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We are currently looking for a coordinator for Fastlaskainen 2025 in Vasa! Fastlaskainen is a traditional student event held annually on Shrove Tuesday, featuring a sledding competition between student associations.
The coordinator has the main responsibility for organizing the event and will receive a project fee of 300 euros and the Secretary General will serve as the coordinator’s supervisor.
The coordinator’s tasks will include coordinating and organising the entire event together with ÅAS’ partners in Vasa. The tasks will be among others to:
- Programme planning
- Handling the registrations (for associations)
- Planning communication and marketing for the event
- Applying for permits and recruiting supervisors for the event
- Booking spaces and acquiring sound systems
- Event development
- Final reporting
- Other tasks as agreed
The task requires initiative and cooperation skills, the ability to stay organised, and stress tolerance. You shall contact the Board and the Student Union Office yourself if you need any help with your tasks. Previous experience in organising events, and knowledge of Finnish, Swedish, and English are considered an advantage. If you have any questions regarding the tasks, contact evenemang-abo@studentkaren.fi.
Freely formulated applications should be submitted by email no later than 19 January, 2025, at 11.59 p.m. to evenemang-abo@studentkaren.fi. The Board of the Student Union will choose the coordinator during its board meeting the following week, and work will commence immediately after the selection is confirmed.
ÅAS is looking for two people to complete the Executive Board for 2025. The two people we are looking for will be members of the Executive Board working from Vasa. The new Board members will be elected by the Student Union Council.
Have you thought about how you can work for a better student life? Would you like to organize events, create new student traditions, and maintain old ones? Do you want to influence what teaching will look like in the future, both within Åbo Akademi University and nationally? Do you have a graphic eye and are interested in creating content for social media? Or maybe you want to be involved in creating contacts with business and working life? But above all, do you want to have an extremely fun and educational year?
Then the union board is definitely something for you! The assignment provides a monthly renumeration of €650 for Board members. The Board is expected to be able to work during office hours and occasionally participate in evening and weekend events. The board works in close cooperation with ÅAS staff.
Please note that ÅAS uses Swedish as the working language. Applicants should have good knowledge of Swedish and other language skills are considered a merit.
Do something new and different – apply for the ÅAS Executive Board 2025!
The following positions and responsibilities are available:
Advocacy
- Study-related matters within Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) Vasa (Advocacy regarding studies, campus development, Student representatives)
- Local social policy matters (Student finances in Vasa, Well-being of students in Vasa, Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS)
Communication
- Communication (Coordinate the board’s communication)
- Business cooperation (Cooperation agreements and non-contractual cooperation)
- Urban relations (Contact to the City of Vasa, Cooperation with other student unions in Vasa)
Student culture Vasa
- Development and safeguarding of student life (Education for students and associations, Project funding)
- Events in Vasa
- Special associations (Special association funds)
- Inclusion (Safer Space Principles, Action Plan for a Safer Study Culture, Guidelines for Contact Persons)
The Board divides the various areas of responsibility internally.
Please note that the Executive Board for 2025 will have their inaugural meeting during 2024 and divide the areas of responsibility. The areas of responsibility available to the two new Board members is therefore dependent on what is decided during the Board meeting.
How does the board election work?
Send a free-form expression of interest by email to Chair of the Board Jonne Kunnas (so@studentkaren.fi). We must have received your application by 19.12 at 14.00 by the latest.
Your expression of interest should preferably include:
- Name
- Image
- Brief description of yourself
- Why you’re running
- Which areas of responsibility you are interested in
The Student Council will elect the Student Union Executive Board 2025.
If we recieve more than two applications, an evening school to interview the candidates will be organized, and the applicants will recieve more information.
The applicants for the Board will answer six questions, of which four are available on our webpage (in Swedish) and two will remain surprise questions.
Questions? Please contact us
We are happy to answer questions and we hope to see your application in our inboxes! You are also free to visit our office in Havtornen and Kåren.
We have now opened the application period for the Student Union’s Financial Board!
