After having completed this course, the student will be able to

- perceive the operation of the system of student associations and know how to develop the operation of the associations on a strategic level

- recognize leadership models of the system of associations

- perceive the decision-making processes of both the local and national political fields, and know how to influence those according to the goals of the background organization

- apply the most common sales and marketing techniques

- argue clearly and in a controlled manner in a discussion and a debate.

This course is primarily targeted at the executive board of the student union, representative council, students holding positions of trust in student associations and student representatives in administrative organs. The course provides a student with capabilities to work in the organizational sector and prepares them for an active, informed and critical citizenship.

The course can be completed by being active for one term of office (ie a year) in some Haaga-Helia student association or representative council. Activity in a student association or representative council can be, for example:

In Helga

- participation in the activities of Student Union HELGA, SAMOK (National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences) or Student Sports Federation (OLL, Opiskelijoiden Liikuntaliitto)

- attending the meetings of Haaga-Helia working committees

- participation in the activities of HELGA’s teams

- cooperation between the members of international system of organizations


Activities in student associations

- Attending training sessions of student associations

- Attending the meetings of the executive of the student association

- Carrying out the activities of the student associations

- The operations of Suomen Opiskelijakuntien Liitto – SAMOK ry, (National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences)


Student representative activities

- Attending the meetings of the representative council of the student union

- Other activities of the representative council

Training arranged by Helga and a learning diary (reporting).

Do you have a passion for taking care of common matters? Would you be interested in learning about influencing, communication, marketing, participation in unions and societies, or supervision of the interests of others? Are you already actively involved in the action of a student association or are you planning participating? You can apply to be granted 5 cr/term of office for acting in a position of trust.

You can apply to complete the Organizational Activities 1, 2 and 3 courses by applying to
become a trustee of a student association, student union or student organization. Each
organization has its own application process, which usually starts in the fall semester
around October-December. Associations inform about their recruitments via their own
communication channels. Traditionally, positions such as board member, vice-chairperson or
chairperson are applied for by using an application form and participating in general
meetings and elections. The positions usually last one calendar year.

When you have been selected for a specific position in the organization and you have
worked actively in that position, at the end of the term you can apply for credits from the
Organizational Activities 1, 2 and 3 courses. You can get a maximum of 15 credits. There is
no registration for courses, but their completion is applied in a following way:

1. Choose which course you want to complete by comparing the course's learning objectives
with your own experience. You can complete several study courses at once, but in this case
it must be well justified. Traditionally, one course can be completed per term, and at each
level of the courses (1, 2 and 3), the demands of the tasks increase.

2. When you have decided which course(s) you want to complete, you must fill out the
application. Students can find the application form in the material bank of Helga's website
(link: https://helga.fi/en/materials/ ). Fill out the application and send it by email to Helga's
specialist of influencing and advocacy.

3. The specialist checks the application and either accepts it or requests clarification or an
addition to the application.

4. When the specialist has approved the application, they forward it to Haaga-Helia's
teacher/counselor, who adds the credits to the student

Before attending this course, the student must have completed the courses Societal Activity 1 and Societal Activity 2. The course is part of complementary professional competencies.

The course will be assessed Pass/Fail.

Helga will grant the credits based on the reflexive report submitted by the student.