Schools reaching out_to_a_global_world

F I N N I S H N AT I O N A L
B O A R D O F E D U C AT I O N

Liisa Jääskeläinen and Tarja Repo (eds.)

SCHOOLS REACHING OUT
TO A GLOBAL WORLD
What competences do global citizens need?

Schools reaching out 2011:34
Publications to a global world 137

Publications 2011:34
As a Global Citizen in Finland project

Liisa Jääskeläinen and Tarja Repo (eds.)

Schools Reaching out
to a Global World

ULKOASIAINMINISTERIÖ
UTRIKESMINISTERIET

Editorial board Irmeli Halinen
Mikko Hartikainen
Erja-Outi Heino
Lea Houtsonen
Liisa Jääskeläinen
Tarja Repo

Translation Intertext

Layout Katja Särkkä

Printing Kopijyvä, Kuopio 2011

Publications 2011:34

ISBN 978-952-13-4934-8 (pb.)
ISBN 978-952-13-4935-5 (pdf)

www.oph.fi/publications

© Finnish National Board of Education and authors

Cover photo Marianne Pärnänen / Ekenäs Upper Secondary School

TO THE READER
Affairs, and the head teachers and
teachers of the 15 schools involved in the
project. The majority of project work was

G
lobalisation changes the world carried out at the schools. Experiences
and brings a changing world were shared and the schools’ work was
with its joys and problems closer steered and co-ordinated at seminars
to us. Distances have become shorter in organised by the Finnish National
many ways; places that were once so far Board of Education. An international
away are now more familiar to more and symposium entitled Becoming a Global
more people. Technological development Citizen was held at Hanasaari Swedish-
has enabled rapid communication of Finnish Cultural Centre in Espoo. As
information – we find out about things well as the Finnish National Board of
that happen in different parts of the world Education, the symposium organisers
in real time. In a global world, economic included the Global Education Network
ties are getting closer and closer, bringing Europe (GENE), the Ministry of Foreign
about both new opportunities and Affairs, the Ministry of Education and
threats. The daily life of each and every Culture and Hanasaari Swedish-Finnish
one of us is bound to global changes and Cultural Centre.
turbulences in different ways. I would like to thank all the schools
The As a Global Citizen in Finland involved in the project and their staff for
project has been implemented as a co- their excellent work. I also thank all the
operation project with a busy schedule. partners and, in particular, the Ministry
Through excellent co-operation between of Foreign Affairs for making this project
different parties, the project has defined possible. The work has required plenty
the competences of global citizenship, of competence and it has shared visions
while also preparing for the forthcoming and enthusiasm. These are all needed to
reform of the National Core Curricula for promote global citizenship.
general education. The project has also I hope that the project material
compiled good practices developed by included in this publication is useful for
participating schools as part of their own all teachers at comprehensive schools and
work. Deliberation on the theoretical upper secondary schools and for everyone
background relating to global education involved in development of education at
in co-operation with university researchers local and national levels. Based on the
and sharing experiences between different Finnish process and experiences, I warmly
countries have formed an important part welcome other countries to carry out
of the work. similar projects.
The Finnish National Board of
Education (FNBE) co-ordinated the As a Jorma Kauppinen
Director
Global Citizen in Finland project, which Finnish National
was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Board of Education
Affairs. In addition to FNBE officials,
active participants have included Ms. Chair
Council of Europe’s
Erja-Outi Heino, Communications Steering Committee
Officer from the Ministry of Foreign for Education

Schools reaching out to a global world 3

Schools Reaching out to a Global World
PAGE


3 To the reader Jorma Kauppinen

6 How the As a Global Citizen in Finland project was implemented Liisa Jääskeläinen

I Schools took on the task
Tarja Repo

14 Sustainable development 48 Teachers joined forces across subject
belongs to all boundaries
Pupils at Vihti-based Jokikunta Primary Seinäjoki Upper Secondary School collected
School compared schooling and gardening the scattered themes of global education into
with their peers in Ecuador, sent KeKe a single six-week study unit, also producing
dolls around the world and made Polish a guide about it for other schools.
eTwinning friends.
56 Sharing a common nest
20 In search of a good life The combined Lapinlahti Upper Secondary
‘What makes a good life and global citizenship?’ School and Upper Secondary School in
asked pupils at Riihenmäki Lower Secondary Visual Arts, located in North Savo, placed
School in Mäntsälä as part of its pupil-driven its own and other schools’ global education
and cross-curricular project. under a critical microscope.

28 School development co-operation 62 Upper secondary school opens doors
launched a popular movement to the whole world
Vesilahti Lower Secondary School in Student exchanges and other forms of direct
the Tampere Region is a diversely and contact with other countries offer know
genuinely international school away from ledge and experiences to students at the
the world’s hubs. Swedish-language Ekenäs Upper Secondary
School in Raasepori.
36 Equal partnership with Tanzania
Kasavuori Lower Secondary School in 68 Seven more gateways to the world
Kauniainen sends the majority of pupils’ Schools providing basic education and
proceeds from the school’s Operation Day’s general upper secondary education from
Work drive to its African twin school, but Pori to Raahe set out on an expedition to
wants to develop the partnership into a explore our common globe, each taking a
more reciprocal cultural exchange. different approach.

42 A bilingual school is a source of richness
The Finnish-Russian School in Helsinki
set out to free up dormant resources
accumulated by pupils as part of living
between two cultures.
4

II What could global citizens’
competences be?
76 Competence approach and its 96 Global citizen’s economic
pedagogical implications competence
Irmeli Halinen Pauli Arola
The comprehensive competence of the It is important to reflect on global
future should be reflected in curricula and changes in the economy and on what
teaching. The competence-based working economic skills young citizens need to
approach is intellectually challenging and face the world.
socially supportive.
100 Global citizen’s civic competence
82 Global citizen’s ethics Kristina Kaihari and Arja Virta
Pekka Elo and Hoda Shabrokh Young people play a key role in creating
Justice, courage and moderation support new means of active citizenship and
a good life. global participation and a new pol
itical culture.
85 Intercultural competence
Mikko Hartikainen and Paula Mattila 105 Global responsibility and
Intercultural competence means the skill development partnership
and will to communicate constructively Erja-Outi Heino and Lea Houtsonen
with people from different cultural Global responsibility is built through
backgrounds. partnership – both in local everyday
life and globally.
90 Sustainable lifestyle
Lea Houtsonen and Liisa Jääskeläinen
A viable and diverse biosphere is the
foundation for humans’ subsistence and
well-being. Let’s take care of it!

