Happy Tuesday!

And happy Valentine's Day to everyone!
Ystävänpäivä literally translates as "Friends Day", and it is common for Finnish friends to gather together on Valentine's Day and have, for example, a movie night with snacks or go to a café.

Finns treasure friendship on Valentine's day

Kind regards,
Timi
Membership Service Specialist

Upcoming exceptions in ISYY office opening hours

There will be some exceptions in ISYY office opening hours.

• Mon 16 February offices will be closed
• Tue 17 February, offices will be closed at 12 (Sports Afternoon)
• Mon–Sun 2.–8. March offices will be closed (Winter Holiday)

If the office is closed, the return date for sports equipment and board games will automatically move to the next office opening day. Also note that if you want to borrow sports equipment for the Sports Afternoon from the ISYY office, please pick them up on Tuesday, February 17 at 10–12 at the latest.

Have you heard about ISYY’s Hobby Buddy service?

The service is intended for all students of the University of Eastern Finland who want to make new friends through common hobbies and interests.

The process works as follows:

A student looking for a Hobby Buddy fills out a form available on ISYY's website, and we will get in touch when a matching buddy is found. You can search for a Hobby Buddy for one or multiple hobbies.

If you are looking for a friend to exercise with, please check out the Sports Buddy Service of SYKETTÄ.

Borrow Sports Equipment or Board Gamers from ISYY office

Did you know that from ISYY office you can borrow for free a wide range of Sports Equipment and Board Games to bring up joy for your free time. 

In our selection there is for winter sports e.g. plastic sliders (liukuri) and sleds (pulkka), and ice skates. We have also a lot of different equipment for indoor sports, like badminton and padel rackets and different balls.

You can loan sports equipment by visiting our office during its opening hours. The equipment can not be reserved beforehand.

Welcome to loan sports equipment and check out our board game selection to our office!

ISYY is giving out grants for international activities!

The grant is for events and projects that promote internationalisation in the 2026 spring semester and is meant for student associations, campus associations and ISYY clubs.

We are looking for activities that in addition to promoting internationalisation and international affairs in the campus cities, are innovative, are repeatable and reproducible, are sustainable long-term, are environmentally friendly, promote sobriety and take all students into account. Cooperation with other associations and clubs is also considered an advantage.

Two best applications will receive a grant of 300 €. Application period is from January 30 till February 22.

ISYY club meetings

Check the list of ISYY clubs in Kuopio on our website.

ISYY clubs' meetings at Lukema (ISYY office in Studentia, C door):

• Tue 10.2. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Game Club)
• Thu 19.2. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Game Club)
• Sun 22.2. at 1 pm UBC (University Student Bible Club)

Welcome to the 16th Annual Celebration of the Student Union on Sat 21 March in Joensuu

ISYY's Annual Celebration will be held on Saturday 21 March 2026 at 6 pm in Joensuu, Original Sokos Hotel Kimmel’s event space Sirkkala. For those who are coming to our Celebration from Kuopio, we are offering a bus transport to Joensuu on Saturday 21 March and back to Kuopio on Sunday 22 March after the Sillis. This transport is included in the price of the dinner card.

The Annual Celebration details are now published on ISYY's website and registration for the event is now open in kide.app. We warmly welcome all ISYY members and friends of ISYY to celebrate our Student Union with us!

SYKETTÄ Sports Services

SYKETTÄ – Kuopio University Sports offers a comprehensive range of sports services for students and staff of Savonia University of Applied Sciences and the University of Eastern Finland’s Kuopio campus. Please read the SYKETTÄ Kuopio information. Read more on the SYKETTÄ Kuopio website and follow SYKETTÄ on social media:

• SYKETTÄ Kuopio webpage
• Facebook: sykettakuopio
• Instagram: @syketta_kpo
• TikTok: syketta_kuopio

You must have a valid SYKETTÄ membership when using sports services!

• Buy the membership from the SYKETTÄ website's store or from ISYY office.
• You will also have access to nutrition and physical activity counselling.
• Find out more about our diverse services on the Member sevices webpage.

