"Gardener Marko Ahola had arrived from Ostrobothnia to guide us bewildered city dwellers through the secrets of cultivation. During the lecture, a huge number of things were covered, from choosing a pot and pre-growing seedlings to the uses of different herbs and wintering plants. The guiding principle of the evening was that you can in principle grow any variety on a balcony and terrace, starting with fruit trees and berry bushes, as long as you ensure sufficient nutrients, heat, light and moisture," said Venla, the institutes service and administration manager, summarizing the lessons he learned from Marko Aholas balcony gardening course. Read Venlas full article about the course here..

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I originally specialized in Nordic and especially Scandinavian cultural and social studies. I have loved fashion since I was a child and at first it was just a hobby for me. Later, the world of fashion, communication and digital also became the subject of my studies. I specialized in marketing and visual merchandising at Bocconi University in Milan and the Luxury Academy. During my career, which started in 2002, I have accumulated a strong portfolio. I also work as a writer: I have written a visual merchandising manual, which will be published in 2026. In teaching, I am inspired by a strong desire to convey information about the effectiveness of visual marketing. Skillful presentation, color communication and storytelling are relevant marketing tools. I hope that the content of my course will open your eyes to the visual world and its benefits.

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I graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki and have worked as an early childhood education teacher my entire adult life. However, an old dream and hobby with flowers, colors and aesthetics made me consider changing fields. I was encouraged to retrain and graduated as a florist. I am interested in small, decorative works, arrangements, wreaths and playing with natural materials. My love for nature and flowers and creative work with my hands has completely carried me away. Combining pedagogical expertise and flower-tying skills made me apply to become a course teacher and now I want to share my expertise. And infect others with the spark of 'flower madness'!

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I have a Master of Philosophy degree from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Helsinki, majoring in meteorology. I work as a senior meteorologist at the Meteorological Department, and I act as a liaison manager selling weather services. In addition to my work, I have taught cloud and other weather courses at Helsinki Adult Education and Workers' Colleges for years. Since my work also involves communications, I often have to think about how to formulate things in a way that you don't have to be a meteorologist to understand. Teaching is the same for me. As a teacher, I am easily enthusiastic and want to share my interest in the wonderful world of clouds, but not in a too high-flying way. Cloud courses are suitable for those who want to learn to predict the weather, for example because of your boating or bird watching hobby. As a landscape painter or photographer, you may be interested in recording cloud views. You are also welcome to the course if you want to learn to identify or distinguish different clouds from a hammock! Photo: Timo Pyhälahti

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“Summers are spent sailing in the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Caribbean, but in the winter I enjoy teaching boating courses,” says Mika Piiroinen, who works as a boating and navigation instructor authorized by the Finnish Sailing and Boating Association, the Finnish Navigation Instructors, Sailing Instructors and the Finnish Navigation Association. “In addition, I produce learning material for the Finnish Navigation Instructors’ courses and train new boating instructors in mastering pedagogical skills. As an education professional, I want to make course participants enjoy learning new things. Perhaps the best feedback is to see familiar faces going around the different courses, increasing their boating knowledge.”

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