Young foreign journalists to visit Rovaniemi and Ruka-Kuusamo
The group of 20 young journalists invited to Finland by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will visit Rovaniemi on 22–23 August and Ruka-Kuusamo on 24–25 August.
The visits are part of the Foreign Correspondents’ Programme (FCP), a media training course organized by the Ministry for newly graduated or graduating journalism students. The average age of the participating students is 24 and they come from Armenia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Poland, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine, and the United States.
On 22–23 August, the City of Rovaniemi will organize visits for the course participants to Arktikum, to the newsrooms of Lapin Kansa, the Pilke Science Centre, the Santa Claus Village at the Arctic Circle, and Lappset, a manufacturer of playground equipment.
On 24–25 August, the students will visit Ruka in Kuusamo. There they will have the chance to get to experience the natural surroundings of the local area on a 5-6 hour hike following what is known as the Little Bear’s Trail.
The FCP training programme began on Monday, August 1 and runs through to Friday, August 26. Its aim is to broaden the participants’ interest in Finland, to foster a positive attitude towards Finland and a deeper understanding of the country, and to sharpen Finland’s profile. In the longer term the programme can be seen as an investment in future media relations and as such as an integral part of the Ministry’s efforts in the field of public diplomacy.
The participants will gain a broad perspective on Finnish society, its politics, history, the economy and culture, with instruction provided by some of the best experts in the country. Among the central themes of this year’s programme are Nordic cooperation, cleantech and design.
Follow the progress of the course through the FCP blog on the Ministry website, where students will be taking turns to report their experiences and impressions of the course and Finland.
Further information on the training programme: Ms Päivi Harju-Heikkilä, Media Coordinator, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 40 749 2687, [email protected].
Further information on the programme in Rovaniemi: Mikko Jylhä, Communications Director, City of Rovaniemi, tel. +358 40 503 9819, [email protected].