The Finlandia Hall Rotary Club has for several years organised the RYLA course in cooperation with Etu-Töölö Upper Secondary School as part of the school’s official curriculum. This year, 20 students are participating, and the course is worth two credits. A key factor in the course’s success is the enthusiastic entrepreneurship teacher, Jenni Korte, who is responsible for the instruction. This year, a special emphasis was placed on international business.
We Rotarians arrange company visits for the students, giving them the opportunity to learn about different leadership practices and to ask questions directly to company representatives. This year’s visits include Helsinki Business School, Wolt, Hartwall, Google and Nordea. At the end of the course, the students present their final projects at Wärtsilä’s premises, where an expert panel evaluates their work. We aim to provide constructive feedback both on the content and on their presentation skills.
The course has grown in popularity and has offered us Rotarians a wonderful opportunity to connect with young people. Often, one of us has also given a lesson to the students. This model benefits the school and the companies – and above all, the students.
