Future Leaders
Stephanie N. Pelz
Summer 2005 Finland Exchange Program
During my first year in the MSW program at Penn, I discovered that one of my areas of interest within the field of social work is that of comparative social welfare policy and its impact on social and community development. It was at about this time that Richard Estes, PhD., outreached to students that may be curious about study abroad opportunities at Penn. I attended the initial meeting to simply gather information about the possibilities, and ended up becoming more motivated than I expected to explore how I could fit this experience into my academic program!
I decided to enroll in the month-long Social Work in a Global Context course offered in partnership by the University of Vermont’s School of Social Work and the Lapin Yliopisto (University of Lapland) in Rovaniemi, Finland. The course was designed to introduce social work students to comparative social welfare policies from participating countries from around the world while also emphasizing the experiences and practices of social workers in those respective countries. The course included students from Finland, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Nigeria, Australia, and the United States. All of the international students were housed in university 
student housing suites adjacent to the campus. It was a perfect setting for us to share favorite meals from our own countries with each other, as well as visit with each other socially outside of class. It was a rich mix of cultures, life experiences, social work perspectives and practice that not only enhanced and broadened our understanding of our fellow colleagues’ work and experience, but of the impact of their work to citizens of their countries.
Each country represented in the program included a lecturer that was given the opportunity to present and discuss the role of social work in their respective country, how it is evolving over time and the social statistics and trends that influence the work being conducted on the community, local and national levels. We explored the impact of the EU (European Union) on former Soviet countries, the ever-present impact of social and economic globalization on local economies and social life, and the diversification and development of the field of social work around the world.
While we spent much of our time in class lectures and group work at the yliopisto, we were also given the opportunity to visit social welfare agencies around the country. Traveling mostly by bus and train, we were able to witness the unique and unspoiled natural beauty of Lapland- rolling hills, small Saami villages, early summer’s overflowing rivers and streams, and of course- reindeer! During our first week, we visited two of the northernmost jurisdictions in the Lapland region- Utsoijki and Kevo- which included environmental and meteorological research (a perfect place to observe Aurora Borealis in winter months), rural social welfare agencies, and the nearby town of Sodankylä which included an innovative child care center that emphasized life skills and social development for pre-school aged children.
During our second week, we traveled by train to Oulu, a large jurisdiction on the west coast of Finland nestled on the Gulf of Bothnia. The city’s original building architecture and coincidental celebration of its 400th Birthday made for a fascinating opportunity to observe and interact with Finns in a larger municipality with a rich cultural history and well preserved traditions. We visited several governmental and non-governmental agencies around the city that focused on research and social policy, community development, youth, elderly, and mentally and physically disabled, refugee and asylum seekers. Also, during our final week, we visited similar organizations throughout our host city, Rovaniemi.
Overall, the international exchange experience inspired me to explore social and community development models from around the world. I was touched by the dedication and enthusiasm of my international colleagues-and now friends- to improve the quality of life for their fellow countrymen. In many ways, the United States was regarded as the model country with which to aspire for political and human rights, but through our class experience and interactions, I think we all walked away with a deeper understanding of both the strengths and flaws in our own social and economic systems, how we can work together to share knowledge, experience and resources, and most of all, a better understand of each other to make the world a better place for all to live.