This abroad will have three components: on-campus in Elsah, in-country in Finland, a return to campus.
ELSAH
The program will start on campus with 4 weeks of intensive classroom learning and community building to prepare students for observation, adventure, and experiential learning in Finland. All the courses will be introduced during this phase.
FINLAND
Abroad participants will arrive in Helsinki where they will focus on Finnish culture and connect with the University of Helsinki to engage with university professors and Finnish students on educational and cultural topics.
After about two weeks, the group will travel north to the Arctic Circle and Lapland to study sustainable tourism and interdisciplinary sustainability education while collaborating with the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland and the Regional Council of Lapland. The program then continues to Oulu, the European Capital of Culture 2026, where students engage with local nonprofits and the Ministry of Education and Culture on sustainability and futures-focused planning.
The group will then head south to the Ruatavaara region to explore sustainability, outdoor education pedagogy, and culture at a Finnish nature school.
Heading even further south to warmer climates, students will stay in the medieval town of Porvoo to offer service on a sustainable Finnish farm.
The in-country portion of the abroad will end in Helsinki and all participants will return to ELSAH to wrap up the program, course work, and share their experiences with the greater community at the end of the semester.