Espoo Magazine 3/2021

ESPOO ESBO
On Espoo Day, yards
and parks are full of
picnic blankets and
flea market stalls.
A magazine for Espoo residents 3 2021
& Experience
recycle
Digital services are
created together
Finnoo’s first
residents
Running a business
is doing things

editorial
The editorial
takes a stand
on issues
of current
interest
in the City
of Espoo.
Starting a new
council term
In many ways, the start of a new council term is always
the beginning of something new. The officials elected in
the summer’s municipal elections will begin to prepare
and update the city’s strategy, the Espoo story. The
implementation of the health and social services reform
was also confirmed this summer, which means that we
will be entering a new phase in the preparation of health
and social services in Western Uusimaa.
Schoolchildren and students are starting a new school
year, lots of people will start a new hobby, and it feels like
the bright summer has left us full of energy. At the same
time, we hope that COVID-19 will finally ease up. There
is still reason to be careful and to keep washing our hands
regularly and act responsibly. The rising infection rate is
worrying. We are doing our best to get both students and
teachers vaccinated as quickly as possible.
In the middle of all the reforms, it is important to
remember that all the work we do, we do for you – to
ensure that Espoo residents continue to have
access to high-quality services. The best
way to do this is to get you, the residents,
involved. One way to get involved is to have
your say in the development of the health
and social services in Western Uusimaa by
participating in the Ideal Social and Health
Services community.
Espoo Day, our biggest annual
city event, will be celebrated
on 28 August 2021, filling the
city with free events. This
year’s theme is circular
economy, which means
that there will be plenty
of events focusing on
a sustainable future.
Welcome! Come and
join us, safely!
Jukka Mäkelä, Mayor
8
14
Contents
3 Calendar and Picks
8 Theme
A digital city is created
collaboratively by users and
implementers.
14 At your service
Valuable integration work at
maternity and child health clinics.
15 What’s on
An autumn rich in events.
20 Right now
The Espoo Day’s theme is recycling.
23 Encounters
Eco-friendliness in young
people’s activities.
24 Pearl
Garden and pavilion as a meeting
place in Espoonlahti.
26 Espoo people
Finnoo’s first residents are
moving in soon.
28 Swedish in Espoo
Bymarknadstämning.
30 Us
Compulsory education continues
until the age of 18.
31 My Espoo
For entrepreneurs, Espoo
is the place to be.

28 Aug
Espoo Day.
Read more on page 20 and check
out the event programme at
espoopaiva.fi/en.
31 Aug
The application
period for art and
project grants ends.
1–15 Sept
The autumn joint
application period for
higher education.
calendar sep-nov/2021
15 Sept
The season for boat winter storage
begins. Don’t forget that a boat
berth does not automatically
include a winter or storage
location.
18–19 Sept
Espoo
Rantamaraton.
Check the calendar
for the main events
and key dates of
the autumn.
30 Sept
The application period for
professional artists’
working grants and annual
grants for cultural and local
heritage associations ends.
18–22 Oct
Autumn holiday
at schools
22 Oct
The application period for
grants for coach training,
grants for producing
orienteering maps and
young athletes’ grants for
sports clubs in Espoo ends.
27 Nov
Publication of the
next issue of
Espoo Magazine.
A magazine for Espoo residents
Public bulletin to all households. FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS: espoolehti@omnipress.fi
PUBLISHER City of Espoo, PO Box 12, 02070 City of Espoo, 09 81 621, espoo.fi,
firstname.lastname@espoo.fi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Johanna Pajakoski, Communications Director
EDITORS Omnipress Oy, espoolehti@omnipress.fi MANAGING EDITOR Tiina Parikka
LAYOUT Oona Kavasto/Hank PRINTED BY Punamusta DISTRIBUTION SSM
NOTIFICATIONS jakelupalaute@omnipress.fi COVER Teemu Kavasto ISSN 1798-8438

Picks
The number of library visits decreased by 39% last year compared to the
previous year due to the coronavirus. The lending of physical material
decreased by 25%, while the lending of e-material increased by 25%.
Service vouchers adopted in early childhood education
THE CITY OF ESPOO contributes
to the costs of private
early childhood education
by issuing families a childspecific
service voucher for
early childhood education.
The service voucher has
been in use since 1 August
2021 for families with children
living in Espoo.
The service voucher is
paid for a child entitled to
early childhood education.
When using it, the family
cannot receive child home
care allowance or private
day care allowance for the
child at the same time,
and the child cannot be in
municipal early childhood
”
The service
voucher has
been in use since
the beginning of
August.
education. You can apply
for a service voucher for
any day care centre that
has been approved by the
City of Espoo as a service
voucher producer.
Early childhood education
produced for families
with a service voucher can
be no more than EUR 50
per month more expensive
than municipal early childhood
education. The service
voucher for early childhood
education is incomerelated
just like the client
fee for municipal early
childhood education.
You apply for the service
voucher in the same way as
for municipal early childhood
education: by filling
in an application form
in Espoo’s e-services at
espoonvarhaiskasvatus.fi at
least four months before
you need the child to begin
early childhood education.
Espoo on
social media
Facebook
Espoo – Esbo
Posts from different parts
of the city and news from
various City of Espoo actors.
Twitter
@EspooEsbo
Timely updates and quick responses.
Bulletins, answers to
questions and discussions.
A service experiment that makes it easier to navigate Tapiola
Lehtikuva
IN COOPERATION with Citynomadi,
the City of Espoo
has implemented a service
that guides passengers
from the Tapiola metro station
to different platforms
for feeder traffic, the Espoo
Cultural Centre, swimming
pool, Omnia and the Espoo
City Theatre.
“Way Finder gives visitors
to the Tapiola area a
schedule and an estimate
of the time the journey will
take, as well as an accurate
estimate of the distance
to a nearby destination,
whether it is 100 metres or
1.5 kilometres away. At the
same time, the visitor feels
safe because each turn
and floor change is marked
on the map,” says Merja
Taipaleenmäki, founder and
CEO of Citynomadi Oy.
The metro station’s Way
Finder service will be available
until the end of October.
If the service is found
to be useful and results in
good customer experiences,
it will be possible to continue
its use and develop it
further. The aim of the service
is to reduce the need
to drive short distances by
car.
Experiments in sustainable
mobility contribute to
Espoo’s goal of becoming
carbon neutral by 2030. The
free Way Finder service is
available on Citynomadi’s
website at citynomadi.com/
tapiola.
Instagram
@espooesbo
Great moments, events and
landscapes through the eyes
of Espoo residents.
#espoohetki
4 A magazine for Espoo residents

