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Sannaleena Härkönen, principal and managing director of Aurala
TS 22.5.24
The regional living room activities implemented with the city of Turku and several associations are coordinated by Auralan Settlement, which this year celebrates its 85th anniversary and the national theme year of Civilization. Among the people of Turku, our association is more familiarly known as Aurala, and the cultural work we do is also familiar. We do it close to people, walking together in the participants' everyday life.
Aurala's educational work is the versatile teaching of our civic college, club activities for seniors, support for those who have moved to the country, forms of work that promote the development of basic skills and employment, Safe work that prevents conflicts and violence related to honor, and regional living room activities implemented with the City of Turku and other associations.
Aurala's living room is an open meeting place with organized activities; neighborhood cafes, a family club, board games for young adults, free digital help and music club for seniors.
Aurala's way of doing educational work is holistic. Teaching and guidance is part of it. For us, comprehensive educational work means solving the participant's many problems and directing them to the services of partners, sometimes holding hands. It means supporting the participant's self-confidence and self-sufficiency, creating faith in the future and building trust. It is involving the participant in the development of services.
What did the founders of Aurala think about civilization 85 years ago? Sigfrid Sirenius , who was born in Oripää, went to school in Turku and was ordained as a priest, was a key person in establishing settlement work in Finland. He considered equality between people and social justice to be the most important ideas.
The rector of the University of Turku at the time, Professor Einar V. Juva , who was one of the founding members of Aurala, believed that "a free public education night is one of the most effective ways to preserve national cohesion". He considered the "fruitful interaction of the participants with each other while searching for answers to the most diverse problems" to be meaningful.
Enok Reimaa, the first rector of Aurala Free College, stated in an October 1939 Varsinais-Suomi that the newly established settlement college in Turku "is not a propaganda tool for any particular direction or idea, but an educational and cultural institution that sees a goal worth pursuing in that it can to offer people an opportunity for self-development or to acquire a certain type of professional skill."
Emilia Hirve's history show that Aurala's educational work is built on equality, social justice, working together, interaction and learning new things. Over the decades, work that is ideologically based on proclamation and strongly based on Christianity has moved to educational work that emphasizes the needs, voice and participation of the participants. Understanding diversity and equality have been specified as key values.
The Ministry of Education and Culture has named 2024 as the theme year of Civilization. The goal is to "wipe the dust off civilization and put the civilization discussion on everyone's lips". At Aurala, we evaluate the past and look to the future. What is worth keeping and what should be taken care of in the future?
We want to respect diversity and strengthen equality and working together. We want to do cultural work in different places, also in regional living rooms. What should we tackle more forcefully than at present? Above all, there is concern about a sustainable lifestyle. How could Aurala participate in building an ecologically, socially, economically and culturally sustainable society and lifestyle?
Auralan Setlementti has been able to make its own contribution to civilization for 85 years. I believe that with the strength of 21 full-time and 85 hourly employees and 8,000 participants, we will be able to make our contribution in the future as well. As Aurala's slogan sums up: All the best together!
The author is executive director-principal, Auralan Setlementti ry.
The speech was published in Turku Sanomat 22.5.24: www.ts.fi/puheenvuorot/6331534
