PROGRAM

This is a preliminary program based on the successful 2024 program. There will be changes as we confirm next year’s speakers and add new elements. 

Friday 23

10:00 – 19:00 Participating in Educa event (English program). You can join an optional Educa School Visit.

Saturday 24

10:00 – 17:00 Educa continues (English program)

Traveling to Rovaniemi (according to individual flight options). Recommended visit before going to Rovaniemi: Oodi Library.

NOTE! Educa-program will be streamed so you can also fly directly to Rovaniemi without missing the presentations.

Sunday 25

08:30 – 09:00 Registration at Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus

09:00 – 09:45  Conference opening, Finland’s Ambassador for Education, Sannamaaria Vanamo

09:45 – 10:15 Educa event reflections

10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 11:00 Module A: Introduction to Finnish pre-education & care, Ms. Piia Roos 

11:00 – 11:30 Module B: Introduction to primary & secondary education (including special education), Ms. Tuovi Ronkainen

12:30 – 17:30 Visiting Santa Claus Village; includes an optional ride in Husky Park

19:00 – 22:00 Ice Restaurant Dinner Experience (opens soon) (optional)

Monday 26

08:30 – 13:00 School visits (including lunch)

• Daycare / Kindergarten
• Primary & lower secondary school
• Teacher Training School (only 20 seats available!)

13:00 – 14:30 Outdoor activities/ participants’ recess

14:45 Coffee served in conference room 

15:00-17:00 Program in conference room at hotel Santa Claus:

• 15:00-15:15 Greetings from schools 
• 15:15-15:45 wrap up talk (in small groups)
• 15:45-16:30 wrap up talk (with the whole conference)
• Module C: Vocational education / secondary education

on Tuesday and Wednesday, the participants are divided into two groups, A and B.

Tuesday 27

08:30 – 13:00 School visits (including lunch), GROUP A

• Primary & lower secondary school
• High school 
• Vocational school

OR 

08:30 – 13:00 Discovering building blocks of happiness at  PILKE and Arktikum, workshops and lectures in small groups, GROUP B

14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break

15:00 – 18:00 ‘Be a student’ – lesson simulations in a Finnish school*, GROUP B

• Sport (snowshoeing)
• Nature pedagogy
• Home economics
• Handcrafts
• Welfare pedagogy

OR

15:00 – 18:00 Program at the hotel: School visit wrap-up in small groups and a workshop on  Social media’s effect on young people’s happiness, GROUP A

19:00 – 21:30 Northern Lights Hunting (opens soon) (optional)

Wednesday 28

08:30 – 13:00 School visits (including lunch), GROUP B

• Primary & lower secondary school
• High school
• Vocational school

OR 

08:30 – 13:00 Discovering building blocks of happiness at  PILKE and Arktikum, workshops and lectures in small groups, GROUP A

14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break

15:00 – 18:00 ‘Be a student’ – lesson simulations in a Finnish school*, GROUP A

• Sport (snowshoeing)
• Nature pedagogy
• Home economics
• Handcrafts
• Welfare pedagogy

OR

15:00 – 18:00 Program at the hotel: School visit wrap-up in small groups and a workshop on  Social media’s effect on young people’s happiness, GROUP B

19:00 – 21:00 Farewell Dinner at Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, hosted by the Pedagogical Director at the City of Rovaniemi, Mr. Jussi Kainulainen  

Thursday 29

08:30 – 10:30  Educational Administration 

• Behind the scenes: decisions and work that make a happy school possible 
• Guest speaker: Heljä Misukka

11:00 – 11:45 Working on the action plans.

12:00 – 12:30 Closing words, feedback

12:30 – 13.30 Lunch

14:00 – 17:00 Snowmobile Safari to Reindeer Farm (opens soon) (optional)

AFTERLIFE EXPERIENCE: optional with an extra fee

Friday 30

09:00 – 13:00  A hands-on workshop: Learning through and about nature

We have combined three different elements in one package. You get

• to experience Finnish nature education in the role of a student.
• to learn about Lappish lifestyle and survival skills needed in
    Arctic environment.
• concrete tools to use in your work.

This nature pedagogy workshop is designed and conducted by Kimmo Tuunala from Finncredible.  

* IMPORTANT! All the school visits and lesson simulations have a minimum and maximum group size. The earlier you book, the more options you will have!

** NOTE! If there are differences between the brochure and the website, you can count on the website as it has updated information.

EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS IN ROVANIEMI

JUSSI KAINULAINEN

Jussi Kainulainen has extensive experience in the Finnish education system. He has working experience in primary and secondary education as a class teacher, SEN teacher, and vice-principal. Jussi has also been engaged with school administration as a Development Manager in the City of Kokkola and currently as Pedagogical Director here in Rovaniemi, supporting education in local schools from early childhood education until secondary education. In addition, Jussi has international working experience from, e.g., Namibia and Laos, where he worked for two years within United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). After Laos, he acted as Programme Manager with EduCluster Finland’s leading Education Partnership Program (EPA) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Before relocating back to Finland and Rovaniemi, Jussi worked in Malaysia to improve education in Malaysian government schools.

PIIA ROOS

Piia Roos has long experience as a teacher and a leader in Finnish childcare centers. For the past 10 years she worked as a teacher in vocational college for practical nurses majoring in early childhood education. Her special interests are children’s perspective and participation.

HELJÄ MISUKKA 

Heljä Misukka has had an exceptional career in the field of education. For the last ten years, she was the Director of Educational Policy and Executive Team member at the Trade Union of Education in Finland; before that, she worked as a Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Education. During 2015-2022, she was also a board member of Finnish National Agency for Education, and during 2013-2016, she was an Executive Board member at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences. Currently, she is the Executive director and owner of LovEdu.

LIFE2025 COORDINATOR AND FACILITATOR

SUVI KRISTA WESTLING
Suvi K. Westling is an expert on educational psychology with a broad view of education and a deep understanding of the human mind. She graduated from and later taught students in an innovative program of educational psychology at the University of Helsinki. Her teaching has included lecturing, supervising pre-service teachers’ practice, and facilitating group processes and phenomenon-based group studies. In her research, she has studied the quality of regulation of students’ learning and activity both at school and in teacher education. She has worked as an expert in educational program design at an academic level as well as in several international organizations.

Suvi has also gained grassroots experience with children and teenagers while working as a classroom teacher, youth worker, and camp supervisor in various places at earlier phases of her life. She has developed an international mindset and understanding of different cultures by participating and working in different international communities and networks, living and studying in Latin America (Chile).

NOTE: Other experts and speakers will be confirmed later

Friday, January 30

AFTERLIFE EXPERIENCE – LEARNING THROUGH AND ABOUT NATURE

➢Date and time: 30.1.2026, 9:30-12:30
➢Place: At an authentic Lappish environment
➢Group size: 15 – 50 persons
➢Price: 190€ (EXCL. VAT 25,5%) per participant
➢Trainer: Kimmo Tuunala
➢Booking: as part of the LIFE2026 online registration process

Benefits of outdoor learning are undeniable and the connection for
learning 21st century skills is strong. In addition, nature affects very
positively on well-being and strengthening the connection with
nature improves self-esteem and confidence. Why not to use it then more
in learning? This workshop gives you very concrete and experiental
methods for outdoor learning.

In this 3-hour hands-on workshop we have combined three different
elements in one package. You get
1. to experience Finnish nature education in the role of a student.
2. to learn about the Lappish lifestyle and survival skills needed in
an Arctic environment.
3. concrete tools to use in your work.

FACILITATOR

Kimmo Tuunala (M.Ed) is a class teacher, teacher trainer, environmental
educator and facilitator. He is a nature enthusiast and has carried out
nature-related lessons, theme days, camps and workshops for years.
With his team, Kimmo designs experience-based sessions that are closely
connected to Lappish nature, the wellbeing effects of nature, the
human-nature connection, sustainable way of living and survival skills.

SOCIAL PROGRAM

Visit to the Santa Claus Village 

Sunday 25 January at 13:30 – 17:00.

Transport from Santa’s Hotel and back.   

Price: Included in the registration fee for all attendees. Optional visit and ride in Husky Park for an additional fee of 35€ – 49€.

Farewell Dinner

Wednesday 28 February 19:00 – 22:00

The farewell dinner is organized at the LIFE2026 venue Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus.

Included in the registration fee for all attendees. 

Winter Activities

Sunday 25 January at 19:00 – 22:00
Tuesday 27 January at 19:00 – 21:30
Thursday 29 February at 14:00 – 17:00.

For both LIFE2026 participants and avecs/accompanying persons, we have organized an exclusive winter activity program in the surrounding areas of Rovaniemi. More information is in Winter Activities -tab. 

Price: NOT Included in the registration fee for all attendees. 

WINTER ACTIVITIES

For both, LIFE2026 participants and avecs/accompanying persons, we have planned an exclusive winter activity program. What activity would you like to try? Hunt magical northern lights in the darkening evening, enjoy Finnish delicacies in a restaurant made of ice, or feel the speed of riding a snowmobile?  Maybe all of them… And not to forget the husky ride and cuddling these beautiful dogs.

