Students have said that due to many tournaments against other international schools around Europe, they are much more likely to have friendly connections in countries such as Ukraine, while only few know students their age in Espoo.
A study performed in 2005 by Tristan Bunnell from the Journal of Research in International Education has shown that after surveying 34 schools in 22 different countries, international schools made very little contact with the local community.
Peter Welch, Headmaster of the International School of Helsinki said that the school has existed in a bubble for much of its history. However he pointed out that there are many reasons for this.
“We serve people who are usually here for a short time in Finland. People who come here are on short term contracts, from the diplomatic community or are international Finns who are moving in and out of the country so the population is very mobile so this makes building solid, consistent relationships a little bit more demanding,” he explained.
Building strong European ties
ISH students travel to many different European countries throughout the year and have the opportunity take part in both athletic and academic tournaments such as football, Math Counts, volleyball and the Model United Nations. Mingling with their peers from other international schools allows students build strong relations at the European level. Many students admit that they have formed more friendships with peers from those international schools, than with those from the local Finnish community.
However some say that getting closer to the local Finnish community can offer concrete benefits.
“The more integrated you are into the society the more opportunities you have and you get to meet more people. So obviously it’s a great idea for the ISH community and everybody to be more integrated,” said eighth grader Nicole McGuiggan.
“It’s not always easy,” said eleventh grader Sean Huth.
“Finland is one of those countries where it can be somewhat hard to make friends and the main place where that is possible is through extra-curricular activities. Fortunately at ISH we do have a wide range of activities we can participate in, for example MUN (Model United Nations) which helps us meet with many other schools including Kulosaari – and make new friends that way,” Huth added.
"Expanding horizons important in a foreign country"
A large part of the education provided by the International Baccalaureate emphasises being internationally-minded, and developing global communication skills. And it seems that students are very successful at building relationships with students from the international community. It’s breaking through that invisible bubble in the local community that can be difficult.
“Expanding horizons is one of the most important things in a foreign country. I've lived here for three years and maybe I haven't done as much as I should have. And in any way I can I will try to make new friends with Finns and just in general get to know the culture a little better,” said student Sean Huth.
School administrators have also begun to realise that students at the international school are missing out by overlooking Finnish society. Headmaster Peter Welch says the school is looking for ways to reach out and build bridges right here in Finland.
“We have a great deal to learn from professionals in the Finnish schools and I think we have something to offer because this generation and the world they are going to is changing fast. So we want to offer conversation and thoughts about dealing with multicultural issues. At our school we have more than 40 nationalities,” Welch said.
“We are incredibly diverse, so we deal with the opportunities and the challenges that are presented (by diversity) every day,” he concluded.
Inga Markusson is a ninth grade student at the International School of Helsinki and has lived in Finland for six years. She is a participant in Yle's News Class programme, which seeks to advance media education among youg people between the ages of 12 and 16. She conceptualised, scripted and produced this report for television and web as part of Yle's National News Class Day on April 29.
