Life & society

Natural attraction: Finland’s national parks draw people to popular peaks and hidden gems

The dozens of national parks spread across Finland receive about 3.5 million visitors annually, but the numbers are unevenly distributed. While the quieter parks are farther off the beaten track, that only increases their charm.

Life & society Education

Teens in Finland learn life skills in home economics class

Mouthwatering aromas fill the air as a class of seventh-graders dig into today’s lesson: cooking a complete meal. (This article includes a couple of their dessert recipes.)

Life & society Social Services

Oodi Library acts as Helsinki’s urban living room

The Finnish government built the flagship library Oodi as a present to its citizens after the country celebrated 100 years of independence in 2017. It is a clear indication of how important reading and education are to Finns.

500,400

Number of summer cottages in Finland

Source: Statistics Finland

Life & society Quality of life

We asked people in Finland what makes them happy

In honour of the International Day of Happiness, which takes place every year on March 20, we visit Oodi, Helsinki’s grand central library, to talk with people about what makes them happy. In our video, they tell you in their own words.

Life & society Society

Citizens’ initiatives prove popular in Finland as an expression of democracy

More than a decade of experience shows how citizens’ initiatives, in which ordinary voters ask the legislature to create or alter a law, have become a popular expression of democracy in Finland – particularly for young people.

2010

The year National Failure Day was introduced

Life & society Winter

Icy resolve: Creating the world’s widest ice carousel on a Finnish lake

Janne Käpylehto’s newest project – making the largest ice carousel in the world – amounts to a masterclass in sisu, the untranslatable Finnish word that signifies courage and endurance. And we’ve got it on video.

Life & society Family

For more than 100 years, Finnish “neuvola” clinics have given families a healthy start

Founded in Helsinki in 1922, a nationwide system of maternity and child health clinics has benefited and helped shape Finnish society over a period that now spans more than a century. They provide everything from prenatal healthcare to postnatal support for parents.

Life & society Equality

After finding refuge in Finland, Afghan woman continues to advocate for peace and equality

Since fleeing the Taliban and arriving in Finland, Shekeba Ahmadi has found stability in one of the world’s most gender-equal countries. Through her work as a women’s rights advocate, she hopes to fight extremist oppression in her former homeland.

47%

of Finnish people earn a higher education degree

Source: OECD