The Nordic Night of the Ancient Fires

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Welcome to the August - September issue of this monthly newsletter—For those who are new here, my name is Henrik Totterman; I am the Finnish Honorary Consul for the City of Boston and the States of New England (MA, ME, NH, VT, RI).

Here is a summary of collected insights in this newsletter: Upcoming October event on sustainable business solutions; PISA ranking creativity update, and the Trans-Atlantic Classroom Project; Finnish Ambassadorial Transition to the United States, Honorary Consular Networking, and plans of testing New England’s best traditional Finnish sauna. Enjoy your NEF!

The Night of the Ancient Fires is an annual event celebrated primarily in the Finnish archipelago and along the coastlines of Sweden and Estonia, where bonfires are lit on the last Saturday of August. This tradition honors the historic practice of lighting coastal fires, which once served as beacons to guide seafarers to shore safely.

Economic and Trade Relationships

You may recall a call for engagement regarding an upcoming event from my previous newsletter. The event will dive into the forefront of sustainability and focus on sustainability, cleantech, and climate action. The date is now confirmed.

Join us for a dynamic gathering where innovators, experts, and enthusiasts will converge to explore cutting-edge solutions and strategies for sustainable business.

• Event name: Sustainable Business Solutions
• Time: Tuesday, October 29, 5:30-
• Format: In-person event in Cambridge, MA
• Registration: Limited seating; registration opens at the end of September
• Speakers and Sponsors: Feel free to contact us if you would like to help organize this event. We're seeking passionate speakers, thought-provoking themes, dedicated volunteers, and impactful partnerships to make this event successful.
• Organizers: The Honorary Consulate of Finland in New England, Hult International Business School Design Thinking Master’s Students, Consulate General of Finland, New York, and Finlandia Foundation Boston.

Whether you're a leader in cleantech, a visionary on climate action, or simply eager to learn more about sustainable business solutions, we invite you to join us in shaping a greener future.

Education and Research

Following Finland’s past years strong performance in the PISA rankings, I was pleased to see that Finland is among the top-performing OECD countries in the PISA 2022 Creative Thinking assessment, which was released recently. The assessment evaluated the ability of 15-year-olds across participating countries to devise solutions for real-life problems. In Finland, students exhibited a strong capacity for creative thinking, with minimal differences in creative thinking skills across schools.

I got contacted recently by a Finnish high school english teacher regarding the Finnish National Agency for Education's Trans-Atlantic Classroom Project. After doing some research to better understand the objectives, I find the program both timely and inspiring. The program started a few years ago and is funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education and the U.S. Embassy in Finland, and it aims to enhance transatlantic collaboration between high schools in Finland and the United States (still to be formally announced for 2024-25).

The Trans-Atlantic Classroom Project aims to:

• Promote the development of students' and teachers' international competencies and language skills,
• Enhance the international understanding of communities regarding complex global issues through the chosen theme,
• Develop teaching and the school community, and
• Increase mutual understanding between the countries and provide firsthand knowledge about the United States and Finland.

I hope we can all find ways to encourage these type of mobility and educational exchange programs, as students, parents, educators, decision makers, and sponsors. Gaining an international perspective and understanding are essential components of a healthy upbringing from an individual and societal perspective, so join me in encouraging this and similar activities that foster respectful international engagement.

Cultural Exchange and Public Diplomacy

The Finnish Ambassador to the United States Mikko Hautala wrapped up his term in the USA after four important and impactful years in further strengthening Finnish-American relations. Thanks Ambassador Hautala for your visionary leadership, and for warmly welcoming me on board as honorary consul earlier this year. I look forward to continue collaboration with you and to welcome our new Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola to the United States as she starts in her new role on September 1st. Ambassador Mikkola served previously as Finland's Ambassdor in Beijing.

The Consular Corps across different countries in Boston and New England are in for an active fall with interesting events and activities. One of them is the traditional Harvard University Diplomats’ Reception taking place in September, along with many other impactful gatherings.

Summer months offer also great opportunities for more informal consular networking along the beautiful New England coastline. Last weekend we had the pleasure to visit Nantucket Yacht Club as guests of Honorary Consul of Lichtenstein in New England, Marta Judson and her husband.

A few weeks back, I had the honor to host the previous Honorary Consul of Norway to New England, Terje Korsnes, his wife and relatives on board Blue & White at always pleasant Cuttyhunk MA. We share many interests with Terje, some of them are sailing and seafood. I am personally especially fond of the fresh arctic shrimp sourced from his company’s secret fishing contacts, and my Father who was visiting from Finland clearly shared my culinary passion.

During the Labor Day weekend we got a chance to enjoy the company of Swedish friends, the René’s on board Blue & White. Magnus is a long-term board member of SACC-NE, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New England, whose board I used to serve on until a few years ago.

Community Engagement

On Saturday September 28, I plan to visit the Uljas Koitto Temperance Society who claim to have New England’s best traditional Finnish sauna. I look very much forward to test the sauna and its brand new stove together with friends and families from the Finnish School of New England.

Concluding Remarks

I hope you find the seventh issue of this newsletter insightful. Do you have any feedback or suggestions for content considering the above broad sections? Once I return from my Nordic summer vacation, the publishing date for my following newsletter is Sunday, September 29th.

All the best,

HENRIK TOTTERMAN, D.Sc.

Honorary Consul of Finland to the City of Boston and the States of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. www.HenrikTotterman.com

www.dhirubhai.net/in/htotterman

The NEF—This newsletter is designed to build bridges between New England, Finland, and Scandinavia. It's the chart for our shared past, present, and future adventures. I created this newsletter based on popular demand among Finnish New Englanders, and I want to engage with you in trade, education, and cultural matters. This fourth edition marks a significant milestone. We are now a community of over 2400+ subscribers on Linkedin, with many more subscriptions to my email send-out and those following the blog. Share the link to this newsletter with anyone interested in building bridges between the Nordics and New England.

Planning

Selected Dates (for planning purposes):

• January: New Year's Day (Uudenvuodenp?iv?): January 1.
• February: Shrove Tuesday (Laskiainen): February 13 (2024), Kalevala Day (Kalevala p?iv?): February 28th.
• March: Nordic Day (Nordens dag): March 23, Easter (P??si?inen) Mar 31 (2024).
• April-May: May Day (Vappu): April 30/May 1.
• June: Runon ja suven p?iv? (Day of Poetry and Summer): June 6, Helsinki Day (Helsingin p?iv?): June 12, Midsummer (Juhannus): weekend of June 24.
• July: Sleepyhead Day (Unikeonp?iv?): July 27.
• August-September-October: Aleksis Kivi Day: October 10.
• November: All Saints' Day (Pyh?inp?iv?): first Sat of November, Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (Ruotsalaisuuden p?iv?): November 6.
• December: Independence Day (Itsen?isyysp?iv?): December 6, Jean Sibelius Day: December 8, Lucia Day: December 13, Christmas (Joulu): December 24.