In Helsinki, summer school programmes on the upper secondary education level support the integration of young people who have recently moved to the country and help them to stay in education. Learning new things, engaging in meaningful activities and receiving support from peer instructors help young people who have moved to Finland just as they are about to start upper secondary education to integrate into Finnish society.
Summer schools organised by ‘Welcome Families!’ activities have been running for families who have recently moved to the country since 2024. This year, the activities have been extended to include upper secondary school pupils in the form of a summer school programme. The upper secondary level summer school was held at the Malmi location of Helsinki Vocational College.
During the school summer holidays, many young people who have recently moved to the country are left without education or integration support. The summer school programme addresses this by offering Finnish as a second language lessons, information on services in Helsinki, and activities designed to strengthen everyday life skills. At the same time, the young people have the chance to get to know the city and what it has to offer in terms of leisure activities.
The summer school is organised in collaboration with various operators to ensure that it meets the needs of young people as comprehensively as possible. These activities are coordinated by the support service for compulsory education on the upper secondary level. Operators participating in the collaboration include educational institutions, regional youth work, youth work at educational institutions, sports services and special services for immigrants. The Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki is responsible for the Finnish language lessons. All through summer school, the group will be led by a multilingual instructor and a team of peer instructors.
Peer instructors support learning and participation
Peer instructors played an important role in the success of the summer school programme in Helsinki. Peer instructors are young people who have moved to the country themselves and are learning Finnish as a second language; they have first-hand experience of what it is like to move to a new country. They support learning and demonstrate through their own example that it is possible to learn a new language and stay on track with your education. The language is learnt through everyday interaction, which promotes learning and makes it easier to speak Finnish.
For peer instructors, summer school offers an opportunity to earn credits towards their own studies whilst developing their mentoring skills, employability and experience of working in responsible roles. Summer school pupils, for their part, receive support from peer instructors, which supplements their education. Peer relationships build trust and reinforce a sense of security, while strengthening young people’s belief in their own future at the same time.
Mahdi Vaezi, a second-year student at Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Media Arts, was delighted at the opportunity to take part in the summer school programme.
“The summer school has lived up to the description I was given at my general upper secondary school when I was invited to take part. I have been helping young people taking part in the summer school to improve their Finnish language skills, writing and pronunciation," says Mahdi Vaezi.
“It’s been a lovely experience. We have done things like visited a farm and spent a lot of time together during the week. Over the course of the week, I gained a whole new perspective on the work of a teacher. I learnt how to work with other people who are not yet very proficient in Finnish. I noticed that the young people who took part in the summer school have a strong desire to learn new things, try their best and succeed," says Mahdi.
“The best things about summer school for me were making new friends, meeting new people and the really lovely teachers,” Mahdi adds in conclusion.
Summer school activities as part of national, regional and City-level development work
The development work of the City of Helsinki is linked to a national programme aimed at creating clearer and more continuous study paths for young people who have moved to the country. This work promotes educational equality and improves opportunities for all young people to access education and the world of work.
The summer school, organised in collaboration between the wellbeing services county and the City, promotes the objectives of both. Strengthening integration is a statutory duty of municipalities and wellbeing services counties. At the same time, the Helsinki City Strategy is being implemented by preventing social exclusion and supporting young people’s educational pathways, particularly during transitional phases. Early support helps prevent challenges, and multidisciplinary cooperation is not only effective but also a resource-efficient approach.
The Helsinki summer school is proof that good results can be achieved through cooperation and by responding to young people’s needs at the right time. Peer instructors play a vital role in bringing warmth and a sense of shared experience. Ultimately, this is not just about summer activities, but about a long-term commitment to young people’s participation, wellbeing and future.