The Finnish Friend project offers an important opportunity for many exchange students to learn about the everyday culture of Finns, while giving Finnish families a chance to get a new friend and to learn about different cultures in the process.

A petition demanding zero tolerance for racism was delivered to the city of Joensuu. The city and its citizens were quick to join forces.

UEF students and asylum seekers met in Lukema, Kuopio. The university aims to help asylum seekers by taking concrete measures.

‘UEF go fossil free’, a campaign still in need of signatures, was started by students to try and persuade the University of Eastern Finland to exclude fossil fuel producing companies from their investment portfolio. The university management has not committed to disclosing their investments.

The student organisations won ISYY’s representative council elections. The independents pulled ahead and the politically affiliated had to give up their previous dominance. The representative council will now be more international as well.