Possibilities for Active Citizenship, Participation and Engagement in Finland (30.10.2023)

Silence is gold! Or is it? Not always! When we talk about civic participation, silence can be damaging to those who represent the weaker link at times. As residents, international students (especially those who plan to immigrate to Finland) have the right to participate in civic activities that go way beyond municipal elections only. Listen to what Meeri Tiensu, Pilvi Kallio-Meriläinen and Nick Walters have to say about the topic and start considering how you can positively influence your community so that we can build a more welcoming and fairer Finland to all, including immigrants. If you are an international student and have doubts related to general rights and obligations in Finland, you can send your questions to valeria.pinto@xamk.fi or moona@kotka.fi. Relevant links and comments: • Let your voice be heard in municipal politics - a guide https://www.jarvenpaa.fi/files/3cac94a8acc38793f04e6e2ff68a104984a696ab/guide-for-exerting-influence.pdf • Foreigners who have reached the age of 18 not later than on the day of the election, and whose municipality of residence, as defined by law, is the municipality in question on the 51st day before election day, and who at that time have had a municipality of residence in Finland for an uninterrupted period of two years. https://vaalit.fi/en/right-to-vote-and-compilation-of-the-voting-register • https://moniheli.fi/en/