GO CHECK
IT OUT!
This column explores
interesting sites that
all Espoo residents have
free access to.
Hanikka
erratic boulder
ALONG THE HANIKKA nature
trail lies a rapakivi granite
boulder about five metres
high. Weighing more than
200,000 kilogrammes, the
boulder is one of the largest
in Espoo. It is located
a few dozen metres from
the junction of Suvisaarentie
and Soukanniementie.
There is also a raised
beach nearby that is
dozens of metres long.
Five
metres!
The Hanikka erratic boulder has been protected as a natural monument since 1986.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
The purpose of this
column is to provide
answers to the questions
most frequently asked of
the city.
?
Why has paid parking been
started in Espoo?
Making parking subject to a charge
is a way to influence the way
people travel and help us reach
the climate targets set for traffic.
Additionally, the aim of paid street
parking is to direct residents to
park in the housing companies’ car
parks and parking facilities instead
of on the street. This will also help
guests, people running errands,
practical nurses visiting patients
and delivery drivers to more easily
find a parking space along the
street, which will improve road
safety and increase the effective
use of parking spaces.
?
Why has the grass on the
kerbside not been cut?
The city manages green areas
according to the maintenance category
they belong to. This includes
the upkeep of wide green areas on
streets. The maintenance of narrow
green areas belonging to plots
is the responsibility of the plot
owner.
?
There are too few rubbish bins
in Espoo. Will more be provided
and would it be possible to
empty them more frequently?
There are currently around 3,000
rubbish bins in Espoo and more
are added every year where possible.
However, after a certain limit,
it is no longer possible to increase
the cost of removing rubbish. In
addition, in our large city, rubbish
bins are installed only in places
that can be accessed by truck also
in winter to make maintenance
possible. We are all responsible for
a clean city – so let’s take care of
it together.
A magazine for Espoo residents 5

Picks
Last year, 4,081 new dwellings were built in
Espoo. The estimated number of dwellings
completed this years is 4,100, with a similar
number built the following year.
In 2020–2030, a total of approximately
46,200 new dwellings are expected to
be completed in Espoo.
Birdwatching tower in Suvisaaristo
THE CITY OF ESPOO will build
a birdwatching tower in
the Ramsö-Bergö Nature
Reserve. The tower will be
about 16 metres high and
made of wood. It will be built
in a rocky forest area and
anchored to the cliff.
A route will be built to the
The Keilaniemi temporary
footbridge has been opened
construction site to enable
the building work. However,
every effort will be made to
keep the surroundings intact.
The laying of the tower’s
foundations began in June
and July, and the actual construction
will begin in September.
THE TEMPORARY FOOTBRIDGE improves pedestrians’
ability to walk from Keilaniemenpuisto above the Ring I
tunnel next to the metro station.
The roofed, high-quality
bridge is intended for use for
the next 5–10 years.
The bridge crosses the
unfinished plot between the
metro station and the Keilaniemi
tunnel. The bridge can
be accessed by stairs or a lift.
”
There is no
bicycle path.
There is no bicycle path, but the route at the southern
end of Keilaniemenpuisto provides a route for bicycles.
There are also plans to build a pedestrian and bicycle
path from the northern end of the park down to
Keilaniementie, but it cannot be built until the office
building is finished.
Lehtikuva
First dose of the coronavirus vaccine
without an appointment
YOU can get the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine
at the Iso Omena vaccination site without booking an
appointment on weekdays between 9:30–11:30 and 12:15–
14:00. The vaccine is available to all Espoo residents who
are 12 or older.
Please note that you can only get the first dose of the
vaccine without booking an appointment. For the booster
dose, you will need an appointment. The number of vaccines
available varies each day. Please take along your
Kela card or ID.
The vaccination site is located on the second floor of
the shopping centre, below the Iso Omena Service Centre.
A customer being vaccinated at the Lintuvaara vaccination
site in Espoo. The coronavirus infection rate is on the
rise again. To make getting the vaccine easier for you, we
have made it possible to get the first dose without booking
an appointment.
Vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds started on 16 August
at schools. There is no need to make an appointment for
vaccinations at school, because they are carried out one
class at a time.
A customer being
vaccinated at
the Lintuvaara
vaccination site
in Espoo. The
coronavirus infection
rate is on the rise
again. To make
getting the vaccine
easier for you, we
have made it possible
to get the first dose
without booking an
appointment.
Hiking videos guide you to nature destinations
NATURE tour guides have recorded
short videos of two nature destinations
in Southern Espoo.
Their springtime excursion to Fiskarsinmäki
takes you to a herb-rich
forest in the Espoonlahti Nature
Reserve. In May, Fiskarsinmäki blooms
with flowers and offers a great opportunity
to admire not only wood anemones,
but also yellow anemones, fumeworts
and lungworts.
The video about an early summer
excursion to the Hanikka nature trail
takes you on an exploration of the
versatile nature trail near Suinonsalmi.
The video shows the best parts of the
route, which is about five kilometres
long. The route takes you by the seaside,
up the birdwatching tower and
high up on the cliffs.
You can find the videos on the City
of Espoo’s Youtube channel. The videos
showcase the highlights of the areas
and the species living in them, especially
birds and plants.
6 A magazine for Espoo residents

In 2020, there were fewer than 450
homeless people in the city living alone,
while in 2016 there were nearly 650.
Envisioning a sustainable
future in Espoo
Three workshops were held in June, where residents,
elected officials and city employees were
able to practice future thinking. The workshops
encouraged them to think about the future from
new perspectives and challenged
them to identify ways
to change tomorrow into
what they want it to be.
”
The workshops
inspired us to
think about the
future from new
perspectives.
“We all make assumptions
about the future that
affect the choices we make
in our work and everyday
lives. One of the aims of
the workshop was to identify
and challenge these
assumptions,” says Development
Manager Sanna Rönkkönen,
who was in charge of the project.
“The workshop provided a great opportunity
to stop and reflect on the direction of the city’s
future and to question the way you think together
with others,” says Senior Planning Officer Annika
Forsten from Education and Cultural Services,
who participated in the first workshop.
At the workshops, the participants worked on
their ability to imagine different futures and created
future visions of Espoo in 2050. The visions
highlighted well-being, proximity to nature, vitality,
communality, equality, eco-friendliness, biodiversity,
responsibility, carbon neutrality, an unhurried
pace, meaning, equality and multiculturalism.
In the autumn, a programme known as Sustainable
Espoo will be prepared to promote the
achievement of sustainable development goals
and carbon neutrality.
New website will be
launched at the
beginning of September
The new espoo.fi website will be launched on 1
September, meaning that the current beta.espoo.fi
will become available at espoo.fi.
“We have built it taking into account accessibility
and residents’ wishes. Today’s technology enables a
whole new way of building a website, which is why
the search function plays a big role in the new one
and why there is virtually no traditional navigation
at all. We have also done our best to enable both
target group and area-specific communication, as
this is something many residents have requested,”
says Sarianna Visuri, who has led the project.
The website also utilises existing information,
meaning that, through interfaces, espoo.fi displays
the same information about offices and services
that has been available on suomi.fi for years. In
addition, the new event database also displays
the information on espoo.fi. The interface makes it
easy to display information about events on other
sites too. This means that you can come across
the exact same information in Helsingin Sanomat’s
event column as on espoo.fi.
“Internet usage today is based on searches, and
most people use their mobile phones to search the
internet. These are the things we prioritised when
building the website,” Visuri explains.
The stories behind the names
The names of places in Espoo
reveal stories about the city’s
history and its inhabitants.
Villages and houses that no
longer exist still help us to
move about the city because
their names have survived and
can be found on maps and
signposts.
Commemorative names,
in turn, include manor owners,
artists and local people:
farmers, farmer’s wives and
residents who have made an
impact in the community.
You can read the stories
behind the names on the
espoo.fi website. Check out
where the names in your
neighbourhood come from.
› bit.ly/NimienTarinoita (in Finnish)
A magazine for Espoo residents 7