For more information, read the news article in Swedish, or contact Jan (hopo-vasa@studentkaren.fi), Amanda (samarbete@studentkaren.fi) or Samuel (edo@studentkaren.fi)
N.B. In order to apply, you need to be proficient in Swedish as the Student Union’s official language is Swedish. For the time being, ÅAS is unfortunately unable to translate all the operations to English.
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University is looking for a new Board for 2025, which exercises the administrative and executive powers of the Student Union, and the new Board will be elected by the Student Council on 28.11.2024.
Have you thought about how you can work for a better student life? Would you like to organize events, create new student traditions, and maintain old ones? Do you want to influence what teaching will look like in the future, both within Åbo Akademi University and nationally? Do you have a graphic eye and are interested in creating content for social media? Or maybe you want to be involved in creating contacts with business and working life? But above all, do you want to have an extremely fun and educational year?
Then the union board is definitely something for you! The assignment provides a monthly renumeration of €750 for the Chairperson of the Board and €650 for Board members. The Board is expected to be able to work during office hours and occasionally participate in evening and weekend events. The board works in close cooperation with ÅAS staff.
Please note that ÅAS uses Swedish as the working language. Applicants should have good knowledge of Swedish and other language skills are considered a merit.
Do something new and different – apply for the ÅAS Executive Board 2025!
Composition of the Executive Board for 2025
A Chairperson and eight members (one of whom also serves as Vice Chairperson)
Five Board Members in Åbo with the following positions and responsibilities:
Higher education policy
- National higher education policy matters (National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL), Ministry of Education and Culture (Ministry of Education and Culture))
- Study-related matters within Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) Åbo (Advocacy regarding studies, campus development, Student representatives)
Social policy
- National social policy matters (Student finances)
- Sustainability in ÅAS and student life
- Well-being of students (Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS))
- Equality between students
International affairs
- International affairs at ÅAU, Åbo&Vasa (Challenge-driven Accessible Research-Based and Mobile European University Alliance (CHARM-EU), International study programmes, International students, Exchange studies)
- International higher education policy affairs (University Alliances, European Union (EU))
Communication
- Communication (Coordinate the board’s communication)
- Business cooperation (Cooperation agreements and non-contractual cooperation)
- City Relations, Åbo (Contact to City of Turku, Study in Turku)
Student culture
- Development and safeguarding of student life (Education for students and associations, Project funding)
- Events in Åbo
- Special associations (Special association funds)
- Inclusion (Safer Space Principles, Action Plan for a Safer Study Culture, Guidelines for Contact Persons)
Three Board Members in Vasa with the following positions and responsibilities
Advocacy
- Study-related matters within Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) Vasa (Advocacy regarding studies, campus development, Student representatives)
- Local social policy matters (Student finances in Vasa, Well-being of students in Vasa, Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS))
Communication
- Communication (Coordinate the board’s communication)
- Business cooperation (Cooperation agreements and non-contractual cooperation)
- Urban relations (Contact to the City of Vasa, Cooperation with other student unions in Vasa)
Student culture Vasa
- Development and safeguarding of student life (Education for students and associations, Project funding)
- Events in Vasa
- Special associations (Special association funds)
- Inclusion (Safer Space Principles, Action Plan for a Safer Study Culture, Guidelines for Contact Persons)
The Board divides the various areas of responsibility internally at its inaugural meeting.
Information for candidates
Send a free-form expression of interest by email to Jan (hopo-vasa@studentkaren.fi) or Amanda (samarbete@studentkaren.fi). All applications received by Monday 25.11 will be published on our website on Tuesday 26.11. You can submit an expression of interest after 25.11, but then it will not be published on the website. In order to participate in the interview, your application must be submitted by 27.11. However, you can still stand until the start of the autumn meeting on 28.11.
Your expression of interest should preferably include:
- Name
- Image
- Brief description of yourself
- Why you’re running
- Which areas of responsibility you are interested in
How does the board election work?
The Student Council will elect the Student Union Executive Board 2025 at its meeting on 28.11.
All candidates will be interviewed at the council’s evening school on 27.11.