III Moving forward on the learning
pathway
112 Global citizenship – a contemporary 119 Global education – theoretical
challenge for schools background and new
Gun Jakobsson perspectives
The Swedish-language Vaasa Teacher Liisa Jääskeläinen
Training School took up the task of ‘…for learning pathways, the limits
reflecting on how to raise education for and end points of which no-one has
global citizenship as the entire school’s staked out in advance.’
strategic choice.
128 Language programme in Finland


How the As a Global Citizen in
Finland project was implemented
Baseline situation Global education in the spirit of
The Finnish National Board of Maastricht
Education (FNBE) has implemented a Adapting the Maastricht Global
global education development project Education Declaration (2002), global
entitled As a Global Citizen in Finland education ‘is education that opens
in co-operation with the Development people’s eyes and minds to the realities
Communications Group of the Ministry of the world, and awakens them to
of Foreign Affairs, the school network and bring about a world of greater justice
several experts. The purpose of the project and sustainability’. The project decided
was to put together a vision for the key to focus on development education – in
premises, challenges and opportunities in the sense used by the Ministry of Foreign
terms of education for global citizenship in Affairs – which is based on the UN
a glob lised world. The project has sought
a Millennium Development Goals.
and developed ways of participating The project was launched in the
in building a world of greater justice autumn of 2010 and ended in late 2011.
and sustainability that are suitable for It played a diverse role in the preparations
children’s and young people’s experiences. of curricular reform within the Finnish
Particular attention has focused on the National Board of Education and at
competences required of a global citizen regional and national education events.
and how these competence needs could What kinds of things did this year actually
possibly be described in the forthcoming involve?
curricular reform of general education.
The project is a continuation of co- Organisation of the project
operation in education for international In November 2010, the Finnish National
understanding between the Finnish Board of Education received a €195,000
National Board of Education and the grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was for the purpose of implementing the As
initiated back in 1995. The term ‘global a Global Citizen in Finland project. The
education’ has been used since the early Board invited Mr. Jorma Kauppinen,
21st century. The project has also been an FNBE Director, to chair the project
used for implementation of the Global co-ordination team with the following
Education 2010 programme run by the members: Ms. Erja-Outi Heino,
Ministry of Education. A key influence Communications Officer from the
on creation of the programme was a 2004 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Liisa
peer review by the Global Education Jääskeläinen (Vice Chair), Mr. Pekka
Network Europe (GENE) and subsequent Elo, Mr. Mikko Hartikainen, Ms. Lea
measures. Houtsonen, Ms. Kristina Kaihari, Ms.
Katarina Rejman and Ms. Paula Mattila,
all Counsellors of Education from the
FNBE. The secretary of the team was

6

initially Assistant Paula Paronen, followed upper secondary level. The network was
by Assistant Helen Ala-Seppälä, Project also diverse in regional and linguistic
Assistant Hoda Shabrokh and finally terms. In addition to Finnish- and
Secretary to the management Merja Swedish-language schools, we also invited
Väänänen. The financial administration the Helsinki-based Finnish-Russian
for the team was entrusted to Secretary School and the French School of Helsinki
Inkeri Gröhn, who was also responsible as well as teacher training schools from
for setting up and updating the project different universities. Of the teacher
website. training schools, the Swedish-language
In addition to the actual co-ordination Vaasa Teacher Training School took up
team, the project had two separate the invitation.
teams responsible for its international Each school produced a project plan
symposium and for preparing this including a budget proposal. The FNBE
publication. The publication team also assessment team assessed the content-
involved Ms. Katja Särkkä, visual arts related relevance and project competence
teacher respon sible for graphic design of each project. Important dimensions
for the entire project, and Ms. Tarja of competence included networking,
Repo, reporter, whose key task became effectiveness, learning environments,
focused on compiling Chapter I of this outputs and embedding achievements.
publication. The team placed particular importance on
raising global education to the level of the
Building the school network school’s entire operational culture.
Right from the start, the project wanted The Finnish National Board of
to hear the voices of schools and highlight Education signed an agreement to cover
good teaching practices. Due to the each school project with each school’s
busy schedule, the Finnish National education provider. School-specific
Board of Education sent a letter on project funding varied between €900 and
15th December 2010 to invite schools €5,000. Project funds were used to cover
with prior competence in at least some extra costs arising from the project. The
area of global education to participate schools were also able to send teachers to
in the project. The invited schools have project seminars, because project funds
participated in networks or projects with were used to cover travel costs and any
similar objectives, such as the Global possible loss of income.
citizen and the media project funded by After the initial preparation phase, the
the Ministry of Education as part of its project network settled on 15 schools, two
Global Education 2010 programme, the of which provide education in Swedish.
ENSI school network (Environment and
School Initiatives) and UNESCO schools. Seminars
In addition, the Board also invited some The project’s start-up seminar was
schools that were otherwise very active in organised on FNBE premises on 4th
their internationalisation. February 2011. Participants reflected
When the school network was being on the project’s objectives and starting
built, care was taken to involve learners points and analysed the concept of ‘global
of different ages from primary to general citizen’, while also weighing up project


ideas in groups led by co-ordination project or that at least the learners had not
team members, with particular focus on been involved in planning the project. We
the significance of skills. Ms. Hannele also heard that young people were more
Cantell, Director of Subject Teacher worried about racism among adults than
Education at the University of Helsinki, among their own peers.
gave a lecture on phenomenon-based At the workshop seminar, Counsellor of
pedagogy. Mr. Olli Hakala, philosophy Education Liisa Jääskeläinen described
and ethics teacher from Töölö Secondary the current project situation and outlined
School, talked about global citizens’ how global citizenship can be under tood,
s
ethics. Counsellor of Education Liisa using additional material. In add ition,
Jääskeläinen described a process carried she presented the views of Ms. Vanessa
out in the Netherlands to reflect on de Oliveira Andreotti, Professor of Global
the same topics, which had produced a Education at the University of Oulu,
publication entitled Windows on the World on how different frames of reference
– Canon for Global Citizenship Committee1. influence our sensitivity to perceive
In addition, a tentative outline for global global changes while also having a de
citizens’ competences was presented at cisive effect on what means of education
the start-up seminar, while participants and training we consider to be wise ways
also agreed on joint further measures. Key to respond to globalisation. Counsellor
measures implemented after the seminar of Education Irmeli Halinen, Head of
included drawing up school-specific the FNBE Curriculum Development
project plans, assessment of the plans and Unit, talked about reform needs in basic
provision of feedback for the schools by education and the competence approach
the Finnish National Board of Education, as a key starting point for reform of the
any possible further development of the National Core Curriculum. Head teacher
plans, and signing project agreements Antti Jokikokko from Lapinlahti Upper
with each school’s education provider. Secondary School in Visual Arts spoke
The workshop seminar of the As a about his own school’s project, which was
Global Citizen in Finland project was specifically geared towards strengthening
organised on FNBE premises on 13th intercultural competence. Groups led by
May 2011. The workshop seminar was co-ordination team members addressed
scheduled to coincide with the Forum further development of school projects,
for Children and Young People and with particular focus on how projects
invitations to the forum were sent to would support clarification of global
the project schools this time. Seminar citizens’ competences and what types of
participants listened to children’s and pedaogy and school culture could be
g
young people’s ideas about what global used in this identity development work.
education could be about, in what ways The project’s final seminar was held
they could participate in the project and at Helsinki Congress Paasitorni on 13th
by what means they could influence even October 2011. At the beginning of the
global issues. It became clear that some seminar, Counsellor of Education Liisa
schools had not yet properly launched the Jääskeläinen gave a brief description
of the overall project situation and
1 www.venstersopdewereld.nl Counsellor of Education Irmeli Halinen
recalled the dimensions of competence
8

