OP cooperative banks engage in extensive local cooperation with the third sector. Promoting children and young people’s physical activity, as well as sports activities, is especially important to OP cooperative banks. The sponsored objects related to physical activity include summer and winter sports and promoting the renovation of exercise venues in cooperation with municipalities.
-By promoting Finnish physical activity, we promote local community spirit and wellbeing, too. Sports club activities play a significant role in Finland in building a spirit of cooperation – OP cooperative banks wish to be deeply involved in this. We also cooperate nationwide with the Finnish Olympic Committee, especially to promote physical activity among children”, says Kati Ihamäki, OP Financial Group’s Head of CSR.
In 2019, OP cooperative banks all around Finland organised almost 300 Hippo events. Over 60,000 children and their families participated in these events. Hippo events are often organised in cooperation with sports clubs. Events are organised around traditional sports activities, such as cross-country skiing, athletics, Finnish baseball, running, orienteering, ice hockey, and in some localities around golf and tennis. Some OP cooperative banks have extended Hippo events into movie nights and football days. Free of charge, the Hippo Club is designed for our young OP cooperative bank customers under the age of 13. The Club seeks to inspire children to do, experience and learn things in a fun way.
-Teaching financial literacy displays OP Financial Group’s strength – local presence. We have a unique opportunity to reach young people in Finland. In 2019, we have taught financial literacy by visiting schools and educational institutions. We have also invited children and young people to banks to teach them skills related to working life, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. With these measures alone, we have reached over 46,000 children and young people, Ihamäki explains.
In addition, OP cooperative banks support and participate in business villages for sixth-graders and ninth-graders in Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Kuopio. The “Mun elämä, mun työ” tour (My life, my work), initiated with Economy and Youth TAT, was targeted at vocational students and reached over 18,000 young people. In spring 2019, over 25,000 ninth-graders participated in the Financial Literacy Competition organised by the Association for Teachers of History and Social Studies in Finland. In conjunction with the competition, OP cooperative bank representatives taught personal financial management to ninth-graders at local events. In 2019, OP also helped over 2,500 young people gain summer employment through the “Summer jobs paid for by OP” campaign.
Representatives of OP cooperative banks teach digital skills for seniors all around Finland by visiting libraries, care homes, local events and by arranging events with, say, local senior citizens’ associations. Over 1,000 events have been organised in 2019, and over 28,000 seniors participated in them. In addition to Feel Confident Online guidance events, OP cooperative banks organise local digital skills weeks and various campaigns. The banks also employ young people to teach digital skills.
-The use of digital services is constantly increasing. Already a third of OP’s customers over 65 use OP eServices for their banking transactions. It is important that banking services are available for everyone, and we also want to actively support our customers in learning to use digital services. Although doing transactions online may feel challenging at first, those who have participated in the events feel that their new skills make everyday life easier”, says Kati Ihamäki.