During the interviews, the candidates for the chairperson will answer seven questions. We will publish five of the questions online in advance on 26.11.
The candidates for the Board Members will answer six questions, four of which will also be published in advance on our website on 26.11.
Questions? Please contact us
We are happy to answer questions and we hope to see your application in our inboxes! You are also free to visit our office in Havtornen and Kåren.
Contact person in Vasa
Jan Welroos, hopo-vasa@studentkaren.fi
Contact person in Åbo
Amanda Byskata, samarbete@studentkaren.fi
Åbo Akademi Student Union is looking for a project coordinator to organize the Fastlaskiainen event in Åbo. Fastlaskiainen is a traditional student event held annually on Shrove Tuesday on Vårdberget in Åbo, in the form of a sledding competition between various student associations.
To organize the event in the best possible way, a coordinator responsible for the arrangements is hired. The coordinator works closely with the ÅAS Board for 2025, especially with the board member responsible for student culture. The project coordinator receives a project fee of 500 euros, and the ÅAS Secretary General acts as the coordinator’s supervisor.
The tasks include:
- Coordinating and organizing the entire event
- Program planning
- Handling registrations (for associations)
- Planning communication and marketing
- Applying for permits, recruiting supervisors
- Booking spaces, procuring sound systems
- Arranging cleaning
- Event development
- Final reporting
- Other tasks as agreed
The role requires initiative, teamwork skills, organizational ability, and stress tolerance. You should proactively contact the board and the office if you need assistance with your tasks. Previous experience in organizing events and knowledge of Finnish and English are considered advantages. Please note that knowledge of Swedish is a requirement for the assignment. If you have questions about the tasks, contact Member of the Board Emilia Melén via evenemang-abo@studentkaren.fi.
Freely formulated applications should be submitted via email by 11 November, 2024, at 11.59 p.m. to evenemang-abo@studentkaren.fi. The decision will be made by the ÅAS board at their meeting following 11 November, 2024, and the work will begin immediately after the coordinator has been elected.
On 15 February, the Student Union’s 106th annual ball is organized in Vasa! To organize the annual ball we require an Annual Ball Committee and the Annual Ball Coordinator is currently looking for members.
The Annual Ball committee’s work is lead by the Annual Ball Coordinator, and is tasked with organizing the annual ball. No previous experience is required, only an interest for and a willingness to organize thye annual ball. Join the committee and learn how to organize large events!
If you are interested, please send an application to the Annual Ball Coordinator Herman Björk, the address is arsfest@studentkaren.fi. Deadline for applications is Monday 14.10 at 11.59 p.m.
The SYL General Assembly is organized 15–16.11. The General Assembly is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself the Finnish student movement and influence what SYL will be working on during next year. During the General Assembly, ÅAS is represented by a delegation consisting of six delegates and their substitutes.
The General Assembly is two days. The meeting itself is divided between the two days, so half the agenda is treated during the first day and the other half during the second day. In the evening of the first day, working groups deal with more specific topics, which are then brought up the following day. At the same time as you register to the General Assembly you also register to the working group you fin most interesting.
During the meeting itself the action plan and budget for SYL for next year are discussed. It is also during the meeting that the board of SYL for next year is elected. The member organisations (the student unions) have ususally gone through the materials and given comments and suggestions before the meeting. During the meeting, the materials are processed and the participants vote on the final version.
Aside from the meeting there is typically also a political debate, where participants can talk about different topics relating to the student movement. There are also often guests invited that give greetings from organisations. Other programs may be included, for example voluntary evening events for those who are interested.
The delegate’s task during the General Assembly is to follow the meeting and vote on different topics. It does not require anything extra and they are free to cast their vote as they believe best. The group from ÅAS will typically actively discuss before and during the meeting to help the delegates understand what the topic is sbout.
The substitute’s task is to be available during the meeting to replace a delegate if they cannot be present during for example votings.
According to the Student Union’s instructions, the Student Council elects the representatives the the SYL General Assembly. The Student Council has elected the delegates and the Executive Board has been charged with finding substitutes. If you are interested in participating and representing ÅAS as a substitute, please send an application to so@studentkaren.fi by 9.10 at 4 p.m. at the latest. The Executive Board will then make the decision during their meeting.