theme
Espoo wants to
be a forerunner
also in digital
operations.
Several different
projects and
experiments have
been launched to
develop them.
Text Tiina Parikka
Key to
sustainable
services
One of the biggest challenges of a growing city is to ensure
the continued availability of services. Digitalisation is one way
to do this – and everyone’s help is needed in developing it.
What can I give the city?
When developing digital
services for the city, the role
of users, that is, the residents
is emphasised. It is
not just a question of which and what kind of
services they want, but how the services can
be produced together.
“Digitalisation is not just a way to make
operations more efficient, but also a way to
solve global problems. It enables a completely
new kind of service logic which is used to create
the service together,” says Director of
Service Development Päivi Sutinen.
Digitalisation has been promoted through
numerous projects in Espoo.
Everything in one portal. OmaEspoo is
a platform under development which will
incorporate all the city’s services, such as
booking doctor’s appointments, applications
for a day-care centre, enrolment for events
and contacting customer service. In practice,
the portal will open doors to different services.
“The Iso Omena and Kalajärvi Service
Centres, where services are provided centrally
all in one place, have had a lot of positive
feedback. We want to apply the same idea to
digital services,” says Project Manager Veera
Vihula.
The current year in the OmaEspoo project
is reserved for planning. Already at this
stage, users, i.e. Espoo residents, have been
consulted through surveys. The next step will
be workshops during which the needs of different
groups will be explored in more detail.
OmaEspoo is expected to be put into service
in 2024.
“Not all the services will be transferred to
OmaEspoo all at once. Instead, the system
will expand in stages. Once we can test various
simulations of the platform, users will be able
to test the models and share their experiences
and wishes,” Vihula promises.
More personalised services. In the future,
OmaEspoo will also utilise MyData, which is
information the user has stored about themselves
in the service. If, based on the information
provided, the platform can identify, for
example, a person’s habits or hobbies, it will
be able to recommend the right events and
services.
8 A magazine for Espoo residents

Janne Ketola/Summit Media Oy
More independence and fewer resources
REMOTE home care was launched as a pilot project
in Espoo already in autumn 2017.
“The initial reaction is almost always negative,
but once the client becomes used to the service,
they often feel that they retain their autonomy better
when the practical nurse does not come to their
home in person,” Practical Nurse Tiina Kosonen says.
Today, there are 180 clients in remote home care.
Some are clients of the Remote Home Care unit,
but it also serves clients belonging to regional home
care units.
“A combination of care where a practical nurse
serves the client remotely but also regularly meets
them in person is the best solution for many people.
Remotely, however, we cannot see the overall
situation in the person’s home,” Kosonen says.
The Home Care unit lends the client a tablet
computer for the service. The client only has to
press the screen when the nurse makes a video
call.
“This allows us to meet many more clients during
a working day, because we don’t waste time travelling
from one place to another,” Kosonen says.
During the coronavirus epidemic, the number
of clients in remote home care has grown exponentially.
However, the client’s situation is regularly
monitored and, if necessary, physical home care
visits can be reinstated.
“Remote care is not suitable for everyone, but it
is a good alternative.”
During a remote
home care
session, the
practical nurse
and client
can check
the client’s
blood pressure
together or
even perform
rehabilitation
exercises.
A magazine for Espoo residents 9

theme
Espoo’s youth activities
have continued as far as
possible within the confines
of coronavirus restrictions.
The virtual youth centre has
also reached young people
who have not previously
visited brick-and-mortar
youth centres and events.
That is why such activities
will also be needed in the
future.
DIGITAL development
work i
is also being
carried out in education.
Teachers’
and students’ user
experiences of digital
tools were improved
through the project
‘Oppimisen digitaalinen
ekosysteemi
eheäksi ja oppimiseen
innostavaksi!’ (‘Creating
a Harmonious and
Inspiring Digital Ecosystem
for Learning!’),
which was funded by
the Finnish National
Agency for Education.
Another aim of the
project was to ease
teachers’ work load.
Espoo is involved in the project ‘The City as
MyData Operator’ and aims to chart the city’s services
where MyData could be utilised. To this end,
many experts have been consulted and stakeholders
such as Kela and the Tax Administration have
been interviewed, but additionally a resident survey
has been carried out to find out what kind of
services residents would like MyData to be used for.
“Although the survey was open online for less
than two weeks, we received a gratifying number
of answers. While the sharing of personal data
naturally raises doubts and fears, many good ideas
also emerged about how the data could be utilised
to benefit the residents,” says Project Manager
Wilhelmiina Griep.
Of course, data protection issues play a key role
in building the MyData system.
“The data is used only for things the person has
given their consent to. They can also change or
remove their consent to the processing of their
data according to their wishes and situation in life,”
Griep says reassuringly.
She also emphasises that although MyData will
facilitate the targeting of services in the future, all
residents will retain equal access to the services,
regardless of whether they have authorised the city
to use their data.
Data collected in MyData can also be used for
research purposes or for collecting information
for the public good. In short, MyData will not only
benefit the person themselves but the entire urban
community.
10 A magazine for Espoo residents

A low threshold meeting place
WHEN the coronavirus brought all activities to a halt in
spring 2020, youth services had to quickly find solutions
for how to reach young people. In a couple of
weeks, they were able to open a virtual youth centre
on the Discord platform, which was originally designed
for gaming communications.
“Since then, we have continued to develop the
platform and brought in new functionalities based on
young people’s wishes,” says Youth Work Coordinator
Tuomas Rapp, who was involved in the initiation phase.
Young people visiting the youth centre learn quickly
to move between the different spaces in it, according
to what is open at any given time. The same goes for
the virtual youth centre.
“We have about 700 users. They are not all from
Espoo; some young people also come from other parts
of Greater Helsinki and even outside it,” Rapp says
happily.
The virtual youth centre has also reached new
young people who have not used youth centre services
before. The aim is to continue the service even after
brick-and-mortar youth centres are opened.
“You can register with the virtual youth centre with
an anonymous username or your real name or using
facial recognition.”
Espoo’s virtual youth centre is open for limited
hours only, two evenings a week. There are always
Youth Workers with easily identifiable usernames on
site to supervise the activities.
“In this way, we ensure the safety of all users.”
A magazine for Espoo residents 11

