Detmoldissa juhlittiin toukokuun alussa 20-vuotista ystävyyskaupunkitoimintaa Savonlinnan kanssa. Siihen kuului monia tapahtumia, joista yksi oli Detmoldin, Saint Omerin (Ranskassa) ja Savonlinnan yhteinen kansainvälinen nuorisotapaaminen. Se oli otsikoitu Informed Choices, Future Voices, ja sen kolmessa työpajassa käsiteltiin demokratiaa EU:ssa, äänestämisen ja muun yhteiskunnallisen vaikuttamisen tärkeyttä sekä oikean informaation erottamista väärennetystä. Viimeisimmässä käytettiin esimerkkeinä erityisesti kuvien muokkaamista.
Lisäksi opiskelijat osallistuivat ystävyyskaupunkitoiminnan juhliin ja Eurooppa-päivän viettoon. Eurooppa-torilla eri maiden ystävyysseurat ja muut vastaavat tahot esittelivät toimintaansa ja tarjosivat pientä syötävää kaupunkilaisille. Nuoroisotapahtuman osallistujat paistoivat vohveleita ja keskustelivat samalla asiakkaiden kanssa. Toki ohjelmaan kuului myös kaupunkiin tutustumista ja vapaa-aikaa, jolloin eri maiden nuorten oli mahdollista tutustua toisiinsa. Lyseolta oli mukana yhdeksän opiskelijaa ja kaksi opettajaa, Virpi Loikkanen ja Ville Holopainen.
Opiskelijat kirjoittavat tapahtumasta näin:
”I wanted to join the project because I have never been to Germany before. And also this sounded like a perfect opportunity to get friends from other countries. And it happened, because now I have friends from Germany and France.
The best experience was to get to know about German culture and also that we had so much fun with people all weekend. The worst thing was maybe the food and eating times, because we didn’t have much time to eat and the food was not my favorite so I didn’t eat that well like I do in Finland. But I don’t say that all of the food was bad, because I had the opportunity to try the German food, and it was interesting.
I learned pretty much new things about the EU elections and about the media, for example about the fake news and photos. Also I learned to speak a little bit better english. I learned about German culture and how in Germany the young people spend their free time and how the school is like in German.
I would recommend this kind of project to everyone who has an opportunity to go there. Because it was maybe one of the best weekends I have had in my life. And I promise that no one will regret going there.” -Paula
”I enjoyed this journey a lot because it brought many new experiences as well as some interesting knowledge. The city of Detmold was absolutely stunning, and it was nice to even just walk around and admire the architecture. The Germans were really kind and nice people. The weather was pretty much perfect being around 15-20°C with some occasional rain.
The best experiences of the project were the festival on Saturday and just walking around the city every day. The games we played in the evenings were also really fun. Worst experience was probably the food on the day of the 20-year anniversary orchestra. The orchestra itself was wonderful, but not having any food alternatives for the salad soup made me quite disappointed. Other than that, the food in Germany was great, especially the kebab.
Among the many things I learned during this trip, the most important ones were probably some of the things related to the elections, fake photos, and media literacy. I also learned quite a bit about Germany, more precisely Detmold. It was interesting to learn how life there differs from Finland.
I would recommend this trip to anyone even a bit interested in travelling or getting to know other cultures. This trip was an incredible experience and I’d gladly go to one again somewhere in the future.” -Samu
”I liked the project because there were so many new things. This was my first time abroad, and I was not disappointed. Trains and planes were pretty easy to use, against my original thought of them being absolute nightmares. I thought that getting through the airport security check would be a lot harder and take much more time than it did. It was so intriguing to see how different Detmold was from Savonlinna. And I loved the architecture in Detmold. All the shops and restaurants and houses were like straight from a fantasy book. The city looked beautiful, I could have spent the entire time just walking around. I didn’t learn that much in the actual workshops, because most of the stuff was familiar to me. The workshops were still fun, though. (And this was probably the first time ever that I hoped to be in a group where I didn’t know anyone.) The best part of the trip for me, like it was probably for most of us, were the evenings/nights. Just doing fun things with new people. Biggest surprise of the project was the fact that everyone wanted to do something together. Or like the German students asked us to do stuff with them. (That would never happen in Finland). When I first heard about the project, I was kind of scared. I didn’t really want to go, but it was free, and what were the chances I would get picked? Well… As it turns out, I got picked, and it was one of the best experiences in my life. If someone asked me to do it again, I would be 120% in. So yes, it was amazing and I’d recommend it to anyone.” -Jonne
”I enjoyed this project so much because I made a lot of international friends even though there were only 4 days and also I learned a lot about EU election, Media literacy and Fake news and photos. The best experience was the day in market place made a waffle and talked with many people was just amazing. The worst experience was the last day which i had to wake up around 3 am was terrible, but we made it! I was so surprised about how German students say their opinions (in a good way). I still wonder why… I was so impressed by that. Also I felt big changes in myself which I became more active in the last few days. I am sure that a lot of other students were also.