REGISTRATION FOR THE ICE RESTAURANT DINNER AND SNOW MOBILE SAFARI (opens soon)

REGISTER FOR THE HUSKY RIDE (opens soon)

REGISTER FOR NORTHERN LIGHTS HUNTING (opens soon)

SUNDAY, 25 JAN

12:30 – 17:30 (time slot) Husky ride at Santa Claus Village

GENERAL INFORMATION ON ROVANIEMI

Rovaniemi is the administrative capital and commercial center of Finland’s Lapland.

The city is about 800 km north of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. In the past few decades, Rovaniemi has grown into a busy and active town with now more than 63,000 inhabitants. Rovaniemi is also the educational center of Lapland, and there are two universities located in Rovaniemi. The University of Lapland is the northernmost university in Finland and the European Union. Lapland University for Applied Sciences has its home base in Rovaniemi. The unique location of Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle  attracts more than 400,000 tourists each year from all over the world. Visit Rovaniemi‘s website for more information.

How to get there

Despite its northern location, Rovaniemi is well connected to the rest of the world. From abroad, it’s easiest to reach the city via a short flight from Helsinki. Daily flights between Rovaniemi and Helsinki are operated by Finnair throughout the year. In addition, more and more airlines offer direct flights to Rovaniemi.

Finnair
Norwegian

Train
For those who don’t wish to stay an extra night in Helsinki or Rovaniemi, a night train and sleeping compartment can be an interesting, exotic, economical, and sustainable option.  There are two night trains available every day, and the trains during the daylight offer a good opportunity to see more of Finland. Visit VR for more information.

How to get from the airport/railway station to the hotels

Airport Express

This bus service from the airport to the city center and back drives to all the central hotels and the bus station in approx. 15 minutes for 7-12€ per person. Airport Express departs from the airport after every flight arrival. Check your hotel reception about the pickup time from your hotel back to the airport. For further information call +358 (0)16 – 362 222. 

The railway station is located about 1.5 kilometers from the city center. There is no direct bus connection. The easiest way to get to the hotel is to either walk or take a taxi. 

Taxi

Normal Taxi: The price from the airport to the city center is approx. 20€.

Finnish taxis are reliable and accept credit cards. The following taxi companies operate in Rovaniemi:

Rovaniemi Taxi Service

Taksi Rovaniemi

Menevä

Car rentals

All major car rentals have an office in Rovaniemi for those interested in traveling around the surrounding areas and Lapland by themselves. 

Weather in Rovaniemi

In January-February, the average temperatures are around -11 degrees (Celsius). So have that in mind when choosing your clothing. For the winter activities, however, there is always proper clothing available for the participants. Please visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for updated news on weather in Rovaniemi.

Language

The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, but most people speak basic English. Those who work in tourism speak excellent English. The language of LIFE2026 is English.

Currency

The Finnish currency unit is the Euro. There are numerous cash machines (ATMs) open around the clock and they accept all major credit cards. In addition, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted almost everywhere (hotels, restaurants, shops, taxis, cafeterias, bars, etc.).

Voltage

The electric current in Finland is 230V, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin continental size.

Time

The time in Finland is UTC/GMT+2

GENERAL INFORMATION ON HELSINKI

Is Helsinki the coolest city in the world?

Probably yes! In the capital of Finland, you can find the influence of both our neighbors, Sweden and Russia, but still the city is unique. It’s a modern metropole with over 650, 000 inhabitants (1,5 million in the larger metropolitan area) and yet you are never more than a 10-minute walk from nature. On the same day, you can pick berries in a forest and go to the Opera. Helsinki is a lively big city that never sleeps, but so safe that you can see 7-year-old first graders the take the tram to school on their own. 

Feeling the fresh breeze of the Baltic Sea while wandering around the picturesque streets of this easy-going city, it is not so difficult to imagine why Finns are the happiest nation in the world. After the walk, warm yourself up with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun. These coffee breaks with friends and colleagues are almost sacred moments to Finns. 

While in Helsinki, check out the libraries as a social innovation in Finnish education, interactive museums, the islands around Helsinki and the sauna. There are many more attractions that promise unforgettable experience in Helsinki such as  Alvar Aalto’s studio, Helsinki Cathedral by Carl Ludvig Engel, Senate Square, Old Market Hall, Löyly sauna and restaurant, and much more. 

Check out What’s up in Helsinki during your study visit!