In early August Finland’s Ambassador Paula Parviainen attended an event at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore with 20 students from the Overseas Merit Fellowship team, as they will go to Finland in September to attend a talent development program of 16 days focused on the Circular economy at the Turku University of Applied Sciences.
The different paths towards sustainability, the challenges to the creation of a circular economy, as well as the closeness to nature embedded in Finnish culture were all fascinating topics for the students attending the fireside chat event. Finland is aiming to become a world leader in circular economy, and young Singaporeans were eager to learn about the country’s experience.
“The adaptation of the regulatory framework is one of the main challenges to the transition towards a circular economy, but what is also highly important is the change in people’s mind-set. The young generation is giving a great contribution towards a more sustainable future, as they grew up with a mentality already focused on the long term, with an intrinsic sense of respect for the environment”, the Finnish Ambassador told the students.
During the event, they also had the pleasure to hear about the Finnish experience of Recia Lee, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic recent graduate who studied International Business and is now a volunteer at Slush. “Finland is seen as an advanced country in technology, it has a prestigious reputation” – Recia said – “it has nothing to envy from Silicon Valley for its startup scene”. Recia found her internship in Helsinki through Slush Singapore, and is now still part of the Slush team, where she takes care of PR & Communications.
Source: Embassy of Finland, Singapore
