Aalto University Junior
Aalto University Junior is art, science, technology and entrepreneurship for children, young people and teachers - to support teaching, personal joy and a source of enthusiasm.
Aalto University Junior reached a record 31,000 children and young people last year
Aalto University Junior had another record year, with a 10% increase in the number of participants compared to the previous year. Thanks to hybrid activities, children, young people, teachers and school groups from all over Finland participated. Junior reached pupils in around half of Finland's municipalities.
Aalto University Junior's activities last year were in accordance with the hybrid model, i.e. some of the activities were carried out as local activities and some remotely. With the remote activity models developed in recent years, groups of schoolchildren were able to participate in workshops from different parts of the country. In total, there were participants from about 150 municipalities, which is about half of Finland's three hundred municipalities. Over the last four years, school groups from 240 cities and municipalities have participated. Feedback on the hybrid activities has been very positive.
‘We provide concrete tools for the school world and support children’s and young people's hobbies. The focus is on high-quality pedagogical design, where accessibility is key,’ says Veli-Matti Ikävalko, Head of Aalto University Junior.
Last year, a record 31 320 children, young people, teachers, and parents participated Junior’s activities. The growth was driven by remote activities, events, and Technology workshops project, which started in the autumn. Technology workshops project is an in-school workshop model, funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, which focuses on robotics, artificial intelligence and games education.
Total number of
31 320
participants
Theme weeks
14 150
participants
Junior Lab
6 830
visitors
Remote workshops
1 990
participants
The number of participants across different activities in 2023.
By far the most popular activity at Aalto University Junior was the Theme Weeks. The idea of a theme week is to offer a specific theme workshop several times during the same week for a specific target group and grade level. The aim is to encourage participation, especially from teachers who have not previously been familiar with Junior activities. The remote implementation of the thematic weeks enables a large number of participants and participation from all over Finland.
Accessible activities for all
One of Aalto University Junior's objectives is to reach out to children and young people who do not have any higher education contacts in their immediate environment. This is achieved in particular through outreach events and workshops. Good examples include workshops in the Oodi library, family days at the Stoa Cultural Centre and World in the Village Festival. The aim is to create activities that are geographically and economically accessible. ‘We go from the campus to places where people, especially families, naturally move around. In this way, we aim to increase the diversity of participants,’ says Veli-Matti Ikävalko.
The language requirements and special needs groups are also taken into account in the workshops organized on campus. ‘We have visitors with special needs and classes are taught in plain language. Summer camps have their own quota for free participation through SOS Children's Village,’ continues Ikävalko. Aalto University Junior also caters to the needs of gifted students, for example through Olympic coaching in biology.
Aalto University Junior organizes functional study visits to the campus, remote workshops, events, theme weeks, camps, lectures and everything that supports the interest and enthusiasm of children and young people in the fields of Aalto University.
Aalto University Junior
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