Youth and the Future Seminar

• Welcome greeting by ESTO 2019 Executive Director Sirle Sööt and Ilona Kolberg, the head of the ESTO 2019 Helsinki Committee;
• Speech by Estonia`s Ambassador to Finland Harri Tiido;
• Director of consular service at the Estonian Embassy Liina Viies will give an overview of Estonian community in Finland;
• Presentation on transnationalism will be given by Jaanika Kingumets;
• About Estonians abroad by Merlin Miks;
• Video greeting to the youth by professor of the University of Helsinki Martin Ehala;
• Greetings from the leader of the Society of National Language Education as well as the Estonian Global School Helja Kirber and teacher of Latokartano School Anne Ribelus-Jokela;
• Estonian language teaching at the compulsory schools and gymnasiums of Vantaa will be discussed by Mari-Liis Hendrikson;
• Entrepreneur Peter Vesterbacka will give his presentation about the FinEstBay Talsinki tunnel project (in English, summary in Estonian);
• Moderating the seminar will be physics scientist Aigar Vaigu currently living in Finland.

The seminar will provide a brief overview of global Estonians in 2019 and the largest Estonian community outside Estonia, living in Finland today.

The juvenile and informative seminar will chart young Estonians living around the world, in order to create a network and to take Estonianhood globally to a new level. The seminar will be followed up by themes of preserving national identity and the importance of keeping in contact with Estonia, discussed at the Tartu Youth Conference and the National Congress in Tallinn. In addition, Tallinn`s Telliskivi Creative City will host a networking day with a variety of workshops where new opportunities for cooperation will be sought.

Working languages of the seminar will be Estonian, English and Finnish.
Seminar will end around one p.m. allowing participants to attend the Opening Ceremonies at Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square.

Photo: Annika Madisson. ESTO 2019 Youth Committee members at OODI.