Place: Jakobstad in Ostrobothnia, Finland
Timeframe: long term
Participants: companies/ immigrants/youth / educational institutions
Goal: low treshold event to open up for networking among internationals and those who want to be more international. Aiming to present what the locality has to offer in the fields of work, education, and leisure.
WHAT IS IT?
The networking event Social Wednesday brings together all kind of immigrants and actors from different sectors. The aim is to present what the locality has to offer in the fields of work, education, and leisure. At Social Wednesday visitors will meet exhibitors and take part in different activities while enjoying a snack. The organizers aims for a relaxed atmosphere and not just a traditional fair. The program differs, but often some inspirational speakers and testimonials and discussion tables where the visitor can choose what are of interest are on the agenda.
Social Wednesday was organized a few times already back in 2015 but was brought back to life 2022 and has been arranged since then. Social Wednesday is now a meeting place where participants can get to know the companies, educational institutions, associations, and organizations in the region with a low threshold. The event is aimed at immigrants, students and others who have recently arrived in the area, but no one is excluded from the doors. In the future, more focus will be put in welcoming local people who long for international contacts. This helps to build the networks that are so important both on a professional level and in the spair time. The content of a Social Wednesday-event is easy to change and adapt to new circumstances and current needs.
Social Wednesday is organized in cooperation between different regional actors: Centria University of Applied Sciences, Jakobstad Region Development Company Concordia, Yrkesakademin i Österbotten, Kredu, Step utbildning and Integration services in the Jakobstad region. This is a great strenght – by involving different actors, the information will be spread among different groups of newcomers and exhibitioners. In a region with an increasing immigration, both work related and refugee based, it is of great importance to create social networking event’s.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The presence of companies from different sectors has been considered important by both the participants and the organizers. Companies also feel that they get a lot of first-hand information through the Social Wednesdays about the background, needs, thoughts and interests of the workforce or refugees arriving in the (locality) Jakobstad Region.
LEARN MORE
Frederik Sandelin Regional developer – Jakobstad Region Development Company Concordia
fredrik.sandelin@concordia.jakobstad.fi +358 (0)44 324 3435
Melina Saari Project Planner – YA! Yrkesakademin i Österbotten
melina.saari@yrkesakademin.fi +358 40 568 7229