Turku 2011 Summer School ended with positive final reports

The San Diego State University (SDSU) organised May 26th – June 16th the “Turku 2011: Sustainability and Culture in the Baltic Sea Region” summer school in cooperation with the University of Turku Baltic Sea Region Studies programme and Åbo Akademi. The summer school, organized in Turku, will also included a site visit to Växjö, Sweden. The school examined the themes of sustainable development, the environment and culture, giving special attention to how these themes are realised in the Turku 2011 productions. From SDSU, the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi, a total of 26 undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the summer school.

Turku 2011 Summer School students presented their final reports on Wednesday June 15th in the premises of Kerttuli Retirement home and Handelshögskolan. The final reports were created in groups and examined things learned during the summer school. They were not conventional talks or power point presentations, but invited the audience to participate also. For instance, the first group dramatized a performance about the great fire of Turku with the means of singing and dancing. Another group approached the subject with constructing an exhibition researching the topic from a personal point of view. Other groups discussed for example sustainable development in Finland and in the United States, the activities of recycling center Ekotori in Turku and Finnish food culture with the means of film, interactive working in groups and locally produced samples.