and their effects on curricula. Seminar teach learners to question things, build
participants enjoyed seeing and hearing knowledge through interaction, open
the project schools’ presentations on how up a wide variety of views, deal with
they had carried out their projects and uncertainty and act ethically.
what kinds of results they had achieved. During our brief project, some serious
During the presentations, participants news items affected us from all around the
reflected on global citizens’ competences, world. These are some examples:
in other words, what types of knowledge, • the tsunami and nuclear disaster in
skills, or attitudes, values and will each Japan in March 2011
competence comprises. The ideas were • the fight for democracy in the Arab
compiled into a memo, which was sent countries, the Arab Spring 2011
to the writers of the articles dealing • economic crises in Europe and around
with specific competences. Seminar the world – a banking crisis, a euro
participants also received information crisis or a moral crisis?
about the views presented in the Becoming • job reductions at Nokia – economic
a Global Citizen symposium, which are globalisation pains glocally
also discussed in Chapter III. • the death of Osama bin Laden in
Chapter I provides a rich overview of Pakistan – the question of the end of
the work carried out by the project schools the War on Terror
and, at the same time, of the final seminar • the Utøya massacre and Norwegians’
contributions. More material produced as reactions to the tragedy
part of the project has been collected on • the world population exceeded 7
the FNBE website 2, which also includes billion.
some articles by doctoral student Anna-
Leena Riitaoja, MA (Edu), shedding light Each item in that list could be a topic of
on the theoretical background of global a diverse study module, which could be
education. used to guide pupils and students to reflect
on issues such as dealing with uncertainty
Role of education in a world of or the basis on which one could build
uncertainty? one’s own ethical solutions. Our seminar
The post-colonial interpretation of glob participants were unanimous in the
alisation presented by Ms. Vanessa de conclusion that there should be more
Oliveira Andreotti, Professor of Global time to discuss current affairs.
Education at the University of Oulu, The As a Global Citizen in Finland
is of particular interest to the project, project set out to determine what kinds of
which is why I would like to conclude competences a global citizen would need.
with it. This interpretation is based on This is the question that we will try to
criticism of mod rnity that has long been
e answer in the next chapters.
set as an ideal for social development
and, in particular, development co-
Liisa Jääskeläinen
operation. It is now essentially admitted Counsellor of Education
that development is uncertain. This Finnish National Board of Education
being the case, the role of education is to
2 http://www.oph.fi/kehittamishankkeet/
maailmankansalaisena_suomessa

m Vaasa Teacher
Training School Class
8B at work on the
concept of ‘global
citizen’.
PHOTO Carina Storthors

i An Africa-themed
day brought more
colour to Kasavuori
School’s autumn. The
programme included
a food quiz, for
example.
PHOTO Marjo Kekki

As a Global Citizen in Finland
International contacts of
participating schools

1–2 contacts
3–5 contacts
1–2 kontaktia
6–15 contacts
3–5 kontaktia Norway
6–15 kontaktia
Sweden
Norja Russia
Northern Ireland
Ruotsi Venäjä
Denmark
Pohjois-Irlanti Estonia
Tanska Latvia
England Viro
Netherlands
Belgium
Englanti Latvia
Canada Alankomaat Germany
France Poland
Belgia Czech rep.
Kanada Ranska Saksa Puola
Slovakia
Switzerland Austria
Tšekki
Portugal Slovakia
United States Sveitsi Itävalta Romania
Yhdysvallat Portugali Spain Italy
Romania
Espanja Italia
Greece Turkey

Kreikka Turkki

Senegal

Senegal

Ecuador
Tanzania
Ecuador
Tansania
Zambia

Sambia

MAP Kauko Kyöstiö/Spatio Oy

12

ÆÆ The global education development project entitled As
a Global Citizen in Finland involved 15 comprehensive
schools and upper secondary schools.
ÆÆ In all, the schools participating in the project had just
over a hundred established international contacts.
ÆÆ The majority of the schools’ international contacts were
twin and partner schools operating in other countries.
ÆÆ International co-operation involved student exchanges
and various projects on the eTwinning Portal, for
example.
ÆÆ The general objectives for co-operation included
increasing linguistic and cultural awareness and
acquiring social capital.
ÆÆ Contacts with other countries were a natural and
important part of the operational culture at the schools
involved in the project.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Ekenäs Upper Secondar y School, Raasepori
Finnish-Russian School, Helsinki
Japan
China
French-Finnish School of Helsinki
Japani
Kiina Jokela Primar y School, Raahe
India Jokikunta Primar y School, Vihti
Intia Kasavuori Lower Secondar y School, Kauniainen
Vietnam Kauhajoki Upper Secondar y School
Vietnam Kuninkaanhaka Lower Secondar y School, Pori
Lapinlahti Upper Secondar y School and Upper
Secondar y School in Visual Arts
Mäntymäki Primar y School, Kauniainen
Pispala Primar y School, Tampere
Riihenmäki Lower Secondar y School, Mäntsälä
Seinäjoki Upper Secondar y School
Vaasa Teacher Training School
Vesilahti Lower Secondar y School

New Zealand

Uusi-Seelanti


PHOTOS Niina Skutnabb

Sustainable development
BELONGS TO ALL
Jokikunta Primar y School
Global citizens in the garden – our common nature
ÆÆ The project educates primary school pupils to take global responsibility.
ÆÆ In the Secret Garden, schoolchildren cultivate plants and compare gardening with
children in Ecuador.
ÆÆ Recycled materials were used to make KeKe dolls that spread the word of a
sustainable lifestyle around the world (‘KeKe’ is an abbreviation of ‘kestävä
kehitys’, the Finnish term for sustainable development).
ÆÆ In an online blog at kekedoll.blogspot.com, everyone can tell their own KeKe
story.
ÆÆ The Polish twin school receives letters written in English via the eTwinning site.
ÆÆ Pupils gain first-hand experiences of international activities and receive
information about other cultures.
ÆÆ Language programme: English as the A1-syllabus language (first compulsory
foreign language).
ÆÆ A specific competence objective is a sustainable lifestyle.
ÆÆ Website: http://peda.net/veraja/vihti/jokikunta

14 I Schools took on the task ÆÆ Jokikunta Primary School

f Jokikunta pupils have compared
schooling with their partner school in
Ecuador.

