Young foreign journalists visit the Åland Islands
Press Release 229/2010
12 August 2010
The group of 21 young journalists invited to Finland by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is visiting the Åland Islands on 12–13 August. The visit is part of the Foreign Correspondents’ Programme (FCP), a media training programme arranged by the Ministry for newly graduated or graduating journalism students, whose average age is 23. They come from Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, Ukraine, and the United States.
During their trip to the Åland Islands, the FCP group will visit and learn about the Åland Parliament (Ålands lagting) and Åland’s autonomy, the Åland Islands Peace Institute and the environment protection work done by Viking Line. Governor Peter Lindbäck is hosting a luncheon for the young journalists, to which local journalists have also been invited. In the evening the group will sail to the island of Rödhamn on the schooner Albanus; the Government of Åland will host a dinner on the island.
The FCP media training programme began on Monday, 2 August and will continue until Friday, 27 August. Its aim is to widen the participants’ interest in Finland, to cultivate a positive attitude towards Finland and a deeper understanding of the country, and to sharpen Finland’s profile. In the longer term the programme is an investment in future media relations and as such is an element of the Ministry’s efforts in the field of public diplomacy.
The participants are offered a broad perspective on Finland’s social issues and the politics, history, economy and culture of the country. Instruction is given by some of the country’s best experts. Among the central themes of this year’s programme are the Baltic Sea, cleantech and design.
This year marks the 20th anniversary since the first corresponding course was organized. So far nearly 300 foreign journalists have participated in the four-week media training programme arranged by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The progress of the course can be followed through the FCP blog, where the students report on their experiences and impressions of the course in turn.
FCP-blog(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Additional information about the training programme: Media Coordinator Päivi Harju-Heikkilä, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, mobile tel. +358 40 749 2687, [email protected]
Additional information about the programme on the Åland Islands: Information Secretary Britt Inger Wahe, Åland Information Office in Helsinki, mobile tel. +358 040 550 1144, [email protected]