Happy Tuesday everyone!

ISYY office is moving to Suvantokatu, May Day is getting closer and closer, last Coffee & Friends Café for the spring is today, registration for the UEF Graduation Ceremony 2025 is open, there is an upcoming workshop for international students about staying in North Karelia and Student Mental Health is being celebrated this week! ISYY board members Jaana and Nox wrote a blog post in honour of Student Mental Health Week about Student’s everyday life.

Herkkuappro (a "pub crawl" but instead of drinks you focus on savory and sweet treats) is today and the April Market is later on this week at the city centre. There is also a couple of tickets left in Kide.App for the legendary Savo-Karjala Excursion!

Please note the upcoming exceptions in opening hours/schedules of the ISYY office and SYKETTÄ -services. There is also information on easter opening hours of the UEF library. The library's 24/7 self-study facilities are open normally.

Have a great week! 

Kind regards,

Joona Rantala | Coordinator of International Affairs, Joensuu Campus

ISYY Office is moving!

The Joensuu office of the Student Union is moving to a new (but familiar) office space located at Suvantokatu 6. The services will be available normally until the beginning of June at the current location.

More information about the move (and its effects on for example club activities), is coming at a later date!

ISYY's Vappu (May Day) Eve programme is now published!

Vappu is the biggest celebration of the year for Finnish students. On Vappu Eve, 30 April, you can attend ISYY's Vappu traditions on both campuses. ISYY gathers all university students to celebrate Vappu together wit our old traditions.

Vappu Eve traditions begins with Capping of the Alkukivet statue organised by Täky ry. After that ISYY's Vappu Parade will begin from Carelia all the way to the Ilosaari. During the Parade we will perform the Capping of the Kanavatyttö statue. At the Ilosaari we will hear the Vappu Speech of the Student Union, live music and for the second time we'll see the Teekkari dipping in Joensuu.

Read more and check the schedules from ISYY's website!

Last Coffee & Friends event today!

The café meets for the last time this Tuesday at 4-6 pm at Agora café in Joensuu and at 3-5 pm at Lukema in Kuopio.

Upcoming themes in Coffee & Friends:

• 8.4. Easter Crafts

Coffee & Friends event offers low-threshold hanging out after lectures and the opportunity to meet other students over coffee and a snack. All students of the University of Eastern Finland are welcome to Coffee & Friends. You can come to the café alone or with a friend. In addition, Coffee & Friends has a changing chill program. Participation in the programme is voluntary and you can come for a while or for the whole time. Participation is free of charge and does not require pre-registration. 

You can find more information and the program of Coffee & Friends on ISYY's website.

Student Mental Health Week is celebrated this week! 

ISYY board members Jaana and Nox wrote a blog post in honour of Student Mental Health Week: Student’s everyday life is often a balancing act between academic performance, coping, and making a living - is this what we want? We are concerned about how many students’ daily lives revolve around surviving with their well-being. The situation is unsustainable and undermines students’ faith in the future.

Supporting the national Student Mental Health Week and fostering stronger hope for the future among students is extremely important to us in the student union. Students can leave positive and encouraging sticky notes for their friends and fellow students at the Snellmania foyer in Kuopio and the Carelia lobby in Joensuu throughout the week. Check out the week's programme on ISYY website.

Exceptions to the ISYY offices opening hours

ISYY offices are closed (notice a small change from last week, the office is closed until 22.4. instead of 21.4.):

• Thu-Mon 17.-22.4. due to Easter
• Wed-Thu 30.4.-1.5. due to May Day

In equipment loans, if the return date falls on a day when the office is closed, the loan period is automatically extended to the next day when the office is open.

Representative Council meeting 2/2025

ISYY Council will hold its second meeting of this year on Wednesday 9 April starting at 5 pm. The meeting is held in rooms N100 (Natura, Joensuu) and SN200 (Snellmania, Kuopio).

In the meeting, the Representative Council will, among other things, examine ISYY’s financial statement of 2024, discuss Studentia’s facilities and decide a date for the 2025 Representative Council elections. The meeting notice can be found on the ISYY website.

All ISYY members are welcome to follow the meeting on campus or via the livestream on ISYY’s YouTube channel!

Experience Finnish Vappu Celebration in Savo-Karjala Excursion!

Savo-Karjala Excursion is one of the most famous and popular May Day celebration traditions of the Student Union (ISYY). During the event, students circle around the North Savo and the North Karelia regions on buses on a predetermined route, which will remain a secret until the buses start their journey, and enjoy refreshments in different bars and restaurants along the way.

To attend the event, you don't need to speak Finnish. The most important thing is that you and your friends have fun and you can keep up in the schedule of the bus. If there are English speaking people in the buses, we'll ask the bus leaders to give all the important information about the schedule in English.

There are still a couple of tickets left for the excursion (bus 3)! You can buy tickets from Kide.app. The ticket price is 20 € and one person can buy a maximum of two tickets.

ISYY Club Meetings

All club meetings (except Academic & Historical Dance Joensuu & JEIS) are held weekly in ISYY's meeting room in Haltia-building, 2nd floor (Yliopistokatu 7).