theme
“At the city level, this could mean that by
making information about their travel behaviour
available to the city, a resident helps the
city’s traffic planning personnel to identify key
danger spots or, for example, the need for a new
pedestrian and bicycle way,” Griep explains.
From surveys to experiments. Building
new kinds of services such as MyData requires
years of groundwork, in which users’ wishes
and experiences play a key role. In Espoo, we
have already gained experience in utilising
users’ experiential knowledge. Joint development
projects between schools and businesses
have produced inventions that have garnered
international attention.
“There are many companies in Espoo with
expertise in EdTech platforms that were interested
in developing digital learning tools.
Unfortunately, they lacked the required pedagogical
understanding. We started developing
an easy and user-safe process for companies
and schools to meet and help each other,” says
Development Manager Katja Hagman from
the Service Development Unit.
Espoo schools became innovation platforms
as early as 2015. An idea for a new service can
start with a service developer who wants to
hear users’ thoughts on it to help with its development,
but the initiative can just as well be
made by a user who has an idea of a service that
will make their everyday life easier.
One such example is the feedback application
Mightifier directed at students. Its purpose
is to help students give each other positive feedback.
“The app teaches you how to give well-reasoned
feedback. For example, if you want to
show your appreciation to someone for being
nice to you, you also have to tell them that they
were nice because they helped you with a difficult
task the day before. The principal, teachers
and students of a school in Espoo gave feedback
on the application already during its development
phase. Since then, the application has
spread to Europe and Asia and is currently
being further developed for use by work communities,”
Hagman says.
In addition to schools, Espoo has also turned
other units governed by the Education and
Cultural Services into innovation platforms.
You can share your ideas, test products and services
or make your ideas available for further
development through the Make with Espoo
platform.
“We hope this will become a widely used
operating model that brings ideas, creators and
users together,” Hagman says.
, ,
We hope this will
become a widely used
operating model that
brings ideas, creators
and users together.
Sometimes you just have to be bold and
give it a try. Some 20 such experiments have
been carried out in Espoo over the last five
years. Digital Agenda experiments have been
used to test various solutions that make people’s
everyday lives easier.
“The city acted as an enabler in these experiments.
Companies, communities and research
institutes carried out the implementation. Not
all the experiments led directly to the acquisition
of a new service, but three in four experiments
did lead to some kind of further development
efforts,” says Development Manager
Valia Wistuba.
One example of these are experiments with
speech recognition services, which explored
the functionality of translation and interpreting
applications tested in customer and
employment services. A chat service was tested
to reach young speakers of Arabic and a chatbot
was tested to improve services to companies.
Different mobility methods were tested to find
the best solutions for mobility in home care.
The project team also actively engaged with
city residents in order to acquire ideas for
experiments. Gratifyingly, more than 150 proposals
were received from companies, communities
and residents. More than 6,000 Espoo
residents participated in the experiments.
“It was important for us to get residents
involved right from the start. That is why we
participated in various events and organised
different campaigns,” Wistuba says.
In addition to concrete actions, the experiments
also brought different parties closer
together.
“We now understand different stakeholders
and they understand us better than ever.”
12 A magazine for Espoo residents

Harri Tanska/Espoon kaupunki
Robot sweeper cleaning the streets
LAST spring, an odd contraption could be seen
travelling along the pedestrian and bicycle ways
of Mankkaa and Ring II. It was not a UFO, but a
new robotised street sweeper called Trombia Free,
which clears grit from walkways and cycle paths.
Designed by Trombia Technologies in Kuopio,
the device has been tested in various localities
during the spring and summer, with Espoo acting
as its first pilot site.
If adopted, an electric sweeper robot would
reduce emissions and consume only 15% of the
energy used by the city’s existing diesel-powered
suction sweepers. In addition, the new technology
would reduce the amount of dust on the road
every spring.
Although the sweeper can, in principle, be
programmed to follow a designated route independently
and avoid any obstacles it encounters,
during the pilot phase it was monitored by two
people to ensure its smooth operation: one in
front and the other behind it.
“We want to be involved in the development
of technology like this that supports our climate
objectives. After the pilot phase, the development
of the device will continue and, for example,
the technology for emptying the grit tank will be
further improved. It is possible that the experiments
in Espoo will continue over the coming few
springs,” says Public Works Director Harri Tanska.
In the pilot
phase, Trombia
Free still
required people
to supervise its
operation, one
going in front
and the other
behind it.
A magazine for Espoo residents 13

at your service
In this section of
the magazine, you
will meet employees
and close
partners of the
City of Espoo.
Text Tiina Parikka
Photo Timo Porthan
Promoter of
equality
”
For many immigrant families, the nurse at a
maternity or child health clinic is their first
contact in their new city and country. We
have a big responsibility in guiding them to
Hanna Kamppila has always been interested in
multiculturalism. Her work as a nurse at a maternity
and child health clinic allows her to serve an ever
growing number of clients who speak a foreign
language as their mother tongue.
become a part of the community.
For some of our clients, it seems strange to bring
a healthy child for a health check. We need to be able
to justify what we do. Often there is no common language,
and we need interpretation services almost
daily.
I started work as a nurse in Espoo’s maternity and
child health services in 2013, and the following year
I went back to university to study health sciences.
Alongside my studies, I was able to act as a locum
nurse, continuing to serve Espoo’s children and
pregnant women.
During my studies, I minored in multiculturalism.
When I returned to work full-time at the maternity
and child health clinic at the Iso Omena Service
Centre after my studies, serving multicultural clients
was commonplace in our work community. We
started to arrange meetings to discuss matters relating
to multiculturalism, and a more experienced colleague
mentored those of us who were younger and
less experienced.
As a head nurse, I have had the opportunity to
participate in further developing diversity in the
activities of maternity and child health clinics as
part of a group called NeMo. Last autumn, our operations
model expanded from the Iso Omena clinic
to cover the whole city. Now we have a nurse from
every major area of maternity and child health care
and the associated telephone service attending the
meetings.
Hanna Kamppila
wants to thank
the City of Espoo
for its flexibility
and support
that enabled her
to study health
sciences at the
University of
Eastern Finland,
during her exchange
period in the
Netherlands and
her additional
studies of her
minor subject,
multiculturalism.
Equality prize TASSU
awarded for the
NeMo activities
In May, NeMo, the diversity group for
maternity and child health care clinics,
was awarded the TASSU prize by the Espoo
Equality Committee. The prize is awarded
for a concrete act that promotes equality.
The Jury praised the NeMo group
especially for reducing prejudice and
developing working methods as
part of their basic duties.
14 A magazine for Espoo residents

15 In situ 16 Things to do 19 Exercise tip
Things to do
in Espoo
Events and
activities from
September to
November.
Hanna Juutilainen
A new dimension to familiar neighbourhoods
Escape games are played
independently using a smartphone,
but the tasks are set
in a real urban environment.
Escape rooms and games were a big hit as a
pastime for groups of friends until the coronavirus
came along. When concerts and
performances stopped and cultural centres
could no longer offer the city’s residents
entertainment, Espoo’s Event and Cultural Services
decided to bring escape games outdoors. Today,
they lead people to urban adventures in Matinkylä,
Kivenlahti and Tapiola.
A chance to spend time together outdoors and
break away from everyday life – Cultural Producer
Annu Kankaanranta is not surprised that outdoor
escape games are so popular. They have brought
together more than 1,000 groups of players this year
and the number keeps growing.
“The games create new layers even in familiar surroundings.
They are a new way to enjoy the city.”
Outdoor escape
games have appealed
particularly to young
Espoo residents
and have revealed
new aspects of their
hometown to players.
bit.ly/ulkopakopeli
Outdoor escape games turn the city into a
playing field. They are played with the guidance of
a smartphone app, but the tasks take place in real life.
Kankaanranta emphasises that the game promotes
interaction with the urban environment, not with
the phone. The story behind the games is clearly
intertwined with specific places, and the games are
designed for their particular environment.
“The games use various elements from the environment,
and there are also physical puzzles to solve.
It has been really inspiring to see how the game
designers select topics from everything they see
around them.”
The games have been a huge success. People
have even travelled from other parts of the country
to solve them. Kankaanranta explains that they are
suitable for players and groups of all ages, but it is
recommended that children under 9 or 10 years old
play them under adult guidance.
“The games can be played as independent adventures,
but the stories touch on each other.”
Text Juha-Pekka Honkanen
A magazine for Espoo residents 15

