The school year starting in August brings about excitement and anticipation, especially for new students. The transition from comprehensive school to general upper secondary school is a significant point in life. Studying becomes more independent, the learning content becomes more in-depth, and you are surrounded by new people – friends, teachers and an entire new community.
The City of Helsinki’s general upper secondary schools have been giving careful thought to how they can welcome young people into this community. Each general upper secondary school holds group bonding days and welcome events during the school day, where students get to know each other, older students and the school staff. These events emphasise community spirit, peer support and safety – the values on which a good learning community is built.
The general upper secondary schools of the City of Helsinki have zero tolerance for bullying – hazing rituals have no place in general upper secondary school
The group bonding days and welcome parties serve as a celebration of sorts to kick off the school year. The aim is to make everyone feel like a valued part of the community. General upper secondary school students find group bonding to be important.
“We had a really good class spirit right from the start. I remember that on the first day, we went around the school with the tutors. It was nice that we had joint games and group bonding activities at the beginning. Group bonding is a really important part, especially at the start. The atmosphere here in Kallio is really open and lovely. The welcome party was a really rewarding experience – it gave me a really low-threshold opportunity to get to know people. I immediately felt part of the school community,” comments a student of Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts.
Although general upper secondary schools organise welcome parties and various group bonding days, some young people have continued to be involved in organising events called ‘nasujaiset’. Nasujaiset are hazing rituals, where the oppressive atmosphere does not foster cohesion – quite the opposite. Hazing rituals are a thing of the past, and humiliation or domination do not belong in a school community. They are not part of the activities of general upper secondary schools, and no one should participate in them.
“I think that hazing doesn’t support the community spirit, as it involves humiliating and mocking the new students. When I first heard about this tradition, it was a bit of a shock. The welcome party is a nice event, but hazing is degrading,” say students of Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts and the Visual Arts School of Helsinki.
Many general upper secondary schools have developed alternative, positive traditions for the future
“We hold a positive event for new students that doesn’t involve hazing. Instead, we have group bonding games and get to know each other safely. At the event, I got to know people other than my classmates and even had the courage to talk to the seniors,” comments a student at the Visual Arts School of Helsinki.
“Our welcome event involves a dress-up theme and activities, but no one is forced to do anything. It’s a safe and communal way to start general upper secondary school,” says a student of Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts.
Problematic park parties
In addition to hazing rituals, another problematic phenomenon is uncontrollable parties held in parks in the evenings. Hundreds, even thousands of young people gather in Helsinki’s parks on weekend evenings for these parties. Unsupervised, these gatherings have involved incidents of violence, theft and substance use. The police and youth workers have repeatedly had to intervene in situations in which the safety of young people has been threatened. Accordingly, the City and the authorities urge young people to spend time in smaller groups and parents and guardians to talk with young people about where and with whom they should spend their evenings.
“The abundance of people in the Kaivopuisto park is downright scary. My friends and I have agreed not to go there because there are so many people there. I know of situations where things get out of hand. You worry about your friends when someone gets too drunk. It’s not a nice feeling. Parents should be aware of the risks of park parties. It’s reassuring for a young person to know that they can always call home. Parents should make sure that young people can get home safely,” remark students of Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts and the Visual Arts School of Helsinki about park parties.
A safe and inspiring start to the school year is a shared goal that requires responsibility and caring from everyone. Together, students, parents, guardians, teachers and authorities can ensure that every young person gets a safe and dignified start to their general upper secondary education.
