Second Study Visit in Finland

There are many studies that affirm the benefits of incorporating emotional and health education into the education system at all levels, from preschool to university.

This is one of the main objectives of the project Emotional Schools (Schools developing health and emotions). In order to find out how the Finnish education system includes and works with emotional education, the partner organisations went on a study trip to the Maijamäen koulu secondary school and high school in Naantali, in the south of Finland.

There, the participants from the different partner countries (mostly teachers and educators) had the opportunity to get to know how the school curriculum is structured, and how teachers are trained at the University of Turku.

The organisations also visited the Velkuan Koulu where they were able to learn how children and teenagers are educated for survival in the beautiful but isolated islands in the archipelago.

The final was at the Raseko Vocational School where they could see the great investment made by the Finnish government so that vocational schools are innovative and close to what students will find in the labour market. This is one of the reasons why 50% of Finnish students choose to do vocational training, because they leave fully prepared to enter the world of work.

Health promotion and emotional education is a priority for this education system, which works incessantly to develop the emotional intelligence of a population characterised by depression and loneliness.