K
eKe dolls convey the message of year. Festivals have been held with prizes
sustainable development from awarded to pupils who managed to grow
pupils at Vihti-based Jokikunta the largest pumpkins. The most sizeable
Primary School to all corners of the specimen weighed almost 70 kilos.
world. Environmental issues form an
integral part of the village school’s You need to have roots
every life. The school’s Secret
day Jokikunta School chose global citizenship
Garden is already a topic of discussion as the main theme for the 2011/2012
as far away as in Ecuador. school year. The impetus for this project
came from the school’s own gardening
Jokikunta Primary School, located in the patches.
Uusimaa Region of Southern Finland, has ‘The idea was that you need to have
focused its profile on media education. A roots in order to grow wings. It’s good to
sustainable lifestyle is also a frequent topic know your own village community and
of discussion at this school with three culture in order to be a global citizen in
teachers and just over 60 pupils in grades Finland too. Then you can see yourself
1–6 of basic education. living in a big city without forgetting
For a few years now, the school has where you come from,’ explains head
been carrying out its own environmental teacher Ville-Matti Hurskainen.
education project with a name that evokes The roots of Jokikunta pupils
memories of childhood reading especially are partially based on environmental
among more mature people – ‘The Secret awareness. This inspired the idea of taking
Garden’. the notion of sustainable development
The school garden is part of Vihti’s around the world.
municipal programme for sustainable As part of the project, pupils were
development known as the Vihti Model. assigned tasks suitable for each year class.
Tending the vegetable garden, Those in grades 1–2 learnt the basics of
natural history and environmental issues sustainable development and recycling as
are part of children’s lives from the day part of their craft activities. The garden
they start school. The Secret Garden is was mostly tended by third- and fourth-
about working together to take care of graders, who learnt more about habitat
the school’s flower bed. There is also a and other factors influencing plant
vegetable garden in the school grounds growth. In addition to pumpkins, pupils
where teachers used to have allotments. also planted peas, flowers and more.
The school receives help with gardening ‘We also planned to exchange plant
from the Vihti 4H Association and the seeds between countries, but the customs
local Jokikunta club of the national authorities intervened. That’s why we
Martha Organisation. have only communicated using images.
The aim is to organise a harvest festival We received some photos of the vegetable
every autumn as a highlight of the school garden and pig breeding in Ecuador and


we’ve sent them some pictures of our own development.
vegetable patches,’ the head teacher says. During the autumn of 2011, they
The project provided all pupils in finished about a dozen dolls, which
grades 1–4 with the opportunity to were mailed to other schools in different
familiarise themselves with another parts of the world. The idea is that each
culture through their own activities. receiving school then forwards their doll
Fifth- and sixth-graders also learnt more to the next school accompanied by their
about the lifestyle of another culture and own covering letter.
about how primary production plays a ‘We’ve searched for target schools
more importnt role in many countries
a around the world as teamwork.’
than it does in Finland. In order for children around the
world to get in contact with each other,
Dolls sent out with letters a blog was created for the dolls. Everyone
In the first two grades, pupils made KeKe can go there to tell their own KeKe story
dolls from recycled materials and wrote an about sustainable development.
accompanying letter explaining the idea Pupils in grades 5–6 were put in charge
behind the doll and about sustainable of mailing the dolls. Pupils prepared for


j The Ecuadorians have used the proceeds from h Gardening brings schoolchildren on two
breeding animals to buy computers, which are continents together. The Finns received
the only ones at any school in the whole region. information about what tending a vegetable
garden is like at a South American school.

their task by studying other countries and West Ecuador. Ms. Skutnabb told the
cities as part of different subjects. Ecuadorians about Jokikunta School’s
plans and they became very interested.
Interest in Ecuador ‘I went there on a study visit last
One of the dolls was sent to a partner spring. I took with me some photos of
school in Ecuador, with which Jokikunta our school and its garden and a letter to
pupils have shared their experiences of the teachers. They welcomed me with
gardening in particular. open arms and I learnt about their school
The partner school was discovered systems and gardens.’
by Niina Skutnabb, an after-school club The consortium schools have a nur
instructor and learning assistant, who has sery where they grow fruit and useful
an acquaintance who runs a consortium plants for their own use and to sell locally.
of five schools, known as Educativa In addition, lower secondary school
Rural San Francisco del Cabo, in North- pupilsbreed poultry, pigs and cows,


which are sold when they are old enough.
The activities are well-organised and the
animals are very well looked after. The
proceeds from selling the animals have
been used to buy computers, which are
the only ones at any school in the whole
region.
‘The children were excited about the
photos, drawings and paintings of the
Ecuadorians. The far-away school and
its pupils become something real for the
children when they receive their actual
letters in their hands.’
Ms. Skutnabb believes that the project
has provided Jokikunta pupils with
new information and ideas about what
schooling is like in South America. Their
Ecuadorian peers, in turn, have learnt
about a country called Finland, located h The Secret Garden is the jewel in the crown of
far away in Europe, and its industry and Jokikunta School, providing an idyllic setting for
vegetation. visual arts classes, for example.

Information and experiences
According to the head teacher, the school’s and radio plays and engaging in online
youngest pupils in particular have been discussions. People make active use of
excited about the project. It is quite an information technology in support of
experience for them to be in contact with learning.
other countries. It is hoped that their own ‘I feel that the easiest way for a
school could welcome some international teacher to teach social media is to use it
guests one day. For teachers, the diverse for a real-life purpose. The medium used
project brought additional work, which in our project is the blog where anyone
they felt was an extra burden to some can write their own stories,’ the head
extent. On the whole, however, people at teacher points out. A further idea behind
Jokikunta School have had an opportun the international blog is to seek out new
ity not only to increase awareness of their partners for Jokikunta School in other
own local culture, but also to compare it countries. Such contacts may turn out to
with other world cultures. be useful in the future.
The project also covered media ‘If a specific country is dealt with as
education, which is visible in teaching in part of a subject, we can use the blog to
many other respects as well. For instance, send them questions about the topic.’
schoolwork involves producing videos


Let’s Meet – Polish pen-pals for pupils

ÆÆ Pupils at Jokikunta Primary School ‘A further aim is to create contacts
were also immersed in international co- between pupils and their peers living in
operation in the eTwinning project as another country, thus extending their
part of their English studies. Teacher knowledge of the world and different
Krista Taipalvesi warmly recommends cultures. We also hope to see increasing
her colleagues to check out the tolerance towards diversity and different
eTwinning forum, if they have not cultures.’
already done so. Ms. Taipalvesi has received positive
feedback on the project from her pupils.
The Let’s Meet project covers fifth- and ‘It provides them and me too with
sixth-graders who have made pen-pals new materials to build and broaden our
with their peers in Poland. The project world-views. The project has a strong
was initiated by class teacher Krista focus on the cultural aspect of global
Taipalvesi. Everything started in the education. I personally feel that co-
summer of 2011 when she visited the operation with foreign teachers is very
eTwinning forum and found a partner in inspiring and instructive. These kinds of
Ania Milerska, a teacher at a school in projects are a lot of work for a teacher, but
the City of Katowice. they are also hugely rewarding.’
‘Each pupil produces a letter,
drawings or photos, for example, for his
or her own pen-pal once a month. We k for sch oo l
Th e eTwi nn ing ne tw or
compile the letters into a kind of album
pa rtn er sh ips
and send the end results to Poland. They
naturally do the same.’ as a co-
ÆÆ Established in 2005
The teachers have agreed on a specific operation network for European
theme for each month. In September, schools.
n between
pupils wrote brief introductions of ÆÆ Promotes co-operatio
schools by means of information
themselves. The intention is for pupils to hnology.
describe topics such as traditions, their and communications tec
ÆÆ Offers teachers a free channel to
own families and school during the year. projects to
seek partners for joint
The letters are sent by post or may be be implemented on line.
rtners,
posted on a specific password-protected ÆÆ Tools for finding pa
nting
TwinSpace Forum. planning and impleme
projects, brainstor ming and
Broadening world views discussions.
l at
As part of the project, pupils learn to ÆÆ The eTwinning Porta
www.etwinning.ne t functions as
use e-mail and the online forum and to rkspace.
a meeting point and wo
prepare PowerPoint presentations.


