Vaasa wins Finland’s best tenants’ committee competition

Community, Housing, News / 21.5.2024

In April-May, a competition was held among student housing communities to find the best tenants’ committee in Finland. The aim of the competition was to highlight the importance and impact of tenant activities in these communities. Seven student housing communities participated, each presenting an active tenants’ committee to compete for the title of Finland’s best tenants’ committee. From Soihtu, the tenants’ committee of the Kortepohja Student Village participated the competition. The committees were asked to answer the question: “Why are you Finland’s best tenants’ committee?” and had the freedom to choose their response style.

The victory went to the tenants’ committee of Palosaari from VOAS in Vaasa. The purpose of the competition was to present the best aspects of tenant activities. Below is the competition writing from the Kortepohja Student Village’s tenants’ committee, which captures these aspects well. Thank you for your participation!

Why is the Kortepohja Student Village’s tenants’ committee the best in Finland?

Let’s start with introducing our wonderful group, our dream team, known by many names – the tenants’ committee. Our 10 members have many titles and roles. We have the gym elf, the club elf, the event coordinator, the workshop manager, helpers (read: cleaners), idea generators, and more, in addition to the usual chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. Our members are enthusiastic about all sorts of tasks, and it shows in our daily Village life. For instance, the gym elf received a merit badge from the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä for excellent gym development. I, on the other hand, tracked down a stolen rowing boat by wading through Facebook community groups. Exemplary tenant activity, one might say.

Our tenants’ committee receives praise not only for the excellent gym but also for the wide range of events we organize. There are sauna tours, community walks, flea markets, Christmas parties, crafts, bingo, speed friending, wine and whine sessions, and much more. There’s something for everyone, and we’re always open to new ideas. Ideas can be sent to us formally via email or more casually through Instagram DMs. If someone wants to remain completely anonymous, we also read Jodel to see what the villagers want. There are many ways to reach us, and we’ve worked hard to keep it that way. However, perhaps the most joy for the villagers comes from our weekly exercise session that has been running for two years, offering various ball games or dance. About 30 people attend each week, and many have found not only friends but even partners there. Quite something.

As a tenants’ committee, we aim to make our living area comfortable by listening to tenants’ wishes regarding Village facilities and services. We have adjusted sauna schedules to better serve tenants, as people in Kortepohja love to sauna. We strive to acquire desired and necessary loan items, such as a textile cleaner or yard games, for communal use. We also run several clubs, like a board game club and an anime club, for which we provide funding to encourage their activities. Our latest development project has been transforming a completely empty and unused space into a yoga and mindfulness room.

Why are we the best tenants’ committee in Finland? We come together out of genuine enthusiasm and interest. This authenticity makes us very active and caring. We are always ready to listen and be friends, both with each other and with other villagers. We are the best because we genuinely want to improve our Village for our neighbors and friends.