International affairs- Internationella ärenden Åbo Akademi University

I Talent Boost centralteamet har vi nu lanserat mentorprogrammet CareerContact och söker nu personer som vill ställa upp som karriärmentor för en internationell studerande vid ÅA.

Kan ni rekommendera nätverk/föreningar vi eventuellt kunde nå ut till för att hitta mentorer eller är ni kanske själva intresserade av att ställa upp som mentor?

Alla tips tas varmt emot. Mera info finns på www.abo.fi/careercontact och anmäla sitt intresse för att ställa upp som mentor kan man göra via detta formulär. Dela gärna infon om att vi söker mentorer i era nätverk. Stort tack på förhand!

Mentorship program CareerContact | Åbo Akademi University Åbo Akademi University launches a new mentorship program for international master's students in 2022, aiming to help students to learn more about Finnish working life.

All good things comes to an end... Icca says goodbye, it was wonderful to work with international affairs! Niko Lyttinen says hello! And will work as the summer intern, and will be one of those who answers your e-mails and greets the incoming exchange students :)

...and so the "never ending" summer/day light time starts... At this moment, already in the most northern parts of Finland....
In Turku, the evenings are quite light already - but the sun does set! :)

When you live in Lapland and you enjoy watching the sun go down 😀

The Vappen celebrations are online this year, please join from all parts of the world!

– Åbo Akademis slogan i dessa coronatider har varit ”Together while apart”. Att fira Valborg och första maj under en sån slogan förutsätter fantasi, en förmåga att tänka livet på ett annat sätt. Nu vill jag se sociala medier översvämmas av vappbilder på kreativa sätt att vara ”Together while apart”. Tillsammans starka, tillsammans smarta, tillsammans med avstånd, säger Åbo Akademis prorektor Mikael Lindfelt.

Delta i festligheterna genom att fira vappen hemma, men tillsammans på distans. På vår webbsida hittar du tips för virtuellt program kopplat till både Åbo och Vasa:

Åbo: https://www.abo.fi/nyheter/vappen-i-abo-firas-hemma/
Vasa: https://www.abo.fi/nyheter/i-vasa-firas-en-virtuell-hemmavalborg/

Proud to be a Finn, with this marvellous PM!

Sanna Marin, The Youngest Prime Minister In The World, Talks Sexism, Imposter Syndrome, and Sustainability “In every position I’ve ever been in, my gender has always been the starting point – that I am a young woman. I hope one day it won’t be an issue, that this question won’t be asked. I want to do as good a job as possible. I’m no better and no worse than a middle-aged man”

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_closes_schools_declares_state_of_emergency_over_coronavirus/11260062?fbclid=IwAR1jVdKzBzDFx0jfYRZCiASa9E-y8Tb5gFr16pBkhg52UiSvXyIqOta6E7c

Finland closes schools, declares state of emergency over coronavirus Daycare centres are to stay open but parents were asked to keep their kids home if possible.

Dear valued Partner,

So far in Finland, there are 155 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported. As a necessary measure to prevent infection and spread of the coronavirus Åbo Akademi University has decided to close its campuses in Åbo and Vasa for all students effective from Monday 16th of March until the end of April. As of Monday, all teaching activities at ÅAU will be replaced with online teaching. The students have been well informed about this. All examinations will also be conducted in a digital way, and all exams for international students will be prioritized. Students will be informed directly about the arrangements.

This means that all international students are free to return home if they wish, and continue with their studies online.

Students must cancel their housing agreements and hopefully have some of the costs refunded by their insurance. Students have been informed that they should be in contact with their accommodation provider and inform them that they will return home and organise the final payments.

ÅAU will stay in close contact with the students who wish to stay, and we will take good care of them.

The students will be continuously updated by e-mail and are asked to follow the information and instructions posted on our web: https://www.abo.fi/en/news/instructions-for-staff-and-students-at-aau/

ÅAU has also called home their students who are currently conducting their exchange semesters abroad.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

International affairs

Åbo Akademi University
[email protected]

Instructions for staff and students at ÅAU | Åbo Akademi University We aim at continuing our daily teaching and research activities as normal. At the same time, we are preparing for any rapid change in the scenario.

*For visitors: Recommendations on coronavirus, updated March 11*
At this moment there are no cases of the virus at the university, and only three cases in our region.

Åbo Akademi University has a readiness for the coronavirus, based on national directions and recommendations. These are primarily issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For all visitors to Åbo Akademi University
– Åbo Akademi University has already had to cancel a few bigger events in order to avoid big crowds, and reduce the risk of the disease spreading. Before visiting us, please make sure that the event you are going to attend actually takes place.

Information for visitors to Åbo Akademi University in Turku or Vaasa
– The current situation in Finland is continuously monitored and updated on THL’s website: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates

– If you develop influenza-like symptoms and respiratory problems during your stay in Finland, please follow THL’s guidelines for passengers arriving in Finland. When in Finland, you can also get instructions from:

The National Medical Helpline, tel. 116 117.
Turku: Joint emergency services of the Turku region, tel. +358 2 313 8800.
Vaasa: Vaasa Central Hospital Emergency Clinic, tel. +358 6 213 1310 during office hours (Mon–Thu 8:00–16:00 and Fri 8:00–14:15), and tel. +358 6 213 1001 outside office hours.
Finnish residents are adviced to call their local healthcare. Always call by phone first for further instructions.
– Please be in touch with your contact at ÅAU if you’re planning to visit from an epidemic area. ÅAU staff and students recently arrived from epidemic areas should work/study remotely for 14 days unless other instructions are given.

Three points for improving preparedness and preventing the spread of the coronavirus
Remember hand hygiene: wash your hands thorougly with a good amount of soap and water, and do not touch your nose/mouth/eyes with your hands.
Stay up to date via the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s (THL) website.
Ask yourself whether you really need to travel – can you participate in some other way?
Students and staff at ÅAU
Are you a student, researcher or member of the staff att Åbo Akademi University? For more thorough information, for example on travel recommendations and how to proceed if you have recently visited an epidemic area, please see the intranet (login required): https://abofi.sharepoint.com/sites/intra-en/SitePages/On-the-coronavirus-COVID-19.aspx

Should any students or members of the staff be affected by the virus, Åbo Akademi University follows the instructions of the authorities and informs accordingly.

Coronavirus COVID-19 – Latest Updates - Infectious diseases - THL At the beginning of the year, an epidemic caused by the new coronavirus COVID-19 began in China. So far, over 118,000 cases have been diagnosed globally. Infections have been reported by 114 countries.  

Turku Summer School | Academic Summer Studies Finland Turku Academic Studies in Turku, Finland – Summer 2020. Official website for the Turku Summer School in Finland: Courses, social programme, practical matters…

Spring and LIGHT is in the air 😍

When it comes to natural light, Finns are self-proclaimed experts. And we’d say that in Southern Finland, there is a hint of spring in the air.

Photo by Tarja Hoikkala

Friends 🥰

If you ask a Finn “will you be my Valentine?”, he or she might look confused. 🤔 ❓ On February 14th, we celebrate friendship! In Finnish, Valentine's Day translates as "ystävänpäivä", which is literally “The Friend Day”. So show your friends some (platonic) love – the Finnish way. 💕

Yup. True story this week in Åbo at least :)