g Internationality can be seen as soon
as you enter Riihenmäki School.
The globes on the wall poster in the
entrance hall are marked with hearts
indicating the destinations of school
trips. Photo Tarja Repo

In
search of a
good life

20 I Schools took on the task ÆÆ Riihenmäki Lower Secondary School

Riihenmäki Lower Secondar y School
Global citizens’ good life
ÆÆ A good life and global citizenship were selected as
the themes for the 2011/2012 theme year.
ÆÆ The themes are discussed in project classes for
different subjects.
ÆÆ For instance, pupils explore various views of a good
life in their religion studies and produce a wide
variety of works about the themes in visual arts.
ÆÆ The lower secondary school’s seventh-graders forged
international contacts using the eTwinning Portal and
Skype, while ninth-graders reflected on their future
in co-operation with their peers from a Norwegian
school.
ÆÆ Pupils’ own active involvement in planning and
carrying out the project plays a key role.
ÆÆ A specific competence objective is social participation.
ÆÆ A guide will be produced for teachers covering the
phenomenon-based project work model.
ÆÆ Language programme: A1 English, B1 Swedish, B2
Spanish, German, French and Russian. Additionally,
the entrepreneurship class has 7-hour ‘language
showers’ in five languages on a rotating basis.
ÆÆ Website: www.mantsala.fi/riihen

T
he ideal of an active and respon introduce themselves to foreign partner
sible citizen plays a key role in the schools.
operational culture of Mäntsälä- A large canvas poster has been
based Riihenmäki Lower Secondary attached to the big screen in the spacious
School. Therefore, it’s no wonder that central hall, showing globes that describe
the pupils were also invited to take an the school’s other focus, internationality.
active part in planning a theme year, There are red hearts on the globes
with a good life and global citizenship indicating all those places that pupils have
selected as the themes. visited on school trips. Another poster
announces that Riihenmäki School is a
UNESCO School.
The themes of the theme year are visible in ‘In the future, we will also mark on
many places within the school premises. the poster all those places with which
One wall will be filled with seventh- we have forged eTwinning partnerships,’
graders’ self-portraits drawn in front of explains Saija Hellström, teacher of
the mirror. Pictures will also be posted religion, ethics and entrepreneurship,
on the eTwinning Portal, where pupils who is also the school’s vice head teacher.


Challenge for the entire school year classes throughout the year.
Riihenmäki Lower Secondary School ‘This is a major challenge, the likes
has just over 360 pupils in grades 7–9 of of which have never been implemented
basiceducation and about 30 teachers. at our school on such a large scale,’ Ms.
In addition to internationality, the Hellström describes.
school’s operational priorities also include She explains that not all teachers were
entrepreneurship education. recruited to the project, because it seemed
The diverse development work that not everyone wanted to include
carried out at the school has also attracted an international aspect in all projects.
attention from elsewhere. In 2009, the However, the teachers have indicated
Trade Union of Education (OAJ) and that they can reserve a few of their lesson
its Opettaja (Teacher) magazine picked hours for the project.
Riihenmäki School as the School of
the Year. The citation for the award was Raising awareness of the
the fact that the school creates a team phenomenon-based approach
spirit between pupils and teachers and Global citizenship and a good life have
promotes active involvement within the been discussed during lessons from many
surrounding community. The school also perspectives. One of the objectives was to
grants ‘creative madness’ scholarships. practise teamwork skills. Teachers also
The entire school community has wanted to open up the phenomenon-
joined forces to discuss the building based approach to pupils. They have
blocks of a good life during the grasped how the contents of different
2011/2012 school year. In addition, the subjects are connected with each other.
school’s As a Global Citizen in Finland Ms. Hellström wishes that there could
project was included under this common be more room for the phenom enon-
umbrella project and the following six based approach and implementation of
teachers of different subjects started cross-curricular themes in education.
to plan it: Taina Björnström, Riikka According to her, it is not currently
Hankonen, Timo Parkkinen, Laura possible for teachers to address cross-
Hari, Mari Mäkitalo-Aho and project curricular themes comprehensively, but
co-ordinator Saija Hellström. they have to make choices within these
The project covered the following themes instead.
subjects taught by these teachers: biology ‘I’d start revising curricula based
and geography, home economics, health on skills rather than subject contents.
education, foreign languages, visual arts Describing skills would be more import
and religion. Each of the six teachers ant than listing the things that pupils
reserved some of their subject classes for must know.’
the project. At the project planning stage, all six
The Global citizens’ good life project teachers went through their curricula
is being carried out in different subject and considered which cross-curricular


themes could be related to the project’s as teachers didn’t want to make a big song
theme. They then picked these contents and dance of it, but we also wanted to get
to be addressed during the project. In pupils themselves to think about how to
the autumn, the project lessons were implement the projects.’
added to the school’s annual plan. Project The significance of activating pupils
work is distributed into different subject has only just become clearer as the work
classes. The teachers co-ordinate amongst has progressed. Ms. Hellström even
themselves what topics to discuss during describes it as one of the greatest things
project lessons and in which order. that they have learnt. This insight also
The experiment did not remain influences her teaching work in other
a one-year effort, because the project respects.
startedto develop a permanent model ‘As instructing teachers, we feel
for phenomenon-based work across that pupils’ involvement is also one of
subjectboundries. The aim is for the
a the most important aspects in terms of
organisation method learnt during the global citizenship. Young people need to
project to be used in the future as well. experience the feeling that they are the
There is demand for such a model, protagonists of their own lives and that
because the school selects a shared theme they can make a difference. Involvement
every year and the new operating model in making decisions that influence your
makes it easier to extend the theme to own studies and life starts at school.’
form part of several subjects. According to Ms. Hellström, pupils
can be active agents in their own lives in
Pupils’ involvement as the guiding relation to themselves, their community
star and the surrounding world. In order for
The teachers wanted pupils to be involved them to become active citizens in the
right from the start and to influence the future, there must also be room for this
contents and themes of the projects. For active involvement at school.
example, pupils had a chance to think Activation of young people also
about the topics and tasks that they would influences assessment of learning.
later focus on in more detail. ‘Pupils come up to me and ask if
This approach differs from the way the work that they’ve done is good.
in which projects are traditionally carried My answer is that that’s not what I’m
out. assessing. What’s more important is that
‘It often feels like teachers start each pupilis able to decide for themselves
pondering on concepts in depth and at a what they’ve learnt.’
high level. They plan something ready for
pupils such as a theme and a handout.
, Teachers don’t dictate
The pupils perform the tasks but are not Biology and geography teacher Taina
able to say afterwards what these dealt Björnström has also encouraged her
with and were related to. That’s why we pupils to think for themselves. The tools