Things to do
in Espoo
✱
Music • Visual arts ♥ Theatre ✘ For children ✓ Cinema = Espoo ♦ Something else
Urban Espoo is a digital cultural centre
that offers cultural experiences where
you are: urbanespoo.fi
According to the statistics of the Finnish Heritage
Agency, the museums in Espoo had 288,426
visitors in 2020. Out of these, 85,004 visited the
EMMA Museum of Modern Art in Espoo.
Rantamaraton is back =
THE Espoo Rantamaraton will take place
between 18–19 September along beautiful
routes by the seaside. The marathon
and the half-marathon will be held on
Saturday. The marathon consists of two
laps of the half-marathon route. Sunday is
the day for the 10 and 5 kilometre runs, as
well as the kids’ 1K. Espoo’s Rantamaraton
has been organised annually since 2008.
More information:
rantamaraton.fi/in-english
Elämä lapselle
charity concert ✱
THE City of Espoo is one of the main
partners of Lastenklinikoiden Kummit, the
charity association supporting children’s
clinics. The charity concert goes back
more than 25 years and will be held on
8 September at the Espoo Metro Areena.
The city challenges everyone from individuals
to organisations to perform good
deeds for the benefit of young patients.
Ideas for participation:
espoo.fi/en-US/Espoo_and_its_residents_
support_the_Frie
Wizardry on ice ♦
THE figure skating season starts at Espoo
Metro Areena on 8–10 October with the
Finlandia Trophy Espoo. International
figure skating stars will compete in the
categories of singles, ice dance, pair skating
and synchronised skating, as well as
in the Special Olympics category, which is
included for the second time.
Tickets: lippu.fi
Contacts for
employment ♦
AS part of the Business Espoo network,
the City of Espoo and Omnia will organise
a special event on 15 September to
provide organisations and jobseekers the
opportunity to establish contacts and
get help for both recruitment and finding
employment. The programme includes
an information event on the business
services and forms of support available
to organisations. Participants will also
have the opportunity to ask questions
and exchange ideas. This will be a virtual
event.
More information:
businessespoo.com/en-US
The Elämä lapselle concert will be
held at the Espoo Metro Areena.
Ari Karttunen / EMMA
A combination of paintings and
performing art at EMMA.
1 2 3 4 5 6
VIEW
Video series:
Creative drawing
bit.ly/
Katso1
MAKE ART
Adventure art:
Graphic arts
bit.ly/
Taiteile1
MAKE ART
Adventure art:
Recycling, thanks!
bit.ly/
Taiteile2
MAKE ART
Adventure art:
Cool clay
bit.ly/
Taiteile3
MAKE ART
Adventure art:
Paintbrushes
from natural
materials
bit.ly/
Taiteile4
VIEW
Video essay:
Faz que vai
bit.ly/
Katso2
16 A magazine for Espoo residents

In Greater Helsinki’s joint Harrastushaku.fi
service, you will find the City of Espoo’s and
many other operators’ clubs, courses and other
activities aimed at children.
More tips:
espoo.fi/
en-US
The supervision of
beaches ended on
15 August.
Without pollinators, we would not
have berries or fruits.
Ilona Partanen’s artwork adorns the
Tuultenristi construction site.
Vital pollinators ♦
THE Glims Farmstead Museum’s exhibition
Sankaripölyttäjät (Heroic Pollinators)
explores Finland’s pollinators and their
habitats and gives tips on how to help
bugs. You will learn about the history of
beekeeping and honey production from the
1940s to the 1980s through the artefacts of
Viljo Hartman, a beekeeper from Uusmäki.
There is also beekeeping in the museum
area, and a wide range of traditional plants
grow in its vegetable patches.
kulttuuriespoo.fi/en
Recharge Your
Brain in Nature ♦
THE Finnish Nature Centre Haltia’s exhibition
Recharge Your Brain in Nature
explores nature’s impact on our wellbeing
and provides ideas for enjoying it. You will
get to use all your senses at the exhibition,
from hearing to touch and smell. On
the exhibition trail, you can pick mushrooms,
explore your own mental landscape,
smell nature’s various scents and
set out on an actual nature trail. At the
end of the tour, you can set out directly
from Haltia’s front door to the nearby
Maahisenkierros nature trail.
haltia.com
Art and magic •
LEENA Nio, a visual artist renowned for her
multilayered paintings, and Kalle Nio, visual
artist, magician and theatre director, will
present their first joint production, Painting
Machine, at EMMA in autumn 2021. Navigating
a space between live performance
and visual art, the work will create an illusion
of the painting process by employing
techniques ordinarily used in magic. Painting
Machine consists of a painting installation
and weekly performances, each of
which will result in a new painting.
emmamuseum.fi/en/exhibitions/leena-andkalle-nio-painting-machine/
Windy art •
ILONA Partanen’s artwork depicts the
wind and circles the Tuultenristi (Cross
of Winds) construction site in the centre
of Tapiola. The residential buildings under
construction have been named Länsituuli
(West Wind), Etelätuuli (South Wind) and
Itätuuli (East Wind). The starting point
for the work was to bring out the character
of each wind and to emphasise it
by visual means. The swirling air currents
in the work are merged with a variety of
landscapes, animals and everyday objects
from hats to flags and boats.
7 8 9 10 11 12
VIEW
Documentary
series: In the studio
bit.ly/
Katso3
PLAY
Art play for
children
bit.ly/
Leiki-1
LISTEN
Artpod: Tapiolan
julkinen taide
(Public art in
Tapiola)
bit.ly/
Kuuntele1
VIEW
Video series:
Inspirations
bit.ly/
Katso4
LISTEN
Artpod:
Collections
bit.ly/
Kuuntele2
VIEW
Artist interview:
Pekka Jylhä
bit.ly/
Katso5
A magazine for Espoo residents 17

Things to do
in Espoo
✱
Music • Visual arts ♥ Theatre ✘ For children ✓ Cinema = Espoo ♦ Something else
Sunhi Mang
Iiro Rautiainen
Chiharu Shiota’s stunning installation
will be on display at Emma.
In November, piano music will take
over Sellosali and Louhisali.
You will also see miniature sculptures
along the street art route.
Diving into a
labyrinth of yarn •
IN autumn 2021, Japanese-born and
Berlin-based artist Chiharu Shiota will
create a large installation called Tracing
Boundaries, which spreads into the
surrounding space and consists of a
labyrinth of red yarn and old doors. The
work invites the viewer to delve deep
inside the web of threads while journeying
into their memories and self.
The work continues the collaboration
between EMMA and the Saastamoinen
Foundation which involves commissioning
a new piece of art for the Foundation’s
art collection every year from an
interesting and topical contemporary
artist.
emmamuseum.fi/en/exhibitions/leenaand-kalle-nio-painting-machine/
A celebration of piano
music ✱
HELD in early November, the PianoEspoo
Festival will include both rare masterpieces
as well as beloved classics. The
international Tapiola Youth Piano Competition
will also be held in connection
with the festival. The competition will
take place in Espoo’s Sellosali and the
Espoo Cultural Centre’s Louhisali.
pianoespoo.fi
Peek into
Espoo ✘
THE Peek into Espoo routes for families
with children are an exciting combination
of exercise, book tips and storytelling
and introduce you to different
areas of Espoo. The routes are based
on Carlos Da Cruz’s picture book called
Peek into Espoo, which will be distributed
in 2021–2022 to all 4-year-olds at
child health clinics. The themes of the
Keski-Espoo, Matinkylä and Leppävaara
routes are history, the sea, nature and
animals. Along the routes, there are
control points with tasks that you can
access with a smartphone.
urbanespoo.fi/sisalto/kurkkaa-espooseenreitit
Staged photographs •
LINDA Linko and Sofia Okkonen’s exhibition
collection Squats is founded on the
dialogue between a staged photograph,
a drawing and a painting. It will be on
display in Gallery AHJO at the Espoo
Cultural Centre in October. Together, the
artists study the manifestation of power
and strength in the interaction between
different female characters. The starting
point for the works are events
staged indoors and outdoors, with
female characters using their physical
strength in relation to each other: battling,
supporting, balancing, defending
and protecting.
espoo.fi/en-US/Culture_and_sport/
Culture/Cultural_centres_and_cultural_
houses/Espoo_Cultural_Centre
Art the size
of a house •
AN easy and enjoyable way to explore
the versatile street art that has
sprouted in Espoo over the last few
years is to take a walk along the street
art route. Murals and mini sculptures
have spread throughout the city, focusing
on the new cluster of street art in
Karakallio. Take Google Maps along and
enjoy a tour of Espoo and its colourful
artworks!
urbanespoo.fi/sisalto/katutaidereitti
Colourful
modernism •
THIS autumn, EMMA will present an
exceptionally large retrospective solo
exhibition on the Estonian modernist
Konrad Mägi (1878–1925). Mägi was the
most significant representative of the
Golden Age of Estonian Painting, but
his life’s work has only now attracted
interest in the international art field.
Covering approximately 150 works, the
exhibition includes the finest in the artist’s
oeuvre, highlighting Mägi’s power of
expression and his exceptionality both
as a remarkable colourist and in relation
to his contemporaries.
emmamuseum.fi/en/exhibitions/leenaand-kalle-nio-painting-machine/
18 A magazine for Espoo residents

