1.1 Welfare and well-being

Welfare society:

• State and municipalities have a large role in promoting well-being of citizens. They are in responsible for minimum health and social security as well as social rights of citizens. These rights are ruled by the Constitution. The law confirms a sufficient income and care to everyone if the person is not able to manage by him/herself.
• Purpose of the welfare state is to offer welfare to everyone. However, it is not perfect society either. Welfare states have their challenges too. Those problems are unemployment, poverty and social problems of different kind as well as inequality.
• Most of the services are offered free by the welfare states. This means that people have to pay a lot of taxation. With taxation, those basic services as education, social and health care, police services etc. are financed. Taxation is progressive in Finland. Progressive taxation means that people with low- income don´t have to pay as much taxes than those with higher income.

For asylum seekers, welfare society means:

• Right to minimum income (reception allowance).
• Municipalities have responsibility to organize maternity-, school and student health care services for asylum seekers.

 What is well-being?

• At individual level, well-being means a person´s experience of being well.
• Social and health services promote well-being. However, each of us can support our own well-being and health.
• Well-being is constructed by our function and acting every day. Everyday living means routines. It is an opposite to the feast.

Well-being means that:

• You have resources enough to act and make everyday life meaningful for yourself.
• You can participate in activities at reception center and nearby environment.
• You are able to influence common matters as well to your own life.
• Resources can be considered everything that produce good for you and the other people around you.
• To some people resources means having money enough, the others get strengths and resources from the relationship with other people or from different activities as walking, drawing, hobby or discussions.
• Important part of well-being is a safe environment and sense of safety.

The Following factors may promote health and wellbeing in a new country:

• Self-perceived quality of life and living conditions in a new country.
• Support of one’s own family and community.
• Trust and confidence to the other people and to the society.
• Healthy living habits.

The following matters may challenge the wellbeing:

• Difficult experiences in the country of origin.
• Often challenging and dangerous journey to a new country.
• Long waiting and possible duration of asylum application -process.
• Difficulties of getting a residence permit.
• Poor living conditions at the reception center.
• Difficulties in integration, as language barriers, unlimited possibilities participating in training courses or other communities around.
• Uncured diseases.
• Being not eligible to most of the social and health care services in Finland.
• Worry about the family members left in homeland.
• Special issues of the individual,  as how to maintain valuable traditions of one´s own culture (hereditary diseases, circumcision).
• Challenging experiences in Finland (for example discrimination, inadequate social network).

The ways, which support you, to manage and cope through challenging moments are your strengths and resources.