21.6.2010

CHALLENGE TO MY CAMPERS: SAVE THE WORLD!

The first international Millennium Youth Camp (MY Camp) was held at the Kiljava Camp Centre and other locations around Helsinki from 6–13 June 2010. The camp, which targeted 16-18 year old science and technology enthusiasts from around the world, was all about teamwork, new friendships, and above all, discovering the possibilities of natural sciences. The next MY Camp will be held in the summer of 2011.

Graduates of the first My Camp are already encouraging others to apply for next year’s programme.  “You have a greater chance than you think,” says 18-year-old Andra Orasanu from Romania.

“Go for it,” adds Menna Sirola, 17, from the Finnish town of Kempele. “When I applied, I never thought that I would be chosen.”

Both Sirola and Orasanu agree that the camp is not only about science. It’s about meeting and sharing ideas with people from around the world.

Oskari Vinko, 18, from Espoo, Finland calls his co-campers “young geniuses” and now also his friends. “I made new friends and useful contacts for the future.”

Beauty of natural sciences

The 30 participants of MY Camp were chosen from almost one thousand talented applicants. They represented the whole world, ranging from New Zealand to Romania and from the Philippines to the United States.

All the campers had special, individual skills and a positive attitude towards science and yet found their interests and passions were quite similar to those of every other teenager. The discussions during bus rides regarding classical literature and music were not exactly what one would expect from a random group of teenagers, but their joy of living and frequent fits of laughter separated them from the stereotype of solemn scientists.

Not all the campers want to pursue a career in science, but for them too, the camp was a real educational opportunity to see what natural sciences are all about.

“I want to study social sciences in the future, so I have a different view on things. This camp has shown me the beauty of science in general, and its impact on everything. I realised that science is inevitable and critical. Like Mary Arber said, it is important to be literate in science, that’s the beauty of it,” Orasanu says.

Arber is the Manager of Café Sci, a project to bring science closer to young people. “I don’t understand the formulas, but I understand the ethics behind them. This is a passion-based job. It’s all about building the students’ dreams, and also building their curricula,” said Arber, who travelled from England to follow MY Camp.

Different opinions encouraged

The campers worked on their projects daily in theme groups. “The project work itself was like brainstorming, really. You could present your own ideas, and then other people would comment. It was different compared to many of our home countries. Everyone had an opinion, and there was no actual negative criticism. Every idea had its place in the final project,” said Luka Manola from Croatia at the MY Camp Gala, where each group presented their projects, and every camper was recognised.

The camp programme was full of educating and inspiring events. Two days were dedicated to learning about higher education in science in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The campers visited the University of Helsinki Faculty Of Science and the Aalto University School of Science and Technology. However, some foreign campers were disappointed at the lack of English-language under-graduate programs as they were contemplating applying to study in Finland.

“It was quite interesting to learn about the studying possibilities and research centres here in Finland, because someday I might be working in one of them,” says Elina Nissilä, 19, from Kälviä, Finland, who had just heard that she has been accepted to the Aalto University to study applied physics and mathematics.

In addition to the studying possibilities in Finland, the campers got new views on studying abroad from each other. Some of them were about to begin their studies at the world’s top ranked universities, such as Harvard and Cambridge.

“I’m working hard to figure it out what to study after high school, because I’m quite interested in a lot of things. Fortunately, during the camp I got a lot of information about the studying possibilities both in Finland and abroad,” Vinko says.

The camp programme also included visits to Finnish companies and research centres, taking part in the Millennium Technology Prize Award Ceremony, MY Camp’s own Gala, a visit to the Heureka Science Centre, wildlife Olympics at Kiljava, and themed evening get-togethers. These included an International evening, a traditional Finnish evening with sauna, swimming in the lake and barbequing sausages, and of course a farewell party.

“The best thing was the International evening. It brought us together, and we learnt many things about different cultures. It was also very funny. The Millennium Award Ceremony was great, because it was nice to see scientists awarded in such a prestigious way,” says Orasanu.

The Award Ceremony and the opportunity to meet the 2010 Millennium Laureates and the Winner of the Grand Prize were the highlights of the week for many other campers. “It was a very special opportunity to meet the Millennium Laureates and ask them whatever we wanted. It is not something that happens every day,” says 19-year-old Paula Hietala from Porvoo, Finland.

Young people are the future

The Millennium Laureates had an important message to the campers:

“It is likely that the people in this room have more influence on the future than I will ever have,” said Professor Stephen Furber when asked about the future of his innovation, the ARM microprocessor.

The organisers of the camp were glad to see how united the campers became. The Chairwoman of the Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (TEK), Merja Strengell, gave the campers three challenges at the MY Camp Gala.

She wanted the campers to think what got them interested in science in the first place, and then tell it to their teachers.

She also wanted the campers to remember Finland, and invited them to come back. The last challenge was the biggest of all:

“It's up to you to save the world, nothing less than that. Go home and save the world," Strengell said.

Text: Elisa Lautala / www.myscience.fi
Photos: Matti Rajala & Tero Pajukallio