More information and a full list of ISYY's clubs in Joensuu can be found on ISYY's webpage: ISYY Clubs in Joensuu

• Magic The Gathering Guild meeting Mon 3 pm - 8 pm
• Academic & Historical Dance Joensuu Mon 6 pm - 8 pm (Educa, E200)
• Joensuu's Exchange and International Students Mon 4 pm - 6 pm (Aurora, AU206)
• LUOMIO! Literary Arts club Tue 6 pm - 8 pm 
• JOOJAKU meeting Wed 4 pm - 8 pm
• Joensuu Board Gamers meeting Thu 3 pm - 8 pm
• ISYY Chess Club meeting Fri 4 pm - 8 pm

Easter schedules

SYKETTÄ Easter holiday is held between 17.-23.4. at the same time as the UEF Easter holiday.

Exceptions in schedules as follows:

• 17.-23.4. almost all group exercise classes on break
• 17.-24.4. Tulliportinkatu school closed, turns cancelled
• 18.-21.4. Länsikatu school closed, turns cancelled
• 18.4. and 20.-21.4. Joensuu Areena and Mehtimäki hall are closed

Gyms:

• Portti54 is open normally
• Aurora gym is open only with an electronic key between 18.-21.4., otherwise open normally
• Tikkarinne gym is open normally

Sports try outs

SYKETTÄ physical activity counsellor Anni instructs low intensity sports try outs which are especially intended for those who are starting to exercise and those returning to exercise. You can enroll on sports try outs without a SYKETTÄ sticker. If you do not have a SYKETTÄ sticker, you must register as a user via the website in order to enroll.

• Thu 10.4. at 5pm-6:30pm Easy badminton

Easter opening hours of the UEF library

Joensuu and Kuopio campus libraries are open on Thursday 17th April between 8 am and 1 pm (customer service from 10 am to 1 pm) and closed from Friday 18th April to Monday 21st April. 

The library’s 24/7 self-study facilities are open normally. 

Join the Young Carers in Finland Research Project!

If you are a young person or young adult aged 15–24, and you assist, care for, or support a family member or another close person who has a serious illness, disability, mental health disorder, substance abuse problem, or who is very elderly, you may be eligible to participate.

For more information on how to participate, visit uef.fi:

Survey on the inclusion of immigrants in the treatment path for memory disorders 

I am Sakari Mattila from the North Karelian Memory Association. In a three-month project in spring 2025, I will explore how to promote the inclusion of immigrants in the treatment pathway for memory disorders. Now I would kindly ask for your help.

As an international student, you are the best expert to talk about your own culture's approach to brain health. By answering this survey, you are contributing valuable and important information that can be used to improve the treatment of immigrants brain health in Finland. The survey has only five questions and individual respondents cannot be identified based on their answers. You can answer the survey in Finnish or English. The response time ends on April 21, 2025 and responding only takes a few minutes.

Thank you very much for your help and have a nice spring!

Looking for connection: Peer support for international students in Finland

Hey international students! Are you struggling to connect with others or adjust to a new culture? Have you felt lonely or isolated after moving to a new country?

Join our online event in Nyyti’s Discord on 9 April at 4.30 pm, where we will discuss important topics, such as feeling lonely or isolated, adapting to a new culture and where to find friends in Finland. Come share your experiences, tips and support others in a similar situation! This event will mainly focus on peer support and participants’ conversations, so having your camera on is encouraged.

You don't need to register in advance, just showing up is enough! Hope to see you there!

Herkkuappro 8.4. 

Popsi ry is blowing up the taste buds of Joensuu residents! The Herkkuappro, also known as the sweetest event of the year, is happening in Joensuu on Tuesday, April 8th.  

This delightful event, designed for dessert lovers, follows the same format as any other pub crawl, except instead of hydrating, you'll be filling your stomach with various savory and sweet treats or even delicious specialty coffee! 

The appro pass costs 6€ per pass and will be sold on KideApp from March 28th to April 8th. The price includes an overall patch and the appro pass. More information about the completion requirements, ticket sales, and pass
 collection can be found on KideApp.

Appro day offers, instructions, and event highlights can be found on Instagram: @Herkkuapprot_Joensuu. 

 April Market this weekend!

The traditional Huhtimarkkinat/April Market is organized at the Joensuu Market Square from Friday to Saturday, 11.-12.4.2025

Market hours:

Friday 11.4.: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday 12.4.: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration for the KiVANET network's summer 2025 is open!

Registration for the KiVANET network's summer 2025 courses is open from March 24th to April 10th 2025.

There are several optional languages available as online studies. Check out the course selection and register on the KiVANET website! When registering, only use your student email and read the instructions carefully. If you have any questions about the network or registration, please contact kivanet@uef.fi

Welcome to KiVANET courses!

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter on your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Joensuu campus or because you have joined the mailing list yourself. 

Weekly Feed provides you with current information on matters related to the Student Union, UEF or other organisations close to students, such as FSHS. In addition, the newsletter provides you with information on events taking place at campus or the campus city.

Weekly Feed is published on Tuesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and a few other days. If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore, you can unsubscribe the letter via the unsubscription link  located on the top of the letter. 

You will find more information on ISYY's newsletters  and data protection on ISYY's website.