that she has used for this purpose include
mind maps.
‘We have different themes for
different months, such as topical issues
or multiculturalism in Mäntsälä. I have
intro uced various subject areas to pupils
d
and asked them to choose the ones that
most inspire them. Pupils have been
intersted in things like traditions, such
e
as Christmas traditions,’ Ms. Björnström
relates. She admits that this type of g A brainstorming session kicks off the visual
working method also requires the teacher arts class. Young people use a mind map
to tolerate uncertainty, because the to write down their ideas about what sorts
of things global citizenship could cover.
outcome is not decided in advance.
Photo Tarja Repo
Teachers reminisce about how they
already brainstormed dozens of project
topics and working methods the previous
spring.
‘However, it would have been a very
teacher-driven approach. The results of
the work would have been determined in
advance. We rejected this approach and, ÆÆ In Riihenmäki Lower Secondary
in the autumn, we started vigorously with School’s visual arts classroom, teacher Mari
a pupil-centred approach. Obviously, even Mäkitalo-Aho is starting a brainstorming
this approach requires us to set certain session about global citizenship and a
parameters,’ Ms. Björnström muses. good life with Class 7E. The outcome may
The programme for the school year be a cartoon – or something completely
also includes themed events, such as a different.
theme week for ninth-graders. During the
week, pupils reflect on their future in co- ‘Work together to think about what the topics
operation with their peers at Risil School bring to your minds. Let’s then make mind
in Norway. They have applied for a grant maps of these,’ Ms. Mäkitalo-Aho instructs
from the Youth Academy organisation for the class.
the theme week to cover the costs of visits The pupils divide into groups to think
and a band workshop, for example. about the task. After initial confusion, ideas
‘Someone may, say, decorate their start to spring up, accompanied by a lively
own imaginary home during the week. A buzz, and pupils come up to the board to
few boys want to write and record a song,’ write down their ideas.
Ms. Hellström explains. In their mind maps, young people
associate global citizenship with aspects such
as equality, public rights, freedom and people
of different colours. A global citizen may also


A visual arts class starts with brainstorming
be everyone’s friend, an extraordinary person in with its back cover sporting a large-eyed
an ordinary environment, or a Finn. cartoon character with a big speech
A good life brings forth even more words, bubble. The bubble is still blank, but the
such as family, food, leisure activities, learning, teacher is looking forward with interest to
technology, shops, sleep, nurses, procreation seeing what sort of message of a good life
and money. will be produced.
Another task is to use a song about
With a big heart a good or a bad life as an inspiration for
Pupils have done project-related tasks in visual work. Pupils also produce arrangements,
arts throughout the autumn. For instance, mobiles and cartoons and practise self-
ninth-graders reflect on questions such as ‘who knowledge by drawing self-portraits.
am I’ or ‘what are objects, moods and images ‘Drawing a self-portrait is always
relating to a good life like’. They produce an equally challenging and fun topic
portfolios about their own lives and write a letter for seventh-graders,’ Ms. Mäkitalo-Aho
addressed to themselves ten years from now and points out.
use this as a basis to create a piece describing the The bell rings and the brainstorming
highlights of their lives. session is over for now. The pupils leave
‘Making a portfolio has been an inspiring the classroom, but the ideas linger in their
task for pupils, which they are working on with minds, bubbling under for the next visual
a big heart,’ Mari Mäkitalo-Aho praises. One of arts class.
the best outputs is a manga virtuoso’s portfolio


m Mona Marjeta (left) and Johanna
Siira are finalising their English
presentations for the eTwinning
Portal. Photo Tarja Repo

e?
op
Joni Tenhunen has already finished

ur
,E his presentation. For him, writing an
English text was not hard, although
ng

ÆIn
Æ he does not have much experience of
ni

Riihen foreigners.
te

mäki Lower The teacher gives pupils permission
lis

Secondary to retrieve images for their presentations
u
yo

School’s computer from their Facebook profiles.
lab, pupils in Class
re

7C are fine-tuning Phone calls on Skype
A

their English-language The class also think about ways in which
presentations of themselves. they would present their own school to
The letters will be posted on the their foreign counterparts and topics to
eTwinning Portal, through which the discuss with them. For support, they have
school has made partners from Spain, monthly changing themes relating to
Greece, Turkey and France. news items, immigration, technology and
human rights, for example.
‘The English teacher has promised to ‘Try to think about interesting ways
check our presentations. What’s import of learning something about another
ant here is not grammar but making person’s culture and life, and what you
yourselves understood,’ Saija Hellström could tell others,’ the teacher explains.
instructs her pupils. International contacts are maintained
International contacts are part of throughout the year. In addition, pupils
Riihenmäki School’s As a Global Citizen live chat with each other using instant
in Finland project. The aim is for pupils messaging and Skype, the Internet phone
to gain genuine experience of meeting application.
their foreign peers. Classes have used the Saija Hellström is planning to ask the
eTwinning Portal to find partner classes to pupils to interview their own parents as
contact during project lessons. The portal a homework assignment. The interviews
offers a virtual TwinSpace classroom to would be videoed, subtitled in English
carry out projects. It is used to exchange and posted on the eTwinning Portal.
images, files and videos and for chatting. The class will produce material about
‘Writing the presentation has been a the project topics for the portal and
bit of a struggle. Otherwise this project assessment will also be carried out using
seems nice, because it’s so different from the portal. Teachers received training
ordinary schoolwork,’ confides Mona in use of the portal from eTwinning
Marjeta, a pupil in Class 7C. Ambassador Sari Auramo.


A word cloud reveals pupils’ values
ÆÆ At Riihenmäki Lower Secondary
School, pupils visualised the hallmarks
of a good life using the free Internet-
based Wordle applet.

To begin with, pupils compiled their
words into a common Microsoft Word
document. Each pupil added their own
words to the file, which meant that words
such as ‘family’ may appear a couple of
dozen times.
The words were then copied to
Wordle, which created a word cloud from
them. The end result highlighted those
words that occurred most frequently. The
most visible words were ‘family’, ‘friends’
and ‘leisure activities’. It is also possible to
print the word cloud.
One class translated their word list
using Google Translate, thus creating an
English-language word cloud on Wordle.
Classes at foreign partner schools also
created similar word clouds that can be
compared.
ÆÆ www.wordle.net


m The Zambian Village of Isenge received young
guests from Vesilahti Lower Secondary School.
KUVA Tapani Pietilä

School development co-
operation launched a PHOTO Tapani Pietilä

popular movement

V
esilahti Lower Secondary event, attracting plenty of locals and even
School in the Tampere Region guests from neighbouring municipalities.
is known for its close contacts The latest crowd puller is the brand
with surrounding society. Contacts are new artificial lawn, which was installed
not restricted only to the immediate in the grounds a month earlier. Inside the
surroundings but extend all the way to entrance hall there are African artefacts
Europe, Africa and Asia. The school’s for sale and local Elixir Club members are
head teacher and Pupil Association are making quilts for Africa.
the driving forces behind international A video about Zambia is playing on
co-operation. loop in the school canteen, while a short
course in tourist French is about to start
On a clear Saturday in early October, in another room. An elementary know
Vesilahti Lower Secondary School is once ledge of French helps on a trip to Paris
again the centre and meeting point of the or, say, Senegal, which is the school’s next
municipality. The school is holding an development co-operation partner.

