Krister Björklund

"Svenskfinland har genom tiderna haft ett delvis annorlunda emigrationsmönster än andra delar av landet – hurudant, varför och följderna, är temat för denna bok. Trots omfattande forskning och floran av populärvetenskaplig litteratur om finlandssvensk emigration saknas en helhetsbild av utvandringen genom tiderna fram till idag. Föreliggande bok omspänner nästan 500 år av migration till alla delar av världen och beskriver såväl enskilda levnadsöden som övergripande trender. Också de finlandssvenska emigranternas vardagsliv runtom i världen, deras kontakter med det forna hemlandet och föreningsverksamhet ägnas uppmärksamhet. Finlandssvenskarna är idag spridda runt hela världen och diasporan omfattar flera generationer. Globalisering är en central del av den finlandssvenska kulturen."

Almost 13,000 asylum applications were submitted by unaccompanied minors in the EU-countries in 2013. On the one hand, these asylum seekers are children and thus should be treated as migrants in a vulnerable situation requiring special care according to their needs. This research shows that all Nordic countries have fairly well functioning reception systems based on the principle of the best interest of the child, but there are problems: fragmented organizational structures with insufficient cooperation between different administrative sectors and problems with placing unaccompanied children in municipalities which often are unwilling to receive them. There are shortcomings in providing adequate language training and education, in access to health care, especially mental health services and in following up adolescents coming of age with supporting measures.

The popularity of tracing one's roots seems to be constantly increasing. Many genealogists feel at some point in their research that they have reached a point where no more information can be dug into daylight and those who are tracing their overseas roots are more likely than other to run into what seems to be a brick wall. Many start with great enthusiasm and high hopes, but the abundance of information on the internet easily leads astray and guidance is needed through the jungle of information. For those who plan to visit Finland to find their roots, good preparation is crucial. The better they prepare, the more they can find during their trip. The purpose of this booklet is to help Finnish descendants to trace their roots. In the booklet the most important information sources in Finland are described and what the genealogist can except to find. Many of the sources can be utilized at home, through the Internet, by mail or telephone, but some of the basic information can only be researched on the spot. The reader should not expect a complete guide to genealogical sources in Finland, but the booklet gives an outline where to find the most important sources.