Inspiring students teach Aalto University Junior workshops as experts in their fields

Aalto University Junior’s home is on the Otaniemi campus in the premises of the School of Chemical Engineering (address: Kemistintie 1B), but you can also attend many of the unit’s functional study visits virtually. The pupil activities offered by Junior are free of charge for the participants. Only the journeys to the location must be paid for by their own school. Summer camps and clubs are subject to a fee. 

Virtual workshops have already reached more than half of Finnish municipalities. In 2022, 4,390 children and young people participated in virtual workshops and 4,150 in face-to-face workshops on the Otaniemi campus. When virtual theme weeks, events and camps as well as clubs are also included, a record number of 28,000 children and young people from all around Finland participated in Junior’s activities last year. In five years, the number of visitors has increased by a whopping 780 per cent.

Versatile and multidisciplinary activities taught by students

Aalto University Junior was founded in January 2018. It was preceded by LUMA Centre Aalto, established in 2011, whose activities included contents of mathematics, chemistry and physics, offered as workshops and lectures. Now, the contents of the five-year-old Junior are built more extensively around Aalto University’s fields of research. Children and young people can learn about sustainable energy solutions, the world of art and design, information and communication technology, the diversity of materials and the sustainable use of natural resources, the dynamics of global business, and future urban planning. Junior’s speciality compared to other LUMA centres is that it also teaches contents of economics and arts and design.

Do you wonder how to implement entrepreneurship education in your teaching in comprehensive school or upper secondary education? Or are you wondering how you could explain responsible investment to young people? Or maybe you are a class teacher and would like to practice interaction skills and exerting influence with your class in a negotiation workshop. Or would you be interested in a logo design workshop to learn what logos are, what makes a logo unique and why companies want to stand out? This and much more can be learned at Aalto University Junior’s workshops.

Aalto University Junior’s workshops are taught by Aalto students. A coordinator responsible for the contents of each field familiarises the student instructors with their task and supports them as necessary. Junior employs more than 30 student instructors, most often on a part-time basis. The students have received a lot of praise for their work: they have been described as easily approachable and skilled instructors for children and young people. As the students have fresh information about the contents taught at Aalto, they also actively participate in the development of Junior content.

Donations enable free activities

Aalto University Junior is one of Aalto’s donation targets. By donating, you too can help enable children and young people to test their own ideas, encourage them to trust their potential and find their own interests. 

The current world situation and news may seem anxiety-inducing and confusing to children. This is why the opportunities and tools offered by Junior for processing information, solution-oriented thinking and building up self-confidence are important in helping children and young people to believe in the future and find courage.