The city wants its residents to get involved in doing good deeds

The Night of the Arts on 10 August launches the Year of Good Deeds, which aims to raise awareness of the good deeds that people in Vaasa do for other people and the environment. The city will collect good deeds through a dedicated website form and a counter where the number of good deeds will be tracked and updated.

– Everyone can contribute to making Vaasa the happiest city in the world by doing good deeds and reporting them on our website. We want to show the people of Vaasa and the rest of the world that Vaasa cares about and invests in the happiness of its residents, says Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa.

Every good deed is valuable

All you need to do to participate is to do a good deed and report it on the website at vuosihyviätekoja.fi. Deeds can be anything, big or small, that spreads joy and goodwill in everyday life. A good deed can be smiling at someone on the street, picking up garbage from the street or nature, or giving flowers to a friend. It can also be volunteering for an organisation or sports club, protecting biodiversity, or saying a kind word to a stranger sitting next to you.

– We all already do a lot of good deeds and during the following year, we want to highlight even more of them. We hope they act as an incentive and inspiration to make good deeds a daily habit for all of us, says Leena Forsén, the city’s Communications and Marketing Director.

The Year of Good Deeds officially starts on 10 August, when the city will participate in the Night of the Arts.

– We will be presenting more on the theme on the market square stage at 5 pm, and you can also find us in the tent in the market square with a programme of activities related to the theme, says Forsén.

Vaasa to become the happiest city in the world

The idea behind doing good deeds is that helping or making others happy brings joy to both the doer and the receiver. Each small act of kindness is important in creating happiness.

– Happiness is something we all have in common, and we all work towards it together, one act at a time. Happiness is about taking care of ourselves and each other, Forsén stresses.

Häyry says that the city as an organisation will invest in doing good deeds in many ways throughout the year. One example is the Corporate Administration’s decision to allow employees to spend one working day doing volunteer work of their choice.

– Increasing happiness is part of our city’s strategy, and doing good deeds is a concrete way of taking steps to increase happiness.