Civic education – Politics and social media

My time in Aanekoski, Finland, was the best week so far this year. The snowy landscapes were like something out of a fairytale, as we don’t get much snow in Budapest. I got to try skiing for the first time, which was a blast. The Finnish people were welcoming, yet a bit shy, but I’m glad I’ve got to experience their culture. One unforgettable experience was taking a dip in the icy avanto, a shock to the system, but worth it. Through all the snow and sauna moments, I made some awesome friends. I am glad that I started the year with such a fun project! I got a real taste of Finnish hospitality and culture.  

Havas-Kállay Anna

It was one of the best and most hectic weeks of my life. Specifically, I tried more new things this whole week than in 1 year. For example, Finnish sauna avanto, snow sled driving, off-road vehicle driving, ice fishing. The topic was interesting, I had heard about it before, but here we learned a lot of new things. Finnish families are very nice, everyone does their own thing, everyone speaks little English and more Finnish, but I felt that even when they speak Finnish, they are always planning what to try together, for example we went skiing and visiting the grandparents. The Belgians and the Finns made a pretty good team. I would love to repeat it, it was one of the best experiences of my life. 

Rabb Tamás

I was nervous on the way to Aanekoski but I shouldn’t have been. This trip turned out way better than I thought it could. My host and her family were kind and open and I have gotten closer to my host. It has been a dream of mine to go to Finland during winter and now it came true. The Finnish nature is absolutely incredible and completely different from the Hungarian, so it was interesting to have a glimpse of it. The topic of this Erasmus+ program is close to my heart and I am always happy to talk and collect information about it. I have learnt so many new things about politics and social media during this week and I find them really useful in everyday life. Being and working with people who are also interested in similar topics that I am was a really good experience that I will never forget.  

Varga-Blaskó Léna

This part of the project was the most special and the most amazing thing, for me in this year. Finland was an amazing place it has such an amazing nature, and it is full of kind, sweat, and helpful people. The topic of the project was a bit different than the Hungarian one, but it was really good, and I learned a lot. And I also learned a lot of information about Finnish, Belgian political situation. The programs were great, we had a lot of fun, and I definitely wanna go back to Finland, and hope I will see the Belgian and Finnish guys again. 

Peer Zsombor

As this was my third Erasmus it came as a surprise that it could top all my experiences from before, but it really exceeded my expectations. The programmes were very well organized, fun, and taught me a lot. Everyone was easy going, and overall nice. I experienced a lot of new things, like avanto after sauna, walking on the frozen lakes, and fishing in the holes in the ice. The tasks were really educational, fun, and creative, I heard of online presence techniques that I didn’t know of, and learned about all the others perspective on the topic. I also learned a lot about my hosts lifestyle, what it’s like living in this weather, her studies, and what Finnish teenagers spend their free time with. I also got really close with her, and were planning on meeting again this summer.

Vámos Nóra

This past week was a perfect starter of the year. I was really lucky with my host family, they were so welcoming and treating throughout the week. The group dinamic was fantastic, we stacked together several times after the school activities. We tried numerous activities like cross country skiing and also ‘avanto’ where we had the opportunity to get in a frozen lake. I was really happy that the temperature was ideal to spend outside activities as well. We went on ice fishing and walks on the frozen lakes. I was blown away of the beautiful nature. The topic of the week was politics and social media. We had a closer look on each country’s political state and we also immersed the women influence in politics. It was a really effective and informative week. 

Bernáth Anna

My first Erasmus experience was inspiring and renewing, particularly after a long time of flying. Staying with a wonderful host family and creating lasting connections made it very memorable. Every moment was thrilling, from trying out new things to learning about different traditions like the Finnish “avanto”.

By far my favourite was the “avanto”, where you melt yourself in the sauna beforehand and walk out to a frozen lake that has a hole cut out, you dip yourself in for a couple of seconds just to run back as soon as you can, and surprisingly it feels warm and refreshing after you get out.

Activities such as this were all enjoyable but only because of the people, and the amazing little community we created. We could only talk in English which forced us to think, eat and even scream in English, it was a first for me but loved every second of it.

The most interesting part was working together with people with a different way of thinking, learning about politics, the educational system in Finland, each other, and a bit about us through their unique perspectives.