These can also be
found Matinkylä
Ice Sports Centre
On children and
young people’s terms
The modern facility is
much more than just
an indoor ice rink.
Matinkylä’s brandnew
ice sports centre
is a versatile sports
environment,
serving not only
young athletes but
also seniors.
› cafe-restaurant
› gym and special gym
for ball games
› two mirrow halls
› rental shop
› recycling point for equipment
The Matinkylä Ice Sports
Centre rectifies the lack of
space many Espoo clubs
have long had to endure.
Built by Espoon Jääurheilun
Tuki (Espoo Ice Sports Support Association),
the centre will bring three
new rinks to Matinkylä. In addition,
the City of Espoo will build an artificial
ice rink 70x100 metres in diameter
next to it. It will be cooled using the Ice
Sports Centre’s cooling system.
Executive Director Jari Nyberg
explains that the whole centre is pioneering
a technology that is as lowemission
as possible.
“At the same time, we save money
and keep our expenses predictable.
Cooperation with the City of Espoo
makes our activities possible, but otherwise
the parents of the children and
young people who skate here pay for
the hobby.”
The ice rinks are the heart of the
centre, but the hall offers much more
than that. Sport-specific training is
not only done wearing skates, and this
is evident in Matinkylä. The facilities
include a gym, two mirror halls and a
spacious gym for ball games. A total
of 1,300 square metres is reserved for
auxiliary training.
In the daytime, various organisers
offer exercise for seniors.
Facilities to meet the users’
needs. Inside, you can quickly see
that the facilities are designed to meet
the needs of young athletes. There is
plenty of drying and storage space for
equipment. This means that young
people do not have to take their equipment
home, but can come to training
straight from school without parents
having to drive them there.
There is also a peaceful space
reserved for homework.
“We always say that even those
who take training very seriously must
also make sure to get their homework
done, and this is not just empty words,”
Nyberg says.
The Ice Sports Centre aims to lower
the threshold for participating in
sports. The centre will have an affordable
rental shop for equipment and a
recycling point for outgrown equipment.
There are allocated times for
children’s ice skating and ice hockey
lessons.
“The auxiliary training facilities
make it possible to try many different
kinds of sport. This gives everyone the
chance to find a sport they love.”
exercise tip
At the end of June,
the Matinkylä Ice
Sports Centre
was named
Ilmatar after the
energy company
sponsoring it.
Text Juha-Pekka Honkanen Photo Eemeli Sarka
A magazine for Espoo residents 19

ight now
This year, we celebrate
Espoo Day for
the 19th time. The
last Saturday in
August is Espoo Day
because that is when
the founding document
of the Espoo
Manor was signed on
27 August 1556.
Text Tiina Parikka Photo Teemu Kavasto
Let’s
reuse
The last Saturday in August has become
well established as Espoo Day. This year,
Saturday 28 August coincides with the
national Cleaning Day. Cleaning Day is a
new day of celebration for friends of flea
markets and recycling. The neatest festival of the
year changes cities and neighbourhoods into huge
flea markets and marketplaces. That is why recycling
and outdoor fleas markets are also the theme
of Espoo Day.
By the end of July, four flea markets have
signed up. One of them is the flea market in the
Palttinapuisto Park, organised by the Kauklahtiseura
association.
“We have room for several dozen market stalls
here. Everyone interested is welcome to book
a spot and bring suitable tables or racks to display
their products on,” says Heli Halava, Vice
Chairperson of the Kauklahti-seura association.
Anyone can participate. The event will last for
two hours around midday (from 11:00 to 13:00).
You can join in as a buyer or seller from anywhere
in Espoo but, of course, Kauklahti residents especially
are expected to turn up in droves.
“Kauklahti’s strong community spirit is known
far and wide. It may manifest itself during the
Espoo Day as surprise entertainment at any time
of the day. A lot of people come here because they
want to see what we have cooked up this time,”
Halava says.
28 August is Espoo Day when
the whole city will turn into a
large flea market.
Focusing on recycling
in Kauklahti
The recycling theme of Espoo Day 2021
has inspired other people from Kauklahti
too. Espoo Mending, which specialises
in clothes repair, will organise
a Save Your Favourite Garment event in
the garden of its studio on Espoo Day
and will answer your questions and
give you tips on how to repair a wellloved
and well-worn item of clothing
and restore it to its former glory.
Lassen Taitotalo, on the other hand,
will tell you how to repair the abandoned
chair in your attic at the Chair
Clinic.
”
Check out the outdoor
flea markets in your area
on the Espoo Day website
and social media!
20 A magazine for Espoo residents

Felix and Tatu can’t
wait to meet the
cuddly animals at the
Palttinapuisto park.
Cuddly animals
waiting for you
You may have met Kielo the llama
and her friends – the goats, sheep
and bunnies – during previous years.
They are back and ready to delight
the people at the flea market. Coming
all the way from Pukkila, these
lovable animals are always popular
and in previous years have offered
cuddles for children and adults
alike, as well as the residents of the
service centre.
More information
about the Espoo
Day program
from the
event pages
espoopaiva.fi
A magazine for Espoo residents 21