For me I have noticed again knowing about new people, learning about new things were such nice things. I want to say thank you to all the people who I met in Germany. People from Finland, Germany and France. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I definitely recommend joining those projects. Especially people who want to change, find themselves or try new things!” -Suzuha
”When I heard about this project, I immediately wanted to participate. I had already been to Germany and had a positive impression of the country, so hearing about the opportunity to visit again and gain important experience and knowledge about the European Parliament and EU elections, I promptly applied for the project. The fact that we would be working with groups from other countries added motivation to study even harder. Those four days we spent there were as fascinating and interesting as one could imagine. I met wonderful people there with whom I continue to communicate even after the project ended. From any angle, I cannot find a single downside. I liked absolutely everything, from the weather to the program. Perhaps the only downside was the end of the project. At the end, we had a rather touching farewell, but I hope I can see them again.” -Bohdan
”I heard about this project already in winter and knew immediately that I wanted to be part of it. I have been to different countries before but never in Germany and for me it sounded very interesting to get to know about a totally new city. And also it sounded like a great opportunity to become more independent.
Our first day didn’t start as planned. First we drove in a different direction from the Paderborns airport and after that our car’s battery emptied out. Luckily our drivers were our amazing project leaders and they turned the experience into a great adventure. We went to see rocks. Sounds boring, but they were huge rocks and we could climb on top of them. And the views on top of those rocks were so beautiful.
During the days we had different workshops which were related to the eu parliament, the elections and media literacy. Before the trip I was a bit scared that these workshops might be boring even though these topics interest me. I was totally wrong, the workshops were super interesting and I learned a lot from them. It was also very good that we were mixed with the French and Germans, because I got so many different views to the points and what best I got so many new friends.
Only thing that I would change about the trip was the eating and food. We didn’t have regular meals and sadly most of the time I was quite hungry. The food in the hostel was interesting, let’s just say that. Maybe not for me. but the hostel’s breakfast was so good!
All in all I would definitely go to this trip again. The activities we had there were well planned and, for example, the European market was a lovely thing to experience and I will never forget it. We got to share and make waffles at the market and after that just see the city and walk around. I would definitely recommend this place and trip to everyone. This was a trip to remember.” -Venla
”First time I heard about this project was when I received a Wilma message, asking if there are people who are interested in going to Germany. I sent my application immediately after reading the message. I wanted to go because I thought this would be a great experience. I had never been to Germany before, so it would be nice to experience a new country and culture.
Our first day was mostly traveling, from Savonlinna to Helsinki Vantaa airport by train, then to Munich by plane and connecting flight to Paderborn, lastly a car drive to Detmold. Traveling days are always exhausting, so was it also this time. Weather in Germany was very warm that day when we arrived, almost too warm.
On the second day of the trip, we had a couple of lectures about the EU at the town hall. In the evening of the second day we went to a local high school to listen to a concert, where there were also students from Savonlinna playing in the orchestra. The orchestra played for example Finlandia and Ode to joy. In my opinion there were too many speeches between the music. At the youth hostel we played volleyball, ping pong and we teached Finnish game tangle (solmu) to Germans. These games were probably the best thing about the trip. Through these activities we got to know people from other countries. Another great moment from the trip was the town festival. There was music, people and a good atmosphere. I think we all had a good time there.
I would recommend this trip to everyone. You get to meet new people, get to know another culture and you will get great new experiences. I would definitely go for this kind of trip again. Greatest thing about this trip were the people you got to meet.” -Topias
”I enjoyed this trip because I made new friends from other countries. I have never been to Germany before so this was an amazing opportunity. The best experience was to get to know about German culture and also that we had so much fun with people all weekend and the worst experience was the early travel mornings especially when we were leaving at germany at 3am.” -Piitu
”This whole experience was eye opening. Before I didn’t even know how to get around in the airport. I was surprised by Munich’s large airport. We had to move by bus and there was even a metro. You can guess we didn’t get much sleep on traveldays.
Finnish and German school systems were different and there were so many other cultural differences. It was also nice to realize how similar our life problems are.” -Emmi
Lyseon väen lisäksi 20-vuotisjuhlintaan osallistuivat Savonlinnasta mm. kaupunginjohtaja Janne Laine, musiikkiopiston huiluorkesteri sekä Trio Tanguango. Pääjuhlan lisäksi savonlinnalaiset osallistuivat kaikelle kansalle avoimeen kaupunginosajuhlaan Herberhausenissa. Muusikot konsertoivat myös muissa tilanteissa, kuten Eurooppa-päivän tapahtumassa keskustan kaduilla.