The Friendship Programme begins – Would you like to have a Finnish friend?
Study in Turku -network starts the Friendship Programme that aims to connect the international students and local citizens. The Programme offers a possibility for international students to get in touch with the Finnish way of life.
Many international students lack contact with locals and daily life outside the academic world. Through the Friendship Programme, international students get to know the daily Finnish way of life as well as Turku as a city. The programme offers simultaneously an opportunity for Turku and nearby citizens to get to know a new culture and to add internationality in their lives without leaving their hometown.
Local friends represent various situations of life
Every international exchange, degree and doctoral student in the higher education institutions in Turku are warmly welcome to apply for the programme. Local friends can be almost anyone: people living alone, families, students or elderly citizens so that several situations of Finnish life are represented in the programme. International students can present some wishes of their future Finnish friends in order to match the best suitable people together. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that everyone can be matched with a friend nor that you can get exactly the kind of friend you wish, but we will do our best!
Shared activities with the local friend could mean anything from having coffee together to jogging or taking a trip to a museum to enjoy some art.
The programme starts with an opening event
The programme period lasts normally for 4-6 months. The first programme period begins with an opening event on 1 November 2021 in which friends are paired with each other. The programme is based on voluntariness and the friends can meet as much as they wish. However, we wish that the participants would try to meet at least once a month.
The application period for the first programme period is now open. The application form and more information can be read on the programme´s web page.
We sincerely hope that many international students are excited about this opportunity to get to know Finnish culture and locals in the Turku area!
Contact us:
Programme coordinators Amanda Viitanen and Sanna Suoranta
friendshipprogramme@utu.fi
tel. +358 29450314
Apply by 25 October
The application period is open twice a year. In 2021, the application period for the autumn semester opens in September and for the spring semester in December. The application period for the first programme period is now open.