28 I Schools took on the task ÆÆ Vesilahti Lower Secondary School

Vesilahti Lower Secondar y School
How has the Municipality of Vesilahti supported the global citizenship
theme in basic education?
ÆÆ For more than 20 years, the school has implemented themes relating to global
education.
ÆÆ The lower secondary school covers pupils in grades 7–9 of basic education.
ÆÆ Pupils’ proceeds from the school’s Operation Day’s Work drive have been
allocated to development of the Village of Isenge in Zambia.
ÆÆ Aid recipients have also included a Vietnamese day-care centre and, most
recently, a Senegalese village.
ÆÆ The Pupil Association plays an active part in partnership projects.
ÆÆ Pupil exchanges and study visits to different countries are organised with
funding through proceeds from pupils’ own café business.
ÆÆ Language programme: A1 English, B1 Swedish, B2 German and French.
ÆÆ Practical examples of international activities are compiled in a report, which
also assesses their effectiveness.
ÆÆ Competence objectives include active citizenship and development
partnership.
ÆÆ Koulutien Uutiset school magazine: www.vesilahti.fi/sivistys_ja_vapaa-aika/
opetus/ylaaste/koulutien_uutiset

Announcements in many languages a school in the Black Forest area of
In the canteen, pupils are preparing Germany. They spend a week in Germany
delicacies and managing service with and play host to a German guest for a
a professional air. In the background, week.’
Tapani Pietilä, head teacher and Study visits are also made to the
municipal Director of Education and school’s Latvian twin school and to
Culture, is welcoming guests in Finnish destinations in France, Greece and
and French on the central radio system. Vietnam, which are familiar from other
‘Announcements are not only like this contexts. During the summer holidays,
today, but often at other times too. The the young people may also participate
head teacher is fluent in many languages,’ in other trips organised by the Pupil
comments mathematics teacher Anna- Association. In addition, some pupils
Kaarina Huhtala. She says that she has have visited the school’s development co-
worked at the school since it was built in operation partner in Zambia.
1992 and that she likes it here very much.
Vesilahti is a municipality with just Isenge energised the entire village
under 4,500 inhabitants, located to the The lower secondary school launched
south of the City of Tampere. The lower a partnership project in the Zambian
secondary school has about 190 pupils Village of Isenge in 2007. The village was
and 15 teachers. Ms. Huhtala explains discovered through Meeri Salokangas, a
that the school has provided global Vesilahti-based voluntary worker.
education for quite a long time. Funding from Vesilahti inhabitants
‘Every pupil has the chance to has provided the village with a health
participate in a pupil exchange with centre a bore well, a school with toilet
,


The lower secondary school’s
pupils are seasoned travellers.
Pupil exchanges and study trips
are organised to other European
facilities, two houses for teachers and countries and beyond.
a henhouse. In addition, women have PHOTO Tapani Pietilä
received garden loans and training in
using sewing machines, while the project school of the neighbouring Municipality
has also covered the cost of about fifty of Lempäälä, where most Vesilahti lower
malaria nets. The most recent collection secondary pupils continue their studies at
was organised to get electricity to the upper secondary level, has also donated
village. funds collected through its Operation
‘All the proceeds from the Pupil Day’s Work drive to Isenge.
Association’s Operation Day’s Work drive The aid project will culminate in
will go to Isenge without any deductions,’ February 2012 when the buildings
Ms. Huhtala points out. are inaugurated. The ceremony will
The head teacher informs the school be attended by people from different
of news on Isenge in the online school countries and the Zambia National
magazine, Koulutien Uutiset. The Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is
maga ine reveals that plenty of donations
z planning to make a documentary about
have also been received from outsiders. the project. Assignment Editor Kennedy
Between April and September 2011, for Bwalya from the ZNBC is coming to
example, private individuals donated Vesilahti to coincide with the school’s
almost 3,100 euros to the Isenge account. Christmas Bazaar to make preparations
One donor gave a hundred euros with the for the documentary.
following note: ‘A war veteran thanks the Vesilahti Lower Secondary School
young people who are helping children has also supported a nursery school in the
living in difficult conditions to move Vietnamese Village of Ngyen Ly.
forward.’ The school’s own Operation ‘In both Zambia and Vietnam, we
Day’s Work drives currently yield about have received strong moral support from
1,900 euros per year. the Finnish ambassadors and embassies
Moreover, the upper secondary operating in these countries.’


l The co-operation project with the
Zambian Village of Isenge is a joint
effort involving not only the school but
the entire village. Elixir Club members
(from right) Aili Saarinen, Inka Valtamo,
Ritva Liukko and Anneli Tuominen are
doing voluntary work for Africa.
PHOTOS Katja Särkkä

help Africa even though our own country
has economic difficulties. When guests
from Vesilahti visited our school to tell
us about Africa, students got a more
realistic picture of how vast a gap there
is in living standards between Latvia and
Zambia. I believe that it made them feel
more positive about development co-
operation.’
Vesilahti has also become familiar
at the twin school in other respects.
Over a period of seven years, more than
50 Latvian young people have enjoyed
Latvia was invited to join summer jobs in the Aittakahvila Café run
Isenge also receives aid from the lower by the Pupil Association.
secondary school’s Latvian twin upper
secondary school, Draudzīgā aicinājuma ‘Internationality is not underlined’
Cēsu Valsts ģimnāzija. Co-operation According to teacher Anna-Kaarina
with Finns is co-ordinated by Ms. Laima Huhtala, it is fair to say that Vesilahti
Pērkone. Lower Secondary School is an inter
‘Our Zambia co-operation started national school. For instance, the school
about four years ago, when Vesilahti receives plenty of guests from abroad.
invited us to join. We seized the opportun ‘However, I don’t think that
ity, because we didn’t have any previous internationality is underlined. We are
experience of such projects.’ just an ordinary school, but we do have
Ms. Pērkone explains that the Latvian these nice extra activities, such as pupil
education system is of a good standard exchanges with Germany. I also find it
and that pupils also have opportunities great that Operation Day’s Work funds
to participate in exchange programmes. are dedicated direct to a specific recipient,
However, there are problems relating which the pupils know very well too.’
to bureaucracy and the country’s Ms. Huhtala is happy with the fact
economic situation, which may also affect that international activities are running
people’s attitudes towards issues such as relatively smoothly from the perspective
development co-operation. Nevertheless, of employees.
the Zambia project seems to have ‘We have such solid routines in pupil
changed young people’s attitudes at the exchanges, for example. Even the African
twin school. projects are not particularly hard work for
‘Students were asking why we should us teachers.’


