ICRPS 2019 Summer Institute | Rovaniemi, Finland | June 16-29
"Enhancing Smart Ecosystems in Rural Areas"
OVERVIEW ICRPS 2019 Summer Institute: Rovaniemi, Finland The sixteenth International Comparative Rural Policy Studies (ICRPS) Summer Institute will take place in Rovaniemi, Finland, from June 16 to 29, 2019. The institute will convene for fourteen days and will involve approximately 25 graduate students and numerous faculty members from universities around the world. Classroom sessions will Read More ...
The 2019 ICRPS summer institute will be held at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland (street address: Yliopistonkatu 8). The University of Lapland is the northernmost university in both Finland and the European Union. The university is located about two kilometers from the city centre. Rovaniemi is the vibrant capital of Lapland, with a population Read More ...
Download the full ICRPS 2019 program. Download the ICRPS 2019 schedule.
Student and Faculty Registration Registration ends June 6th. Only students selected and accepted by one of the ICRPS network universities can register. The cost of registration includes accommodations, all sessions, field trips, and special events. All bank transaction costs are the responsibility of applicants. Students must send a headshot (minimum 300 dpi) for inclusion in Read More ...
By: Teemu Loikkanen and Marc-Antoine Larrivée
This morning, the driver warned us cheerily when we arrived to our bus after a short but delicious breakfast at Felli. The mosquitoes were waiting! We traded stories and legends in the Nordic countries about mosquitoes driving people crazy, not to mention the suffering of poor caribous and reindeers!
Once at Kemijärvi vocational school, we headed to the woods and separated into three groups to do some plants and herbs picking. One group picked young dandelion leaves (Taraxacum officinale) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium), a second group picked fireweed or great willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium) and the last group picked nettle leaves (Urtica dioica).With little or no wind, mosquitoes probably harvested more blood than we harvested plants! Weather was really pretty, everyone loved the area and it was a great place to take pictures and fill Instagram.
Once back from our gathering, we waited for the staff of the cafeteria to prepare our harvest for lunch. During that time faculty members discovered the ninja game and used that time for a team-building activity.
Our delicious lunch consisted of the plants we collected and other pre-harvested forest ingredients, like false morel (be careful as if ill prepared, the toxins may cause life-threatening situations) and local ingredients.
After lunch we had three workshops: (1) making herbal salts, (2) making herbal skin cream and (3) Identification and transformation of local plants.
It was a great opportunity to experience the training they offer in that school. There was also enough time to discuss with the teachers about the management of the school and the programs and with students about their professional career and their goals.
The school encourages entrepreneurship and it seems quite common for students to start their own businesses, expend the one they already have or build partnerships with existing companies. It has cooking installations for cosmetics, edible food preparation and bonfire grilling. Students have the possibility to reserve those installations to start their businesses. The school is interested in developing partnerships with other institutions internationally over the harvest and preparation of wild plants. Spread the word!
We were impressed by the students’ products and the zero-waste orientation of many initiatives. We wish them a very good success in their professional journey!
For more information, you can consult the school website : https://www.redu.fi/fi/Etusivu