Studentia building Access Code

• In the future, access to Studentia’s sports facilities will be managed via an access code found in the mobile app. Please update your app to the latest version to ensure the code is visible.

How to find the code? 

• New code readers will be installed on February 9th, though the exact date when the doors will switch exclusively to the code system is still to be confirmed.

Have you tried the new class, Bare Yoga Method Online?

Welcome to practice yoga anytime, anywhere with BYM Online!

Instructions to use the service are here:

Calls for Application for Outgoing Student Exchange have been posted!

The next application period for outgoing exchange opens soon!

During this application period, students may apply for Erasmus+, YUFE, Nordplus/Nordlys or bilateral exchange.

The application period ends on Feb 16 at 3 pm sharp.

Read more about available programmes in the calls for applications on Kamu and fill in the application form on SoleMOVE. For more information, please see the Study Abroad section on Kamu!

What is Zoola and why is it used? 

Zoola is a learning analytics tool connected to eLearn Moodle that helps teachers monitor students' progress in a course. It compiles existing data from Moodle into clear summaries. Zoola does not generate or collect new data. The purpose of the tool is to help teachers identify where and when students need support. For students, Zoola appears as a timeout: if nothing is done on the eLearn page for about 20 minutes, a pop-up window appears

UEF info session online on 19 February 2026

The first UEF info session in 2026 will be organised online on Thursday 19 February at 13:00–14:00. The topics of the event are:

• The university’s budget for 2026 and economic outlook
• The current situation and progress of campus development

The languages of the info session are Finnish and English; the presentation material is in English. You can ask questions and provide comments in advance or during the event in the UEF info session community in Viva Engage.

International House Kuopio presents

Info session on hobbies and leisure activities

Come explore a variety of leisure activities, meet new people, and discover ways to get involved in your community. The event is free and open to everyone looking for enjoyable ways to spend their free time.

• February 18, 2026 ; 14:00
• Place: TyöNavigaattori, Asemakatu 7, 70110 Kuopio
• Language: English

3 days. Real challenges. Multidisciplinary teams. Mentors who push you further.

This is where design, business, and technology collide. This is the Sprint 2026, Finland’s largest design sprint.

You’ll be placed in a small, multidisciplinary team, stay at a hotel, and work on a real-world challenge set by one of our amazing challenge partners. The themes span culture, health, technology, finance, and AI, so whether your background is in design, business, engineering, research, medicine, or something else entirely, there’s a challenge for you.

And yes: the winning team from each challenge will take home a 1 000 € prize. 

• The Sprint 2026
•  Valo Hotel, Helsinki 
•  March 27th–29th, 2026

Stricter criteria for social assistance as of February – what does it mean for customers?

Degree students:

All students applying for social assistance are required to apply for a student loan – Kela can no longer use discretion. More information and answers to common questions can be found from Kela's website.

Kuopio City Theatre subtitles performances in English and clear Finnish

Kuopio City Theatre has started subtitling its own performances in English and easy Finnish. We will also be adding Finnish-language captioning. We want to improve our accessibility even further.

Subtitles and captioning can be followed on your own smart device, for example your phone, via the captioning application. Instructions for using the application can be found here.

This spring, subtitles will be available for all performances of the Perfect Recipe musical and Idän pikajuna. You can also listen to captioning in these performances via the application. Captioning is also available for Valkoinen valas performances. In autumn 2026, Metsolat will be subtitled and captioned.

Today at Coffee & Friends: Speed friending

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 programme. 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.

Coffee & Friends meets on Tuesdays from 27 January forward at 3-5pm at Lukema. 

Coffee & Friends programme:

• 10.2. Valentine’s Day Crafts 
• 17.2. Relaxing and Colouring
• 24.2. Bingo 

Approventure – Wonderland

Kuopio's major student event of the spring semester, Approventure, invites you to a Wonderland-themed adventure on March 12th, 2026.

Approventure is an interdisciplinary bar crawl, where participants tour downtown Kuopio, collecting stamps from various bars and restaurants. Based on your achievements, you will receive overall badges to mark your progress. The evening culminates in an after-party featuring top-tier artists.

