Support and activities for young people online
Red Cross Youth Shelters offer online support and advice to young people regardless of place of residence. You can find more information on discussion help themes, peer activities and other forms of support below.
Support and activities online
The Sekasin chat is a national discussion platform for young people aged 12–29, available in Finnish and Swedish. The Sekasin chat allows you to discuss questions and topics weighing on your mind anonymously and confidentially. The chat’s on-call workers consist of professionals and trained volunteers from organisations. We care about you and your concerns.
The Sekasin chat in Finnish is open every day of the year, Monday to Friday from 9 am to midnight and Saturdays and Sundays from 3 pm to midnight. The Sekasin chat in Swedish is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 2 pm to 7 pm and Saturdays from 4 pm to 8 pm. It is unfortunately not possible to queue on the line after closing time, and we cannot take on new customers after closing time. You can start queueing again when the chat opens.
The Sekasin chat is coordinated by MIELI Mental Health Finland, the Finnish Red Cross, the Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses and SOS Children’s Villages.
Click here to access the Sekasin chat:
At Nettiturvis we offer free-of-charge, short-term discussion help to young people, families and immediate communities. We will offer help with family and other close relationships and challenges related to daily life. Parents also receive support in matters concerning parenting. We can meet the young person alone or together with their loved ones. Depending on the need, 1–10 meetings can be arranged.
In the Eteenpäin project, we help young adults aged 18–25 in starting their independent life and moving into their own home. We offer support and advice for young people who are worried about coping independently, moving into their own home, taking care of their finances and organising their own affairs. We help strengthen independent life skills and find more help.
Depending on the need, we can arrange 1–10 meetings. If needed, we will seek further help for the young person’s situation together. Meetings can be attended alone, with family members or another member of the immediate community.
Book your appointment for support in becoming independent here.
Would you like to impact matters important to you, but do not know how? Come and join the Digiraati online discussion!
Digiraati panels are guided, anonymous and safe online discussions on matters in young people’s lives.
You can also participate in Digiraati activities as a volunteer.
Learn more about Digiraati activities and participate here.
Olkkari is a meeting place for young people on the Discord platform, open from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Volunteers in Olkkari talk to visitors.
You can talk about everyday things, or questions concerning growing up. Olohuone also serves as an event venue for shared online gaming sessions and crafts, for example. Additionally, experts from various fields visit once a month to talk about their work.
You can access the FRC Youth Shelter Olkkari Discord here.
Loneliness is destructive to human well-being. Each of us needs the company of another person, and even a single positive relationship can stop the cycle of loneliness.
The Finnish Red Cross offers friends where they are needed. The trained volunteer friends from our friend activities bring joy to the everyday lives of lonely people. First and foremost, the volunteer friend is a listener and someone to talk to.
You can make a new friend through the Red Cross or look for an online friend for your loved one. The friends get together and spend time in a manner that suits them, including online.
With a reliable online friend , you can have anonymous one-to-one discussions online using email messages or chat applications. An online friendship is independent of time and place.
You can make a new friend by looking for a Red Cross online friend here.
Are you a professional in the field and interested in the Youth Shelter activities? Read more on the “Information for professionals” page here.