Celebrate like
gentlefolk
Up until the early 20th century, the gentry spent
many happy summers in Espoo’s manor houses and
numerous villas. Espoo’s lakesides and seashores
were sought-after sites for villas, and many families
living in the capital moved to theirs for the whole
summer. Gradually, these villa areas became villages
and then suburbs.
Summer activities included parties and leisurely
afternoons drinking coffee. Summer parties were a
frequent occurrence in such villa communities. By
the end of the 19th century, wheat was available
widely enough that baking cakes and other delicacies
became popular.
One such delicacy favoured at summer parties was
Herrasväen Wienerleivät, or the Gentlefolk’s Danish
Pastries. You can find a recipe for them in Finnish in
the book Keittiömuistoja ja ruokaohjeita Espoosta,
published by Espoon Perinneseura (Espoo Heritage
Society). It seems that the recipe has been passed
from one generation of local families to the next for
decades.
“These Danish pastries are reminiscent of brioche.
They probably originated in Southern Europe where
many of the delicacies enjoyed by the gentry have
come from,” says Tarja Rae from the Heritage Society
who has compiled the recipe book.
A colleague gave her the recipe for the Gentlefolk’s
Danish Pastries in 1975.
“They are fairly easy to make. Every cook at home
will be able to make them in their own kitchen and
pack them in their Espoo Day picnic basket.”
Timo Porthan
”
These pastries were
chosen as a special
Espoo Day treat
because they
are fairly easy
to make.
Once cooled,
serve with good
coffee and great
company on
Espoo Day.
Gentlefolk’s Danish Pastries (25 pcs)
Dough:
Filling:
150g butter 100g butter
2 tbsp sugar 100g icing sugar
2 eggs 3 tsp vanilla sugar
40 g yeast (almond paste,
400 g plain flour raisins)
100 ml milk
Also one egg for brushing the pastries and ground
and flaked almonds for decoration.
Instructions: Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk
and let it dissolve. Break the eggs into the milk and
mix well. Add the soft butter, sugar and flour and
knead into an even dough. Roll the dough into a sheet
about 5 mm thick. To make the filling, beat the butter
and sugar together until thick and spread on top
of the sheet of dough. Roll up the sheet and cut it
into roughly 3 cm wide slices. Put the rolls in muffin
cases and let them rise for about an hour. Brush the
pastries with egg, decorate with ground and flaked
almonds and bake for 12–15 minutes at 225 °C.
22 A magazine for Espoo residents

Handicrafts with
recycled fabrics
The youth sewing club teaches not only handicrafts
but also ecological values: the new creations made
there mainly consist of recycled fabrics.
Youth Worker Melissa Laitakari runs two sewing
clubs at the Gräsa House of Skills in Olarinluoma;
12-year-old Ada Tejera participates once a week in
a group where the sewers are experienced enough to
create large pieces independently.
“I love observing how rewarding it is for young
people to see the results of their work,” Laitakari
says.
“Additionally, cooperation between the brain
and hands strengthens fine motor skills, which are
needed in many tasks and professions.”
There are hardly any costs to the participants.
Most of the sewing club’s materials are donations.
City employees can also pick up materials from the
Ada Tejera goes to the
sewing club every week. In
addition to handicrafts, the
club members also think
about consumption and
ecology, and the materials
they use are often recycled.
The instructor Melissa
Laitakari also acts as an
eco-support person for
young people.
Reuse Centre (Kierrätyskeskus) free of charge.
Laitakari, who also works as an eco-support person,
says that eco-friendliness is increasingly a part
of all youth work.
“I guide young people to think about quality and
durability instead of focusing on cheap consumption.”
Ada is also aware of the power of smart choices in
helping to save the earth for future generations. One
of her smart choices was to sew a nightdress at the
sewing club from recycled fabric.
“It is the best piece I have made this year.”
More information: espoo.fi/en-US/Youth;
Gräsa’s Instagram site and Harrastushaku.fi
encounters
Environmental
issues, recycling
and sustainability
are also part of
youth work.
Text Hanna Ojanpää
Photo Eemeli Sarka
A magazine for Espoo residents 23

pearl
Urban agriculture
has gained
popularity in
recent years.
The Espoonlahti
Garden & Pavilion
experiment
combines
gardening, cultural
events and
spending time
together.
Text Tiina Parikka Photo Eemeli Sarka
24 A magazine for Espoo residents

Come
and do it
yourself
A communal space has been needed
in Espoonlahti, especially now
that the shopping centre is being
renovated. With this in mind, a
community garden and a pavilion that
also serves as a stage were set up for
the summer in the northwest corner
of the sports park.
“The idea is that anyone can come
and tend the garden and harvest the
crop. The pavilion is ideal for a picnictype
summer party, a meeting place
for clubs and associations or, for
example, a band practice session that
is open to the public. This summer,
anyone who wanted to organise an
event that welcomed participants
could get help for marketing it from
the City Events Espoo unit,” says
Cultural Producer Jussi Hietala.
Summer workers have tended the
garden three mornings a week all
season to ensure basic care for the
plants.
“On Espoo Day, we will have
a harvest festival here,” Hietala
promises.
A magazine for Espoo residents 25

people of espoo
Finnoo’s new
residential area will
offer many types of
housing, including
apartment buildings
with sea views.
The construction
of the area’s centre
is delayed.
Text Hanna Ojanpää Photo Timo Porthan
A young couple from Espoo will be among the
first to move to Finnoo early this autumn. Their
new home will have more space, which is what
they wanted, but its biggest asset is the location.
Close to the
metro line
Occupational therapist Alina
Unelius and Jami Pankakari,
who works in marketing,
closed the deal on their
first home in March 2021.
“We don’t have the exact moving date
yet, but the building should be ready in
August or September. We have already
visited it inside and familiarised ourselves
with the area in general,” Unelius says.
Their main criterion for their new
home was that it should be close to
the metro line. Finnoo’s metro line is
expected to be complete by 2023. That’s
good enough for Alina and Jami.
“The fact is that we were able to buy
a bigger apartment in Finnoo on our
budget than, for example, Tapiola or
Helsinki. We are also confident that
the value of our apartment will rise once
the metro line is completed,” Pankakari
says.
They already know Espoo well. After
spending a few years in Lappeenranta
studying, the couple found a rental
apartment a couple of years ago near the
Tapiola Sports Park.
“Just as the building of the area was
completed, we decided to move to a new
construction site,” Unelius laughs.
The completion of the Finnoo centre
has been delayed due to an appeal concerning
the protection of the bird wetland
in the area and the resulting
alteration of the plan, but the young
couple will not let this disturb their
future daily life. They are fascinated by
the potential of the developing region.
“Of course, the delay came as a surprise
to us, but it is only temporary. I
would be more annoyed if the metro line
got delayed. All the necessary services
are close by in any case. Iso Omena is
only about two kilometres away, and it is
less than a kilometre to the neighbourhood
shop.”
Other deciding factors in addition to
transport
,
connections
,
were the lush
greenness of Finnoo and its proximity to
the sea.
“It serves us very well at this stage in
our lives,” Pankakari says.
All
Finnoo
• a new residential
area by the sea in
Greater
Espoonlahti
• to be completed
in the early 2030s
• 17,000 new
residents are
expected in the
area
• the area is known
especially for its
bird life
the necessary
services are close by.
The construction of the area’s centre is delayed
In Finnoo, close to the area’s
future centre lies a bird
wetland that has gained
international recognition. In
the spring, the Helsinki Ornithological
Association Tringa’s
appeal against the local
detailed plan for the centre
proceeded to the Supreme
Administrative Court, which
overturned the plan.
The outdoor recreation
area planned next to the wetland
is considered to significantly
increase the number
of people and pets near the
wetland and consequently to
disturb the area’s birds.
Preparations for the new
local detailed plan were
started immediately, but
it will take from 12 to 18
months to complete the plan
for the Council’s approval.
Tiina Parikka
26 A magazine for Espoo residents