Event Details:

• What: Approventure – An adventure-filled bar crawl
• Where: Downtown Kuopio
• When: Thursday, March 12th (Tour: 15:00–22:00, After-party: 21:00–04:00)
• For whom: Open to all students
• Dress code: Overalls and Wonderland theme
• Tickets: €9.50 – €18.50 (depending on the ticket type)

Ticket sales begin on February 23rd at 14:00 via Kide.app. For more information and updates, follow @approventure on Instagram.

ISYY's Movie Club Hyvät Kuvat spring season is here!

The club presents 11 movies during the spring on Thursdays at 5.30 pm at the Cinema Kino Kuvakukko (address: Vuorikatu 27). All movies are listed on ISYY's upcoming events calendar, where you can see small info about films and spoken languages.

The Club sells seasonal tickets, which gives you access to all of spring 2026 movies. It is not possible to buy seperate tickets for each movie. The price for students is 25€ (others 30€) Tickets can be bought from the ISYY Kuopio office, or on Thursdays from Kino Kuvakukko before acts.

And if by any chance you happen to be an exchange student and an ISYY member, the club is happy to provide you a free seasonal ticket for this spring, ask more from the ISYY office!

Welcome to plan the next Yhdessä Kuopiossa multicultural event and enjoy world rhythms!

World Rhythm Experience on Tuesday February 10th at 5 PM at Kuopio City Theatre

Program:

• 17:00 Planning the next multicultural event Yhdessä Kuopiossa
• 18:00 Quick and easy dance lessons from different Latin rhythms
• 19:30 Free dancing and having a good time together

The dance lessons are intended for all participants, including families.
The good atmosphere and music at the event is created by DJ Da2s. Each participant can request their favorite song from the DJ. Free entrance – welcome to party together! Program changes possible.

Friendship Day Event in Kuopio

Looking to meet new people and expand your network in a relaxed, friendly setting? International House Kuopio and Turvalinkki is hosting a Friendship Day Event in Kuopio for adults who want to connect, play games, and enjoy good company.

What to expect? Meet new people, play fun games with prizes to win  and enjoy coffee and snacks. This event is open to both immigrants and Finnish participants who would like to make new friends and practice English and easy Finnish together.

• 13 February at 12:00–13:30
• Kasarmikatu 2, 70110 Kuopio
• Language: English & easy Finnish
• Adults only (not a kid-friendly event)

The event is free, but please register in advance so we can prepare enough coffee and snacks. We look forward to seeing you there!

Finnish for Working Life – for Inspiring Immigrant Women

Do you want to feel more confident using Finnish at work? Learn the words, skills, and courage you need to talk about your talents, apply for jobs, and shine in interviews- all in Finnish.

What you’ll get:

• Practical Finnish for working life
• Help with CVs & job applications
• Speaking practice in a supportive group
• Tips on job searching in Finland

Face-to-face teaching Saturdays 9:00–14:15, 21.2.–9.5.2026.

Free of charge (0 €) – funded by the Ministry of Education. For female university / UAS students with Finnish level A2. Possibility to complete a Kapos skill badge.

More info & registration: Johanna Jussila, 044 718 4714, johanna.jussila@kuopio.fi

Students’ Mental Health Week will be celebrated in week 11 (March 9–15) in 2026

From now on, week 11 will be a fixed date for Student Mental Health Week.

The theme of the campaign this year is faith in the future. The idea of the theme is to support students’ faith in the future and to address issues that weaken it.

We live in a time where uncertainty and worry about the future overshadow students’ everyday lives. That is why we want to highlight the power of hope, meaning and community – factors that strengthen belief in a better tomorrow.

The campaign is shared by all of us and we hope that as many people as possible will join in implementing activities and/or communications during the campaign week.

Welcome to the campaign!

Ready to work in Finland?

Join us to learn the essentials of working life and job hunting in Finland — understand the job market, what employers value, and discover the best ways to find new opportunities.

This event is free and open to everyone. Sign up today!

• 16 February at 13:00 – 15:00
• Place: TyöNavigaattori, Asemakatu 7, 70110 Kuopio
• Language: English

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter in your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Kuopio 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.