On Thursday 4 June, the City of Helsinki hosted a jubilant citywide Helsinki Welcome Day event for newcomers to the city from abroad. The event aimed to make Helsinki’s new international residents feel welcome and valued, give them an opportunity to meet new people and network, and present the wide variety of services and activities the city has to offer in a festive, community setting.
Now held for the third time, the event welcomed hundreds of participants of all ages. Personal invitations were sent out in May to people who had arrived in the country within the last year.
Helsinki Welcome Day included several presentations that provided useful information and advice to people just starting out in Helsinki. Mayor of Helsinki Daniel Sazonov was on hand to wish the crowd welcome.
"Our City Strategy has made it a priority to invest in not only attracting skilled workers from abroad but also helping them to successfully find their place in our city. We want to make sure that you feel at home in Helsinki and receive the help you need," Sazonov said.
Helsinki’s Migration Affairs Director Glenn Gassen also shared the story of his personal journey moving from Germany to Finland. He strongly encouraged the Helsinki Welcome Day participants to learn Finnish, as he felt it was the key to his finding his place in Finland, both personally and professionally.
In addition to the speeches and presentations, the event featured about two-dozen or so information stands providing details on services offered by the city and many other services. Participants were able to learn more about sports and cultural groups, social activities, volunteer work opportunities and Finnish and Swedish language courses, among other things.
Spin-off events: Local Welcome Days
For two years now, the City of Helsinki has also hosted smaller Welcome Days at the city's Cultural Centres, located in different neighbourhoods of the city. Culture and Leisure Division communications specialist Nahla Hewidy explained how the two kinds of events differ.
"The citywide event encourages newcomers to build a personal relationship with the city, because it is a big official celebration that takes place at City Hall, with the Mayor attending. The local one, like, for example, the Welcome Day Vuotalo in eastern Helsinki that is coming up, is more intimate, with more day-to-day neighbourhood services on display," she explained.