Reima and its partners announced a commitment to defend children's right to outdoor activities and physical activity
Reima is a leading producer of children's outdoor clothing, whose mission is to enable an active childhood for all children. Reima wants to spark discussion on the topic and has therefore published a commitment that encourages adults to take responsibility for children's health together.
Reima wants to increase the amount of time children spend outdoors and exercise every day. Together with UNICEF Finland, the Outdoor Association of Finland Suomen Latu, the Finnish Olympic Committee and the We Foundation, Reima announced the Reclaim Childhood commitment on Nov 20th, the Day of the Rights of the Child. The commitment has been prepared in cooperation with a multidisciplinary group of experts. It invites parents, educators, decision-makers, municipalities, organisations and companies to join in building a society in which children have the right to be children on the move.
Signatures are collected for the commitment at www.vapautetaanlapset.fi. The goal is to collect 10,000 signatures to support the commitment.
Even in the happiest country in the world, children are not doing well
Finland's ranking in UNICEF's comparison measuring children's well-being has fallen from 5 to 17. The majority of children and young people do not exercise enough. Children do not have enough opportunities to play, go outdoors and test their limits with others when public spaces shrink, parents become exhausted, screenstake over everyday life, and the desire for safety prevents children's creativity and wildness. The problem is not limited to Finland – children's physical activity has decreased all over the world.
Support for parenting is needed
A panel discussion was held at the launch event in Helsinki, with the participation of Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Mika Poutala, UNICEF Finland’s Senior Specialist Erika Turunen, journalist and outdoor influencer Mikko "Peltsi" Peltola, and Reima's CEO Heikki Lempinen.
Minister Poutala brought hopeful greetings from the Government to the panel: the state will allocate EUR 2.5 million for next year to be distributed for the development of daycare centres and school yards. UNICEF Finland's Senior Specialist Erika Turunen emphasised the importance of involving children in the planning of mobility opportunities and stated that children generally wish that their parents would spend more time with them.
Peltsi, the outdoor face familiar to many Finns from television, encourages all parents to be just ordinary people and go out with their children normally. Moving around in everyday life does not require superhuman efforts or expensive hobbies. For his part, he promises to be a brisk person, talk about this issue, and continue to exercise with his children, even though they are already teenagers.
Reima's goal is to take the core idea of the commitment to the world and to share the Nordic way of parenting everywhere the company operates.
"Yesterday, I returned from Reima's U.S. office in Denver, Colorado. In the United States, helicopter parenting is the norm and suggesting that children take risks in their play or go outside without their parents is radical. But in our opinion, a different, freer childhood is perfectly possible to achieve in all countries, if only we adults decide to make it happen. We have plenty of work to do in getting this message out," promises Heikki Lempinen, CEO of Reima.
Read the commitment and sign: www.vapautetaanlapset.fi
Main photo shows the panelists at Sofia, Helsinki 20.11.2025: Niklas Kaskeala, The Activist Agency. Erika Turunen, UNICEF. Minister Mika Poutala. Heikki Lempinen, Reima. Mikko "Peltsi" Peltola.