The Pup il Ass ocia tion mak es imp orta nt dec isio ns

h Pupils appreciate a seat on the Pupil Association’s Board. Shown in the picture from left, Board
Chair Iida Ollinpoika and members Heta-Mari Himanen, Ronja Nummela, Konsta Nuutero,
Mariisa Uusitalo, Ulla Mäkelä and Susanna Mäkelä. PHOTO Katja Särkkä

ÆÆ The Pupil Association plays a of times each year.
prominent role both in daily life and ‘It’s been perceived as being a good
during celebrations at Vesilahti Lower solution. There’s not always time to deal
Secondary School. The young people with all the topics during breaks and it’s
participate in decision-making within difficult to organise transport after school.
the Africa project, manage its aid The local authorities have promised to
account and run their own Aittakahvila fund one meeting trip each year, because
Café and the school kiosk. it helps to advertise the municipality too
Young people appreciate their Pupil to some extent.’
Association, which is reflected in the fact Iida is also leaving on a school trip
that a seat on its Board is in high demand. to Zambia in February 2012. She is
‘The Board steers the Zambia project. very much looking forward to seeing
We are about to leave on a seminar the Village of Isenge and to meeting the
cruise, where we’ll go through the Isenge peoplewho will receive their aid.
accounts,’ explains Iida Ollinpoika, Iida Ollinpoika supposes that
Chair of the Pupil Association’s Board Vesilahti Lower Secondary School has
from the 8th grade. more international contacts than many
Meeting trips are organised a couple other schools.


‘I think that international activities
encourage independence. During their
lower secondary school years, many pupils
participate in a trip that is not necessarily
attended by their own parents.’

The café provides money for trips
The Pupil Association set up its own café
in 1996 during economically difficult
times. The local authorities gave the
young people the use of an outbuilding
dating back to 1840, where they have
successfully operated the café during the
summer months.
During the school year, they arrange
refreshment services for evening events h Pupils run a café that caters for a couple of
held at the school. Customers include thousand customers every year. Delicious
pastries are on offer thanks to hygiene
the Municipal Council and the adult certificate training organised for young
education centre’s study circle, which people by the Pupil Association.
convene on the school premises. Young
people are paid for the work they do, i During the summer months, the Pupil
Association organises trips abroad which
which they use to fund trips, among other are also open to other Vesilahti inhabitants.
things. Former café employee Susanna In 2009, the destination was Paris.
Mäkelä reveals that the summer job PHOTOS Tapani Pietilä

generates a nice sum for the travel fund.
‘Serving refreshments at larger events
may bring in as much as a hundred euros
for each employee. It’s great that pupilscan
enjoy a trip with aid from the Aittakahvila
Café, if it’s not possible any other way.
Pupils have internal school accounts where
their fees are paid,’ explains Susanna, who
is also on the Pupil Association’s Board.
The café caters for a couple of thousand
customers every year. The largest order
has been a war veterans’ party attended
by almost 1,300 participants. Operations
are possible because many pupils hold
hygiene certificates. The Pupil Association
also organises a major Christmas Bazaar
on the school premises every year.


MAURITANIA
AFRICA
Atlantic Sén
ég
Messages from
Ocean al

Diamniadio to
Vesilahti
Dakar
SENEGAL

MAP Kauko Kyöstiö/ Spatio Oy
Fatick
Diamniadio MALI

GAMBIA

0 100 200 km GUINEA-
BISSAU GUINEA

n Senegalese guest Mamadou Fall tested the
school’s brand new artificial grass with local
football stars.

but there is not much work around. As a
result, many of them move abroad.
Mr. Fall’s home village in West Africa
is located on an island. There are about a
thousand inhabitants and fishing is more
or less the only livelihood. There is no
PHOTOS Katja Särkkä

electricity. Another problem is drinking
water, which is fairly salty. Water is
purified using a piece of equipment that
requires petrol, which is also in short
supply.
‘The village has a primary school.
ÆÆ After Zambia and Vietnam, However, there are no dwellings for
Vesilahti Lower Secondary School is teachers, who need to stay with local
setting up a new aid project in Senegal. families instead. That’s why it’s difficult
Co-operation with the Village of to get teachers to come to the village. The
Diamniadio was planned in Vesilahti school building itself is old and there are
in October. no desks. There may be as many as 65
pupils sharing one classroom.’
Gathered around the table were the When they leave primary school,
Senegalese guest Mamadou Lamine Fall pupilsshould move on to secondary
with his French interpreter and members school on another, bigger island.
of the lower secondary school staff and However, parents cannot always pay for
of the Board of the Pupil Association. their children to stay with another family,
Mr. Fall explained that Senegalese young which means an end to schooling for
peoplehave some opportunities to study many at that point.


There is a public health nurse living recipients. For instance, no transactions
on the island, who sees patients at home. are made without receipts and funds
When women give birth, for example, for building the school go direct to the
they need to leave the island on a small builder.
boat and sometimes children are actually There may also be communication
born on the boat. One problem is that difficulties. For example, communications
there is no fridge for medicines requiring with the Zambian partner school Isenge
cold storage. are most commonly by text message,
According to Mr. Fall, the most urgent which are necessarily quite brief. The
priority for the village is to build a small village does not have an Internet
health centre and a teachers’ residence. connection and postal delivery takes
anywhere from a week to a month.
Problems from the local balance of The idea of a development partnership
power is to disperse the donor/recipient
Development activists know that projects relationship and to progress towards
may also run into problems, which may inter ction on a more equal footing. The
a
be caused by the local balance of power partner community should become able
and the leaders’ responsibilities towards to stand more and more firmly on its own
their families. In many cases, all things go feet. The signs augur well for Isenge.
through the village chief, which is not a ‘The henhouse project has made a
very simple arrangement from the donors’ profit after the first lot of sales; in other
perspective. words, it has started to generate capital for
developing operations and some spending
Aid to the right address money for the people. The school is also
However, donors have their ways of operating on its own,’ Mr. Pietilä relates.
making sure that aid reaches the right


Equal partnership with
Tanzania Kasavuori Lower Secondar y
School, Kauniainen
Being a global citizen near and far
ÆÆ The school will intensify relations
with the twin school in Sanya Juu,
Tanzania, making the partnership more
reciprocal.
ÆÆ The objective is to broaden lower
secondary school pupils’ perspectives
and encourage them to appreciate
the values and way of life of another
culture.
ÆÆ Pupils prepared a display for the
Tanzanians and participated in an
Africa-themed day with focus on
manual skills.
ÆÆ A school-wide collection was organised
to gather gifts to take to the twin
school.
ÆÆ A specific competence objective is
development partnership.
ÆÆ Language programme: English,
Swedish and German as A-syllabus
language options; German, French
and Russian as B-syllabus language
options. In addition, pupils may choose
language immersion in Swedish at
primary school, which continues at
lower secondary school with a slightly
more advanced syllabus than the
regular A-syllabus Swedish, geared
towards maintaining language skills.
ÆÆ Website: http://kasavuori.fi

K
asavuori Lower Secondary School
in Kauniainen donates two thirds
of pupils’ proceeds from annual
Operation Day’s Work drives to its
h The Finns gave a camera for use by
pupils of Kilingi Secondary School, who Tanzanian twin school. The funds have
took pictures of their own homes. The been put to good use in Africa, but there
photos were included in the display are higher hopes for this co-operation.
prepared for Kasavuori School.
The objective is to make interction
a
more equal, even though economic
conditions are different.

36 I Schools took on the task ÆÆ Kasavuori Lower Secondary School

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