Mobility to Finland

The mobility week began with a welcome speech by the headmaster at Porin Lukio, in which he underlined the European values we share through our cooperation. Oona explained the objective of this week : to work in international teams to create short videos about risks in gambling.

Then the students had an icebreaking activity to get to know each other before they work in international teams all week.

After a coffee-break with blueberry cakes made by the Finnish students, we visited the high school in small groups:

We were surprised to see the focus on students' well-being: there are many places in the school where students can relax or calm down whenever they need it. There are also toilets for non-binary people.

In the afternoon we did a tour of the city of Pori in small groups, in order to find good filming locations for the videos.

We learnt a lot about gambling in Finland and the differences between the countries : for example slot machines are widely available in Finland, and that was one of the factors that triggered the addiction of the former gambler who came to testify.  His testimony was really poignant and showed everyone how easy it is to become addicted, but also the terrible consequences addiction can have on someone's life. 

In the afternoon, the groups started planning their videos : they were taught about the different steps by one of the Finnish students who studies drama, then they created storyboards.

Later we visited Annis, the cultural centre that collaborates with Porin Lukio, and the students were able to choose from a wide collection of props and costumes, to borrow what they will need for their short films.

The day finished with students visiting the homes of their partners in small groups, in order to catch a glimpse of Finnish homes.  Many of them were surprised to see that most people in Finland have saunas.

A drama teacher came to help the different groups plan the filming, then each group started filming their videos

The filming took most of the day, then we took the bus to Yyteri beach for a walk on the beach and a barbecue, but also a game of Mölkky.

The day started with a training session about editing videos. The students were given some advice about the rhythm of their videos but also the transitions between scenes. Then they were taught how to use the editing software VSDC.

They had to choose the music pieces that best fitted their scenes, decide on the rhythm of their videos, and combine everything together. It was demanding but also very rewarding to create short films that would look almost professional.

Today was also the birthday of one of the Croatian students so we had a small celebration.

Finally, everybody watched the short films created by the different groups and discussed them altogether. 

Finally we awarded the certificates of participation to everyone.

All the partners went to Tampere to visit the Finnish Museum of Games .  The visit was both entertaining and educational, as it allowed students to explore the history of gaming from traditional board games to modern video games. They could try out old arcade machines, discover how games have evolved over time, and reflect on the link between play, technology, and society. This visit provided an engaging conclusion to the week’s theme, connecting the idea of gaming to the broader reflection on risks, decision-making, and responsible entertainment.