On November 14th and 15th, 2022, AIMC board chairman Ieva Vītoliņa and artist and animator Dace Liepa met with Tuomas Lankinen, director of Loima folk school LEKO, and project coordinator Ilze Liepiņa-Naula in Loima city (Finland). During the meeting, a study visit was planned for 14 Latvian and 14 Finnish youth workers, who in Finland from February 5th to February 11th, 2023 will supplement their knowledge in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) sectors and gain experience in how to use this knowledge for the social inclusion of young people.

During the preparation of the study visit, representatives of the Finnish side presented the locations of the lessons and the catering options for the participants both at the Loimaa folk school LEKO and at the folk school camp site on the shore of the lake, where accommodation for the study visit participants is also planned.

Ieva Vītoliņa and Ilze Liepiņa-Naula discussed and clarified the program of the study visit, specifying the plan for each day, as well as coordinating it with the arrival time of the participants. During the meeting, it was decided that the visit will both begin and end with a visit to Helsinki – on the first day of the visit, the participants will have the opportunity to visit the Oodi library, and at the end of the visit – the science center “Heureka”. To ensure a diverse visit, the study program was planned in such a way that meetings with Finnish experts working with young people and promoting their social inclusion alternated with excursions to museums or STEAM-related attractions. In addition to learning about the Finnish experience, there will be an opportunity to meet with an Irish youth worker who will present the national policy and support in Ireland for the use of STEAM elements in youth work. But every evening there will be a networking activity, which will be led by one of the participants of the visit according to the theme of the day.

On the other hand, during the meeting, Dace Liepa explored the premises in the planned lesson locations, so that during the study visit an animation workshop could be organized and a teaching video could be recorded.

Association “Development and Innovation Training Center” carries out the project “STEAM youth worker capacity building” within the framework of the European Union’s Erasmus+ program’s 1st core activities “Personnel mobilization for educational purposes” project, number of the contract with the International Youth Program Agency: 2022-1-LV02-KA153-YOU-000066085. More information about the projects progress: https://www.aimc.lv/.