Culture of Coping: TCA Study Visit Arctic Pedagogy in Inari (Finland)
Culture of coping: TCA study visit Arctic Pedagogy in Inari (Finland)
A perfect mixture of talks and hands-on activities awaited us at the Sámi Education Institute in Inari (Finland) around 300 kilometers north of the polar circle in the northernmost corner of the EU. We were 19 participants working in the field of youth and adult education in rural and mountainous areas in Austria, Czech Republik, Finland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Slovakia and Spain.
The Sámi Education Institute (SAKK) is a vocational college and the only indigenous people's institute of post-secondary trade school education in Finland, located in the homeland of the Sámi.
The Sámi Education Institute fosters life long learning and thus is open to everybody. There is no age barrier for enrolment. However, most of the students are young people up to 30 years. Reindeer herder Janne summarised the spirit of the school like this: "Education creates well-being and well-being creates vitality."
We saw workshops for hard material (wood, metal), a reindeer research and training center, the storage of material for the training of wilderness guides and the storage of reindeer hides and furs that will be turned into clothing. We talked to the teachers and saw a demonstration of the restoration of a historical sledge. Craftsman Gerry explained that traditional and contemporary materials and techniques are complementing each other.
At the Sámi museum we learned about the different languages of the Sámi and the oppression of their culture and language by the government and the churches in the past. It was very touching to hear the guide's personal story, to see her great-grandparents' block house and to listen to her singing a song about her great-grandfather. The guide's parents had not spoken the Sámi language because of the government's policy. Now, as this has changed for the better, she learned the language and also encourages her children to use the Sámi language.
As one of many hand-on activities we built a Lavvus, the traditional Sámi tent, on the shore of lake Inari and set up a fire. In three break up groups we discussed challenging situations like food supply disruptions, water shortage and heating alternatives. On site we saw the smoking of fish and later ate it with great appetite.
This study visit exceeded my expectations. The enablers offered a perfect mixture of intellectual knowledge, sensual experience and emotional touch. The training gave me excellent opportunities for networking and also for discussion. However, sometimes there was not enough time. For instance, I would have loved to discuss with politician Tiina Sanila-Aikio the Sámi's perspective on climate change and their suggestions how to mitigate the impact.
To summarize I learned three essential things that I can use for our work at the Catholic education centre:
- connecting with nature means protecting nature
- concentrate on the essentials, like food, water, heating,
- develop a culture of coping.
For sure I will include some ideas in my activities as a trainer, e.g. to intensify the emotional attachment to nature. I'll keep in mind how Janne described his clear mind when up in the mountain. I am hoping to develop some events about food security and about the culture of coping. Last but not least I hope to stay in touch with other participants in order to continue the networking. Hopefully there will be some bi- or tri-national activity in the future.