Gervai Bálint

I am so grateful that I could be in this Erasmus project. I learned a lot about the topic (Politics and Social Media) I met a lot of people, and of course I had the chance to see Finland in winter. The topic was really interesting and inspiring for me, I wasn’t really well informed in politics before and I was scared that I wouldn’t know anything about it but I really enjoyed learning about it. It was also interesting to talk to people from other countries and compare all the different and similar things. The schedule was good, we had just enough time for the presentations, free time and nature, too.  My English improved a lot and it was fun to use it. It was a nice experience to stay with a Finnish family and to learn about the food and the culture. The landscape was beautiful and we tried as many winter activities as we could fit in this week. All in all, it was an amazing trip and I collected a lot of nice memories. 

Dévényi Piroska

This week was an amazing experience. I could try so many new activities and meet so many new people I would have never imagined before. For example, the traditional Finnish activity, the ‘avanto’ as well as cross country skiing. The nature was absolutely beautiful, I was blown away by the huge frozen lakes and the tall pine trees. We also learned a lot about the current politics of Finland, Belgium and Hungary. We discussed women in politics and how they are treated in their workplace. I find this topic quite interesting, and I was glad to learn more about this topic. The people were very kind and welcoming, we had great fun together. 

Roberti Maja

I really enjoyed this Erasmus. It was a great experience. I was really happy to use my English. The programs were amazing. The theme of the week were politics, and how it appears in social media. I think we actually talked about these topics, which is really important. I was more than happy to participate in the group project. They were well-organized. In the afternoons we arranged our own programes. Usually we chose some outdoor activity such as skating or cross-country skiing. I felt free and I made lots of great friends. I hope to see them as soon as possible. I am really sad that this Erasmus is over. I would do it all over again if I could.  

Favretto Lilla

This Erasmus week was one of the best weeks of my life. The nature was amazing, with a lot of snow, and pine trees. We experienced “avanto” thing, which is basically when you go to the icy water. It is a traditional Finnish activity. Then we went to the sauna and it was unforgettable. The topic was democracy, and politics, so we had to work in groups and make an Instragram post connected to society/relationships etc. We visited a lake, and we were fishing, and playing snowfight. I made a lot of new friends. I think that was the best thing, that I had the opportunity to connect with other cultures, and get to know the Belgian and the Finish people. 

Rosta Eszter

The second meeting of the Politics and Social Media, Erasmus+ Program in Aanekoski (Finland) was organized between 27.01.2024 and 03.02.2024 with the participating Belgian, Finnish and Hungarian partners. 

Over and above there were many great programs during the week. We had a trip to Jyvaskyla, and visited the famous Alvar Aalto University. We listened to a lecture on social media at the university’s history department, how digital platforms shape and influence political discourse. In the Aalto museum we learned about the history of Finland, we learned about the country’s political and social development. Each group presented aspects of their culture, including gastronomy, traditional dances, and songs.

Participants from multinational groups collaborated to create and present web pages highlighting key insights and learnings from the project.

In the school we had a chance to visit lessons, and learned about the Finnish method, which is very relaxed and permissive. The atmosphere of the whole school was very friendly and calm.

Through the workshops the guest and host students got to know each other even better. After the workshops we could try many typical Finnish outdoor winter activities together with students such as ice fishing, snowshoeing, sauna parties, roasting sausages on fire.

The whole week was fantastic, the host families were very helpful and the teachers from Lukio School prepared the program professionally. 

Nádasdi Zsuzsa

The Finnish Erasmus+ program was a very great opportunity because we could learn more about the topic of the relation of social media and the politics. It’s such an important topic that surrounds us in the 21th century. The social media platforms have a wide influence on the voters. During the whole week, we analysed social media posts, their use of expressions, the meaning of the pictures and the symbols. In the end of the week, the students made hypothetic social media contents about positive things and thoughts that our world needs a lot. It’s about the European values, the anxiety and the mental health, the equality of sexes, the climate change, the topic of retirement. As a teacher, it was great to see that the participants were so active, cooperative and productive while these days. Of course, an Erasmus+ mobility is not only a chance to learn about a concrete topic but it’s also great that we can get in touch with other students from different countries and cultures. For me, this is one of the best strengths of an Erasmus+ program. The Belgian and the Finnish partners were so kind and so open-minded, everything was provided to have a successful worktime together. In Aanekoski, our host teachers made plenty of great activities: trips to a lake, ice fishing. We could visit some Finnish lessons, so now we have some new point of view that we can use in our teacher practice in the future.

Német Zalán