If you follow us on any form of social media, you can't have missed the fact that something was going on a week ago. Something big. In fact, even though most of you only saw bits and pieces of it online (a reference to a certain belly button or the corner of a participant pass maybe), this was something that we'd been preparing behind the scenes for quite some time already. What was it then, you ask?
That something was ESN Finland's National Platform, and we had the honour of hosting this spring edition of the biannual event. This meant that about 80 ESNers, including local board members from almost all of the Finnish sections (we missed you, Lapland!), the National Board of ESN Finland, National Project Coordinators, an international guest from ESN Estonia, and representatives of our partners, such as Timetravels, came to Jyväskylä for three days. The purpose of the weekend was to network, to attend meetings and workshops, and to vote on important topics concerning the functions of the network; most importantly, to elect a new National Board.
On Saturday, plenaries were kicked off at Agora already at eight in the morning - no mercy for those who stayed up late on Friday. The topics of the day were very exciting right from the start: it was time for the NB candidates to present themselves. Presentations and discussions on Saturday also included greetings from the city of Jyväskylä, national projects, finances, and partnerships. The afternoon was spent in small groups: first in workshops, covering topics such as mindfulness, social interaction, and IT needs. Next up was small sessions, presenting e.g. the alumni network, Mov'in Europe, and knowledge transfer, and finally a 'Meet your colleagues' session, where troubles and best practices were shared. After a long day, the participants were rewarded with a traditional sports-themed sitsit in Jyväshovi and an afterparty downstairs in Bar Bra.
In true ESN spirit, the plenaries continued already before nine the next morning. Finally it was time to start using the voting devices! After some other votes and presentations, it was time for the most exciting moment of the weekend: electing the new National Board. The sections elected Henry Rauhanen from ESN FINT as the next President, current President Mikael Männistö from ESN Aalto as the next Vice-President, our very own Mikko Hyvärinen from ESN Jyväskylä as the National Representative, and Pablo Guillerna Franco from ESN ISYY (Joensuu) as the National Section Coordinator. Congratulations and good luck to all the new National Board members! The board will be completed by electing an IT Manager and a Treasurer later in the spring.
The meeting ended on Sunday afternoon with one last round of workshops, feedback to the NB and the Organizing Committee, and finally, lunch. With stomachs full of yummy food from Tilia and hearts full of ESN love, the participants headed back to their cities.
ESN Jyväskylä and the Organizing Committee want to thank everyone for the great weekend: we hope that all of the participants returned home full of knowledge, motivation, and new ideas! We would also like to thank ESN Finland and our amazing sponsors who made all of this possible: JAMK University of Applied Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, the city of Jyväskylä, Sonaatti, Punnitse & Säästä, Antikvariaatti Suma, Kainiemen huvilat, and DanSukker!
Thank you for the good times, and see you next autumn in Helsinki!
For more photos of the event, see ESN Finland's Facebook page.
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