During the final week before the start of the school year, we travelled to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, as part of the Erasmus+ programme to learn more about the Finnish education system and why its approach is considered so beneficial for today’s younger generation in Scandinavia. During the week-long training course, we had the opportunity to take part in a range of interesting activities and exercises and, above all, to explore topics that have a significant impact on today’s society. An important part of the project consisted of activities focused directly on specific questions and issues, helping us to better understand the importance of our responses and of finding individual solutions.
Another interesting aspect was the connection between several generations represented by the different delegations. Despite some initial, and rather frequent, surprise at the age of our Czech delegation, over the course of the week we formed strong bonds with wonderful people with whom we have remained in contact for possible future cooperation. We also had the opportunity to establish interdisciplinary connections and to explore team teaching as an approach that could become part of everyday teaching practice and be applied at our art school.
A large part of the project consisted of outdoor activities, which are an important part of local life and are mainly intended to deepen the relationship between people and nature. Through the various tasks, we were able to focus our attention on a single place, look for details and, in general, become more aware of the world around us and its beauty. To gain an even better understanding of the Finnish way of life, we naturally had to visit a Finnish sauna overlooking the sea.
Adéla Vrátilová & Kristýna Verichová
