this year is to set a new record.
Information on the first day of the Nenäpäivä will be concentrated on child workers and especially SASK's child workers project in India and Nepal. Riikka Kämppi visited the projects in the two countries and was impressed with what she saw.
- I have worked in development co-operation for years and only now have I realised how strengthening trade union movement has such a big significance in eradicating extreme poverty, says Kämppi.
- Only a strong union movement can demand better working conditions and salaries and therefore families do not have to resort to child labour in order to support a living.
YLE's filming crew headed to Nepal in May to produce film material for the purpose of the fundraising programme. Hannu Ohvo is waiting with interest on the national focus to be trained on the activities of SASK which has been going on for long.
- Hopefully we shall gain some recognition for our work and above all to make known the multiple tasks of the trade union movement as an interest organisation as well as one engaged in humanitarian work, states Ohvo.
