“Don’t dream it – vote for it!” – Aalto University Student Union encourages young people from Espoo to vote and candidates to commit themselves to Aalto University Student Union’s objectives in municipal elections

The ballot box is waiting for you! Advance voting in municipal elections will be organised from 26 May to 8 June in Finland, and 2–5 June abroad. The election day is Sunday 13 June. Familiarise yourself with the advance polling stations on the vaalit.fi website.

Fon Krairiksh, our Policy Specialist, and Tiina, the board member in charge of the elections, wrote a blog post about why it is important for you to vote in the municipal elections and how you can have an impact by voting. Are municipal elections a complete mystery to you? Are you not sure when, where and for whom you can vote? In the blog, Fon and Tina also generally discuss election procedures. Read the blog: Municipal elections – does my vote matter? | Aalto University Student Union (ayy.fi)

Are you still looking for a suitable candidate? Follow to the municipal election panels: 

18th May at 4pm and 5.30 pm 

World Student Capital organises municipal election panels that focus on students and their needs. There will be candidates from all the biggest council parties. The event can be followed through a YouTube stream on Tuesday 18 May at 4 p.m. It’s divided into two sections: the Espoo panel starts at 4 p.m. and the Helsinki panel starts at 5:30 p.m. Both panels are hosted by Alex Palm. 

More information on Facebook.

26th May at 4-5.30 pm

So, who's future is it, anyway? Join the panel discussion with the municipal election candidates from Espoo. The discussion is about environmental issues specifically. You can ask the candidates questions or watch the stream while others grill them. The election panel will be held online, via Zoom, and it will also be broadcast live via YouTube. Sign up here.

Read more on Facebook.

Just before the elections, AYY has been encouraging the candidates to commit themselves to AYY’s four objectives in the municipal elections: 

1) Opportunity for international students to stay and work in Espoo and Finland is made easier  

• Accessibility of municipal services in English is improved  
• The selection of Finnish language courses is sufficient, courses are organised close to the participants and the teaching is of high quality  
• Espoo actively influences the government decisions to remove barriers on the employment of international students and supports the employment of international students by providing easily accessible information, organising courses on job search and related bureaucracy, and by encouraging employers to hire international students  
• People who do not speak domestic languages are also considered in the decision-making of the City of Espoo, and it is possible to participate in decision-making in English.  

  2) Adequacy and availability of municipal mental health services are secured  

• Students’ well-being is at the heart of the decision-making concerning students  
• In Espoo, therapy guarantee will be introduced to speed up access to municipal mental health services.  
• Cooperation between municipal health care, FSHS and the University is increased   
• Mental health services and other health care services are also available in English  
• The importance of physical activity in maintaining mental health is recognised and the improvement of opportunities for walking, cycling and exercising is prioritised in decision-making.  

  3) Sufficient student housing is planned and built in Espoo  

• Espoo must create a plan for student housing construction, which defines binding targets for the production of student housing. The quantitative target should be to offer new housing for at least in average 200 students per year.  
• Through zoning and land transfers, Espoo ensures sufficient student housing supported by long-term interest subsidy loans in the Otaniemi campus area or along comprehensive transport links. Espoo also enables the construction of affordable and small apartments for other groups in need of affordable housing, such as young people and doctoral students.     
• The zoning draws attention to the necessity of the construction obligations for storefront premises and they are waived in ARA production.  
• The city adheres to an exception to the parking standard for student housing construction. The amendment has been decided by the City Planning Committee on 18 Jan 2017 (§8).  

4) Espoo sets adequate and ambitious targets for achieving the set carbon neutrality target  

• The environmental impact of all Espoo land use plans and construction projects (incl. energy consumption required for construction) is assessed and building permits are granted only for projects that aim for carbon neutrality and take ecological factors into account comprehensively.  
• The development of public transport and light transport in Espoo is considered a special development target. Walking, cycling and public transport are made affordable. The 50% student discount is returned for the HSL season and single tickets. Rail projects (Science Tram, for example) are implemented.   
• When making purchases, the city pays attention to the environmental impact and energy consumption of the entire life cycle and use of products and services. In municipal services, Espoo mainly serves climate-friendly food that is mostly vegetarian.