Around 10% of Tampere residents have international roots. While thousands of associations operate in the city, international residents are not represented in their activities in proportion to the population.
– Many associations are looking for more active participants and paying members. At the same time, there are many international residents in Tampere who would like to pursue hobbies but struggle to find a suitable association or feel hesitant to join, says Ilaria Tucci, Project Planner for the Tampere Welcoming City Development Program.
Local associations and organisations now have the opportunity to attend a free info session designed to help them understand how to make their activities more appealing and accessible to residents with international backgrounds.
– Often, it’s just small changes that are easy to implement. One example is adopting safer space principles within the association. These could include acknowledging that not everyone speaks Finnish or English fluently, Tucci explains.
Associations in Tampere are welcome to attend a free, approximately two-hour information session. Both sessions will be held at the Pihlaja Room in the Metso Main Library (Pirkankatu 2):
The trainer is Ilaria Tucci. The info sessions will be mainly in English, but questions can also be asked in Finnish. Each session can accommodate 30 participants.
Please register by 15 September 2025 using the following form:
Tampere Welcoming City – Info session for Associations
– I hope participants will reflect in advance on how their association has succeeded in engaging international residents. I’d also like to hear about the challenges associations have faced in improving accessibility, Tucci says.
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Updated on September 4, 2025 at 3:45 PM: The registration period has been extended. The news item has been updated with the new registration deadline.
