Abroad without knowledge of foreign languages – a course opens up the world by means of green travel

In the past two terms, Sastamala Community College, the adult education centre of the town of Sastamala, has organised a course that is slightly exceptional for an adult education centre. On this course (Ummikkona ulkomailla – elinikäistä oppimista matkailun keinoin ‘Abroad without knowledge of foreign languages – lifelong learning by means of travelling’), a group of adults and their teachers have planned a trip to Europe and travelled to their destination by land. The course and the trip are free of charge to the participants. 

The course has been made possible by Erasmus+ funding for accredited organisations, which enables the College to send teachers and adult students to Europe to learn, network and participate in courses and training.

“This course was the first learner mobility period that the College has launched with Erasmus+ accreditation,” says Heidi Karppanen, Education Coordinator at Sastamala Community College. 

Sastamala Community College finds it important that the trips to Europe are made by means of green travel, meaning that trains and buses are used where possible. Green travel is one way for the College to promote sustainable development and mitigation of climate change.

“Green travel has been included in the College’s project activities before, and the different options were already being planned when the funding for accredited organisations was applied for. The learner mobilities and some of the teachers’ trips are made by means of green travel, which means that the journey is made by land at least one way.” 

Inclusion is an important theme on the course

In autumn 2022 and spring 2023, learner mobilities at Sastamala Community College have focused on adults with fewer opportunities for internationalisation and travelling. The grounds for being admitted to the course can be, for example, a low standard of living, challenges with education, training or finding employment, or belonging to a minority. 

“This target group is an important part of the theme of inclusion, which is emphasised in the mobility activities.”

Efforts have been made to reach the target group by communicating information about the course and how to apply for it on the College's website and in the local newspaper.

“When the course was being launched last year, the challenge was how to reach potential applicants. Participating in the course takes courage, so special attention had to be paid to encouraging the applicants and communicating information about the course. When we used the contacts we had in the employment services and adult social work of the Town of Sastamala, we managed to communicate information better.”

The main destinations of the trips have been the international partner institutions of Sastamala Community College: in spring 2023, Byhøjskolen, a folk high school focusing on artistic subjects, and Århus Kunstakademi in Århus, Denmark, and in autumn 2022, Università delle LiberEtà del FVG, a local educational institution for adults in Udine, Italy.

Sastamala Community College has for a long time carried out international project activities, and it has been involved in several cooperation partnerships in which networks have formed.

“For example, our partner in Italy is a private educational institution that we have collaborated with previously. It is very similar to Finnish adult education centres.”

Before the trip, the course has a preparatory period of four weeks, during which the participants familiarise themselves with matters such as planning the trip, making reservations and practical arrangements abroad. In addition, they have practised performance skills, familiarised themselves with the receiving country and educational institution, and learned languages, such as English and Danish for tourists. 

The trip to the destination country lasts about one week and afterwards, the participants convene for giving feedback. 

“The participants are compensated for the journeys, accommodation and meals, and support with travel documents, travel insurances and similar matters is also separately available to them if they need it,” Heidi Karppanen explains. 

The part-time teachers at the College have also actively participated in planning this part of the course.

Green travel provides unique experiences and learning

The aim of the course is to widen the participants’ perspectives.

“We try to highlight the fact that public transport is a good alternative to flying, and to lower the threshold for travelling by train, for example. Making the travel arrangements also gives the course participants courage and confidence in their own actions.” 

In addition to being environmentally friendly, green travel also provides unique experiences of learning about different countries and cultures. 

“It has been important for the students to realise that when they travel by land, they can learn a lot, meet different kinds of people, and see different cultures and cities even before reaching the destination country.” 

For example, the train journey of the participants of the first course already began at home in Sastamala. In Europe, they took the train through the Alps. The journey one way took a total of three days and two nights.

According to Heidi Karppanen, there have also been surprises that they could not have anticipated on the way: for example, the transfers between buses and trains sometimes became longer and they had to plan the timetables again. 

“Green travel has taught us about different practices and operating methods in different countries. It has also required creative solutions along the way as it is impossible to anticipate everything that can happen. When problems are solved together with the group, there are positive experiences. I think the experiences have encouraged the students.”

Students participate boldly and wholeheartedly

Sastamala Community College has received a lot of good feedback on its mobility courses.

“This is a unique opportunity to go on exchange abroad from an adult education centre and it is excellent that we can offer this opportunity to a target group with fewer opportunities.”

According to Heidi Karppanen, the participants play a big part in the success of the courses.
“The College is grateful to the students for their courage and wholehearted participation.” 

The course participants have highlighted the experiences and encounters on the way as the best things about the course. 

“The course participants had the opportunity to take part in courses at the institutions of the destination countries under the leadership of a local teacher and learned to know local students. This has been rewarding.” 

Lessons learned and practices reported in social media and locally

The project activities and experiences from accredited mobilities of Sastamala Community College are reported in the social media account of the College’s international activities. Articles about the courses have also been published in the local media.

“The courses are visible in all our communication, both internal and external. We also highlight the option of green travel in staff mobility because of its environmental friendliness and the perspective of learning,” Heidi Karppanen says.

Sini-Maria Lepistö, the Principal of Sastamala Community College, has shared experiences from the courses with organisations that have recently received Erasmus+ accreditation, as well. Lepistö has also talked about the experiences to the board of the Finnish Association of Adult Education Centres, of which she is a member.

The next course is already being planned: it will be organised in autumn 2023 to a familiar destination, Udine in Italy.

Tips for planning a project related to sustainable development:

• Take green travel into account when planning the application.
• Examine the perspective of learning. Green travel often provides more experiences and learning than flying.
• Use your previous and existing networks to find partners. For example, you may find a collaborative partner from the students’ or the teachers’ own contacts.

Author: Elina Jäntti