CISSI's 10 Year Vujut 2014-2024

Students and professors alike were dressed to the nines on Saturday, November 18th, as , the organization for International Social Sciences, celebrated its 10th anniversary. The ball, called ‘vujut’ in Finnish, from ‘vuosijuhlat’ or year party, was held at the restaurant in Lautasaari. Finnish student organizations typically have vujut each year, but as a small, international organization, this is only the second one CISSI has ever thrown. CISSI is a relatively young organization, with others in the faculty being well over 50 years old. CISSI is the subject organization for the programmes , , and ; and the only social sciences association catered to internationals. It operates under , the student union, . Rising in the government and changing and have made many international students feel uneasy or unwelcome in Finland. Coupled with Finland's and , which are here, many are . It is in these times that internationals need community more than ever, and CISSI has become a place of support, a way to make friends, and a guide to accessing resources for many internationals within the faculty. 

The evening was led by two Masters of Ceremony, who were both former CISSI board members. The night started with a cocktail hour at 18:00, where other student organizations and faculty programmes were able to give their greetings to the current CISSI board. After that, the first course commenced, with plates and wine being served, singing, and a speech by the current board chair, Rosaliina Frannti, accompanied by previous chairs, including CISSI’s founder, Jaakko Haarala. Their speech detailed CISSI’s journey, how it started as an idea conceived at a bar table and grew to be a place of community and warmth for both internationals and internationally-minded Finns. Rosaliina highlighted CISSI’s importance in the face of turbulent political times. After a brief conference break, the main course was served. , an immigrant, city planner, architect, and comedian, gave a rousing speech that garnered lots of laughs while honing in on the difficulties foreigners face in Finland.

During the dessert course, our Programme Director, Adj. Professor Sonja Amadae, spoke about her own integration experience and proudly proclaimed that being invited to speak at CISSI’s event was a career highlight. She warmly invited everyone to participate in an activity she had prepared, complete with envelopes pre-set on each table, and ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’ for each participant. Attendees were asked to write what they’re proudest of doing in their life, what they’d like to be remembered for, what their greatest setbacks were, and what they’re most grateful for. It was a heartwarming exercise that allowed for connections with strangers and new revelations among even the oldest friends!

Following the dinner came the afterparty, with performances by the Helsinki-based band and DJ OT. Some attendees tore up the dancefloor, while others opted to chat in the restaurant's comfortable armchairs, but wherever you looked, there was plenty of fun and memories made.