Brisk Girls and Brave Boys – The Nationalist Youth Education in Finland in the 1930s

Authors

• Eeva Kotioja Helsingin yliopisto

Abstract

The article discusses youth education in the 1930s nationalist movement in Finland. The Karelia Movement and the Patriotic People's Movement organised summer camps designated for nationalist young people. During the summers of 1933–1938 hundreds of youngsters were educated in the town of Kuortane. The purpose of the camps was to teach young people the ideological background of the nationalist movement as well as to train them in military skills. The program was different for boys and girls, which created inequality between them. This discrepancy, however, faded gradually during the decade, as the girls' role grew stronger. The summer education program was an important tool in spreading the nationalist ideology among the Finnish youth. The key attributes cherished within the movement, both for boys and for girls, involved diligence, bravery and briskness. Nationalist young people considered their leaders, Elias Simojoki and Anna-Liisa Heikinheimo, as idols. Especially Simojoki made a strong influence on his male pupils, while Heikinheimo became a role model and a confidant to the girls.