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University criticizes the Orpo government’s proposal to the Finnish Parliament to change the laws regarding financial aid for students, and general housing allowance.
The proposal includes actions that weaken the students’ economic situation and mental health.
The general housing allowance is one of the biggest sources of income for students. The proposal to move students to a new system, which includes a housing bonus to the study grant, weakens the students’ economy drastically. When a student constantly must worry about the economy, it affects their academic progress directly, whether it’s through more work that needs to be done, or worse motivation to study caused by mental illness. This contradicts the government’s goal for a higher number of students that graduate from higher education institutions. Since it’s been suggested that the housing supplement will be connected to the financial aid for students, this means that a student will not get any sort of housing allowance during the summer months, with the only exception being completing courses during the summer. The rent still needs to be paid during the summer, and it cannot be assumed that every student can support themselves via a job or other support. In this case, students first need to take student loans, then social assistance. A student will be in more debt than ever before.
The housing markets in Åbo and Vasa are difficult. The Student Village foundations TYS and VOAS are both at a maximum usage rate, and the queues are extremely long. The private market is also difficult, since there are few apartments available, and the rent is record high. It is not possible for students to move to cheaper apartments. The number of shared housing apartments is lower than before, and the number of studio apartments has risen.
The government’s proposal would change the current financial aid for students’ system to a more loan-based system. The proposal would also not guarantee that students would survive without any financial aid during the summer months. This leads to an increase in the need for social assistance. Calculations of aid that’s being cut down show that 19 000 students will be forced to apply for social assistance. These calculations do not reflect the reality since it is not possible for every student to move to cheaper apartments. That’s why the number of students that must resort to social assistance will exceed the amount presented in the proposal.
During the fall, ÅAS will offer sexual counseling to all members of the Student Union. You can either come to an appointment (on site at Kåren or remotely) or you can send in a completely anonymous question.
Sexual counseling can, for example, be questions or concerns about sex, relationships, the body, sexual health, questions about identity or something else.
Both big and small questions are welcome.
My name is Nora Möller and I offer sexual health counseling. I have a special interest in norms, religion, culture and LGBTIQA+ issues. Your questions don’t need to be related to these areas.
I have professional confidentiality.
We can meet in person at Kåren or as a distance meeting. We meet about 1-2 times, 45 minutes per meeting and you don’t need to live in Turku. Counseling is free of charge.
You can also submit a completely anonymous question through this link. The link is also found on ÅAS’ Instagram. The answers are usually published every two weeks on Fridays.
If you have a question you would prefer not to be published, you can send it to the email below. Only you will receive a reply, but you will not be anonymous.
If you want to book an appointment or have questions, please use the following e-mail.
E-mail: nora.moller@abo.fi.
Statement
15 May 2024
For immediate release
We at the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University are extremely disappointed with the decisions that were made by the Orpo government. Now that a few weeks have passed since the frame budget talks, the seriousness of the situation has become clear.
Students will lose enormously
The cuts to the general housing allowance are unacceptable. Annually, it will be a cut of at least one thousand euros across the board. This will negatively affect students’ ability to study full time. The cuts will also work against the government’s goals of quicker examination times and the goal of raising the amount of citizens with a higher education degree. Students are, instead of studying, forced to take on jobs or indebt themselves. Is it fair? We don’t think so. But that’s the reality the government is forcing upon students.
The proposal of moving students back to student housing allowance is an terrible idea. Students’ income during the summer months will become a difficult question for students. At the same time the poverty of students is handled as “separate” poverty. Why are students not allowed other forms of welfare, which the rest of the citizens are qualified for?
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University demands action to be taken quickly to secure students’ income, without them needing to indebt themselves. The study grant and student housing allowance should guarantee a life without loans. Instead, it feels like students are forced into poverty and debt.
For more information
Jonne Kunnas
Chair of the Executive Board, The Student Union of ÅAU
so@studentkaren.fi