Maahanmuuttajataustaisten nuorten luontosuhde ja luonnon virkistyskäyttö

Successful integration of immigrants has been identified as the key for future social and economic well-being in EU. Nature can be used to support integration. Based on survey data collected from students in 7–9th grades in the city of Lahti (n=1,121), we explore immigrants’ and native Finns’ participation in outdoor recreation and their well-being experiences of and relationships with nature. The study applies the framework of integration to discuss how nature supports the integration of immigrant youth in Finland. The results show that nature is an important part of immigrant adolescents’ everyday lives and can support their structural, cultural, interactive and identificational integration. However, there are also some differences between the immigrant and native adolescents. The study results highlight the better inclusion of the youth and multi-cultural nature-relationships in the governance of natural areas and development of nature-based solutions for integration.