Don't Forget South Central

In Kokkola, Finland When I first signed up to visit Villa Elba Youth Center and Nature School, I was under the impression that this was a school that incorporated outdoor education as a part of their theme. However, the nature school network operates outside of the traditional school system but in support of it. Nature education is expressly addressed in the National Core Curriculum. For example, at age 7-16 the goal is “…to raise environmentally conscious citizens who are committed to a sustainable way of life. The schools must teach future-oriented thinking and building the future on ecologically, economically, socially, and culturally sustainable premises.” (NCC, 2004, 39) For older students, the theme is Sustainable Development. Students are encouraged to pursue a sustainable lifestyle, to take action for sustainable development, and to examine the challenges of SD (NCC, 2003, 28–29). There are several major nature schools in Finland and it is customary for many...

Sara Kall, Nature School Teacher, Villa Elba Youth Center One of the goals of my Fulbright project was not only to examine how Finnish schools incorporate break time into their schedules, but how much of that time is spent outdoors. How do kids know what to do outdoors? Do the teachers follow them around? Do kids have to be strictly supervised? Is there a difference between the activities of boys vs. girls? To that end, my goal here in Finland has been not only to observe schools, but also nature organizations that might support outdoor learning and experiences. I hit the lottery with the help of nature school teacher Maria Svens, who I reached out to before I even arrived in the country. Her article about the Finnish Outdoor Classroom gave me an overview of how organizations can support schools in teaching students about nature. Maria then connected me with Sara Kall from the Villa Elba Youth Center in Kokkola, Finland where I was fortunate to be able to spend tw...

The morning after the conclusion of the Fulbright Forum in Helsinki, three Fulbrighters boarded a plane to Berlin to continue our learning. What greeted us were no less than 550 Fulbrighters based in Germany! Now to recap, Fulbrights are merit-based grants managed by the U.S. State Department, whose funds often come from our taxes. However, budget cuts have recently become a recurring issue and many countries have binational commissions that also supplement or fully pay for the cost of Fulbrighters to come to their country. The German and American Fulbrighters bonding Fulbrighters are scholars, students, teachers, scientists, artists, and mid-career professionals that want to embark on a cross-cultural exchange that will lead to increased cooperation and mutual understanding between nations. This may seem like a lofty goal, but it has been happening for over 70 years. I still can’t believe I am a part of this inspiring group of people. The Berlin Seminar w...

The new "Olds" at Schildt Upper Secondary School, Jyvaskyla Being wrapped up in the cozy cocoon of Finnish schools (wearing socks instead of shoes, eating a daily hot lunch, and hearing the happy buzz of children), it is easy to forget that Fulbright is more than just teachers working on inquiry projects. Schildt has merged and will be known as Gradia next year These last two weeks swiftly reminded me that Senator Fulbright left the world an incredible legacy, and that almost half a million people have participated in cross-cultural exchanges since the program’s inception. Fulbright Finland’s Spring Forum The Fulbright grantees in Finland are located in a number of cities. For the first time, students, teachers, and scholars from the U.S. gathered for three days of learning from each other. For those of us fortunate to attend the separate workshop “Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats,” we enjoyed the added bonus of hearing an impress...