Aava Community Section
Aava Community Section promotes, maintains and renews the Aalto culture. Aava’s goal is to bring together all Aalto University students and make it possible for all Aalto members to have fun and great experiences. Aava takes part in maintaining established Aalto traditions and further developing the community by creating and organising events ranging from volleyball tournaments and outdoor gaming events to huge parties.
Each Aava member has their own area of responsibility, but the section works closely together in all its activities to form a dynamic group that translates ideas into reality. Some of the section members also chair the committees.
The section is looking for members in an open call in late autumn. The term of office of the section is one calendar year. The Chair of the Section is elected by the AYY Board, and the Chair forms the section from among the applicants. Meetings are held about once a week. In addition, the job description includes various arrangements and event organising.
More info:
Markus Kallaluoto, chair 2022, [email protected]
Helmi Takala, vice chair 2022, [email protected]
Events organised by Aava and its committees include:
- Aalto Afterparty, major party that ends the opening day of the academic year
- Aalto Open Air, open-air festival that starts the Wappu of Aalto
- Hugo Gala, award gala for community deeds and members
- Humans vs. Zombies, outdoor game with a theme
- SmökkiCup, A!-Pelit and Healthyappro, sports events
- AYY’s anniversary celebration(not for the year 2021)
In cooperation with organisations that represent other student cultures:
- Aalto Amazing Race, adventure competition for first-year students
- Sillis of the Orientation Week, a relaxed herring breakfast ending the Orientation Week
There are five committees operating under Aava, four of which are separately recruited. The Sports Committee and Communications committee are convening committees.
- Festival Committee
- Outdoor Games Committee
- Sports Committee
- Master's Committee
- Project committee
- Communications committee
- Anniversary Committee (not for the year 2021)
“I started in Aava Community Section as the outdoor game officer in January of my second year of study. Before applying for and being elected to the section, I had volunteered in Aava’s Afterparty Committee (currently the Festival Committee), NESU-KY and the Scouts for many years. At least the Aava members in 2019 had very diverse backgrounds and previous experience in AYY volunteering was not necessary.
The outdoor game officer chairs the Outdoor Games Committee and organises at least two Humans vs. Zombies outdoor games and a third event during the year. I myself had no previous experience of these events, but with the help of my enthusiastic and skilful committee members, we were able to arrange the events. I particularly remember the extremely successful Humans vs. Zombies game in the autumn.
I think the best thing about Aava Community Section is that you are not tied to a strictly defined job description but get to participate in a wide variety of events! I wanted to help in almost all section and committee events. In addition to event organising, I have met wonderful people and found good friends from among my own section, committee and other AYY volunteers during the year. If you are a happy team player, Aava Community Section could be a great place for you!”
-Kiti Kainulainen, Chair of Outdoor Games Committee
The posts in the section change every year, below is the lineup for the next year:
The Chair directs the daily operations of the section and ensures that everything runs smoothly. Aava’s Chair is also involved in the planning and development of AYY’s cultural sector.
The Vice Chair helps the chair to run the section and is in charge of Aava's internal events.
The Community Officer promotes interdisciplinarity by keeping in touch with persons in charge of cultural affairs in other student cultures. In addition, the community officer leads a few interdisciplinary events.
The Festival Officers and their committee are responsible for Aalto Afterparty, which ends the opening day of the academic year, and Aalto Open Air, an open-air festival that starts the May Day of Aalto.
The Sports Officer is responsible for the activities of the Sports Committee consisting of persons in charge of sports in special status associations and sports events organised by the Committee.
The Well-Being Officer helps the sports officer to lead the Sports Committee. In addition, the well-being officer is responsible for advocacy related to sports and well-being and is involved in the development and organisation of new events that promote physical activity and well-being.
The Outdoor Game Officer’s duty is to get students on the move through having fun. The outdoor game officer acts as the Chair in the Outdoor Games Committee (UPTMK), which organises outdoor sports activities. In recent years, the activities have included two Humans vs. Zombies games and a third event. In 2021, Aalto Amazing Race will be the responsibility of the outdoor game officer.
The Communications Officer is responsible for Aava’s communications, taking care of Aava’s social media visibility as well as the scheduling and coordination of communications.
The Project Officer creates and develops new events for Aava and the Aalto community. As a project officer, you can realise your own wild ideas where only the sky is the limit. Examples of events include Suomi100, the first Otaniemi Night of Arts and the capping of Manta statue in cooperation with other organisations in 2019. The project officer also acts as the chair of Project Committee (PTMK).
The Master Officer is responsible for maintaining and developing activities that are aimed for the master-level students in the Student Union. The Master Officer chairs the Masters Committee and organises several multicultural events with the committee throughout the year. These events have usually included the international food festival World Dinner and theme parties according to international holidays, such as Halloween.