Students generating ideas for a welcome package for asylum seekers
The welcome package is intended to help asylum seekers familiarise themselves with the new society by giving them tools for example for learning about the Finnish culture and the basics of the Finnish language.
'More than anything else, this package aims at generating a positive emotional reaction: with a small gesture we can provide some light to those who have travelled a long journey without any possessions or certainty about their future,' says one of the organisers of the course, Producer Maria Leinvuo from Aalto University.
Around 20 students from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture approach the task on the course by means of service design, package design and graphic design. Asylum seekers, former refugees and refugees who have been granted asylum are consulted in the development of the package. Although different packages will be designed for children and adults, the intention is to plan a whole that is suitable for everyone regardless of their knowledge of languages or education.
The preliminary target is to have the package in production by the end of the year. Financing is currently being sought to help implement the package. The package will be made in collaboration with the alumni of graphic design Katju Aro (Aalto University) and with the network of Refugee Hospitality Club.
Read more news
Aalto University and Bocconi University to launch a double degree programme in strategic and creative marketing
The first cohort, 10 students admitted through Aalto and 10 through Bocconi, will start their studies in autumn 2027
Student exchange in Europe? Unite! can take you there
Aalto is a member of Unite!, a European university alliance that gives students the opportunity to internationalise their degrees both online and in-person. Join the webinar to find out more.
Opinion: Finnish language learning should be integrated into degree programs
In this opinion piece, Rebekka Nylund, an expert at the University of Helsinki, and Elisa Räsänen, a university lecturer at Aalto University, reflect on what they have learned from the EU-co-funded Language-supported Knowledge Pathways project and offer suggestions on how and why learning Finnish could be integrated into the structures of higher education degree programs.