Alina Unelius
and Jami
Pankakari
are already
looking forward
to moving in
to their new
home in Finnoo.
A magazine for Espoo residents 27

The Mankkaa
harvest festival is
organised at Vanhan-
Mankkaan kuja 2 on
Saturday, 28 August
from 11:00 to 14:30.
Swedish
in Espoo
Espoo Day is organised
for the 19th time this
year. Espoo Day is
celebrated annually
on the last Saturday
of August, which was
chosen based on
the founding date of
Espoo Manor. Espoo
Manor was founded on
27 August 1556.
Text Tiina Parikka
Photos Eva Monthén
Enjoy the atmosphere
of a village market
Espoo Day is celebrated in the village of
Mankkaa with a traditional harvest festival.
On Espoo Day, you can enjoy some folk
music at the old granary in Mankkaa.
“Espoon Pelimannit has performed
on Espoo Day on previous years, too, but
this time they are part of the Swedishspeaking
cultural services event held at Esbo Arbis”,
explains Ann-Christine Stenbacka, the Vice
Principal of Esbo Arbis.
This year, the folk music group’s repertoire contains
a lot of local tunes from Espoo. The conductor is
Pekka Pentikäinen.
Espoon Pelimannit will perform two sets. There
will also be a workshop where participants can decorate
tote bags.
“Esbo Arbis celebrated its 60th anniversary in
2019. We started the tote bag workshop then and it has
28 A magazine for Espoo residents

Espoon
Pelimannit
performance
on Espoo Day
is subject
to weather
conditions.
proven to be very popular. There have been
all kinds of materials to decorate your bag
with, but as the COVID-19 situation is still
affecting our arrangements, this time we
have supplied different kinds of felt tip pens
that people can use to decorate their readymade
bags”, says Producer Eva Monthén.
There are tote bags in different colours on
which you can draw or, for example, write
some text.
“People have created some truly wonderful
bags in the previous workshops”,
Monthén says.
The workshop operates on a nonstop
principle to avoid overcrowding and to allow
time for cleaning the equipment between
users.
“We are complying with all COVID-19
restrictions in force during the event”,
Stenbacka ensures.
I ♥ Mankkaa. I ♥ Espoo. One of the things
you can write on your bag is an homage
to your beloved city or neighbourhood.
Stenbacka, who also lives in Mankkaa, is
particularly pleased that Esbo Arbis and the
Swedish-speaking cultural services can contribute
activities for the traditional Espoo
Day community event.
“Arbis activities and cultural services in
Swedish are mostly concentrated in large
centres. We want to bring our activities to
the people in their own neighbourhoods.
Espoo has many neighbourhoods that have
very tight-knit communities, and being able
to attend activities in their own language
brings them together even more”, Stenbacka
believes.
However, language is not a barrier, and
you can take part in Espoo Day and any of
the activities even if you are not Swedishspeaking.
Mankkaa-Seura is organising activities in
the folk cottage next to the granary. People
can look forward to enjoying the genuine
atmosphere of a village market combined
with a traditional harvest festival – weather
permitting.
”
We want to bring
our activities to the
people in their own
neighbourhoods.
A magazine for Espoo residents
29

Continuing studies
us
After
comprehensive
school, in
general, studies
continue either
in an upper
secondary
school or in
vocational
education and
training.
Crossword
puzzle
Test your
Finnish with this
crossword puzzle!
Book prizes!
PREPARATORY
➙
EDUCATION FOR
UPPER SECONDARY
VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION AND
TRAINING (VALMA)
› 234 students
After comprehensive school, every student
has to be assigned a study place. This autumn,
upper secondary education was started by...
UPPER SECONDARY
➙ SCHOOL
› 1 977 students (Finnish-speaking)
› 175 students (Swedish-speaking)
› 50 students (IB-programme in English)
➙
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
NB!
Compulsory education
continues until the age of 18.
All graduates of primary school
are therefore obliged to continue
their studies at a school that
provides secondary-level
education. If a young person is
left without a place to study
following the spring Joint
Application period, Outreach
Youth Work has been in
contact with him or her to
find a place to study.
› 1 396 students (Finnish-speaking)
• 263 students, vocational qualification in business and administration
• 222 students, vocational qualification in social and health services
• 120 students, information and communication technology
• 158 students, vocational qualification taught in English
Write the letters from the orange boxes (1–14) below and send the answer with
your name and address by e-mail to espoolehti@omnipress.fi by 26 November 2021.
30 A magazine for Espoo residents

Connections are crucial
For Atte Pohjanmaa, Espoo is at the heart of everything.
He would like to see more business parks in the city.
“I have always believed in the importance of being
around smarter people than myself. I have done
my best to trust people and their ideas, and it has
been an effective way to run a business,” says Atte
Pohjanmaa, who lives in Saunalahti.
In May, 22-year-old Pohjanmaa was selected
as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Greater
Helsinki. He founded his company Vertics Oy
together with his friend Max Kalhama in 2017 when
they were still teenagers in upper secondary school.
His business partner has since disengaged himself
from the company’s operational activities, and
Pohjanmaa has run the company on his own.
Vertics employs approximately 40 people.
At the age of 22,
Atte Pohjanmaa is
already an experienced
entrepreneur.
“At first, people were
sceptical because of
my age, but nowadays
it is an advantage,”
he says.
The company, which started with website projects
and coding services, now also offers business and
software design, service design and publishing and
maintenance services.
“I come from a family of engineers, and engineers
like to brainstorm and create something new. I was
only a child when I learned coding and I thought it
would be a good idea to start selling my expertise,”
Pohjanmaa explains.
There are various support programmes available
for young entrepreneurs but, at the time,
Pohjanmaa was not aware of them. However, he is
an active participant in young entrepreneur circles
which has helped him find investors to support his
company. A mentor he acquired through the Aalto
Startup Center has also been a big help.
Location matters. After several years of operating
in Otaniemi, last autumn the company found new
premises in Leppävaara. It was self-evident to
Pohjanmaa that the company would remain
in Espoo.
“Espoo is a combination of excellent public
transport connections and parking spaces.”
One wish Pohjanmaa wants to communicate
to the city is for it to advocate business
parks more, because they would enable
entrepreneurs to network across Espoo.
“Entrepreneurship is a communal
way of acting in every way. Without a
community, it can become very
difficult and lonely.”
my espoo
Espoo is a good
place to grow,
work and run a
business. Business
Espoo supports
entrepreneurs and
promotes the vitality
of businesses.
Text Maarit Krok Photo Timo Porthan
Business Espoo offers free
personal advice and sparring discussions
for compiling a business plan and starting
a business. It provides consulting services
in Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian and
Chinese.
A new entrepreneur who is just
starting a business can receive a start-up
grant offered by the City of Espoo and
the Uusimaa TE Office. Business Espoo’s
personal business advise service provides
help both for applying for a start-up grant
and considering other financing options. The
first consultation visit is free of charge.
The Business Espoo network
comprises the City of Espoo, Enter Espoo,
Espoon Yrittäjät, the Helsinki Region
Chamber of Commerce, Omnia (the Joint
Authority of Education in the Espoo Region)
and the Uusimaa TE Office.
A magazine for Espoo residents 31

Espoo Day is
coming up!
Find all the ways
of celebrating
Espoo-day
www.espoopaiva.fi