Lilja Oikarinen on working-life orientation at IHME Helsinki

At IHME Helsinki we offer a variety of work experience opportunities, including for ninth-grade students. A working-life orientation period is a great opportunity for youngsters to get to know people working in the cultural sector and to learn about working life. Lilja Oikarinen from Jätkäsaari Comprehensive School spent two weeks with us at the turn of October/November and here she talks about her internship experience.

Hi! I’m Lilja, a 9^th grader from Jätkäsaari Comprehensive School. I’m especially interested in art and science. My favourite subjects at school are art, maths, and chemistry. My hobbies include all kinds of crafts, architecture, Hokutoryu jujitsu, and reading. I applied for working-life orientation at IHME Helsinki because I was interested in the work of cultural organizations. It is also important for me to work on climate issues and to find sustainable solutions for the environment.

What have you done during your working-life orientation?

During my working-life orientation period, I have got to know more about working in the arts and culture by doing various tasks. First, I learned more about IHME Helsinki’s activities by searching for information on their website. I also compared the social media accounts of different arts organizations and interviewed IHME Helsinki employees. I got to go on a recreation day in Lahti, where we visited the Malva Museum and Lanu Park. I also took part in the Weak Signals workshop, where we went through the media content we had collected and discussed different possible futures. On top of all this, I wrote the text for a website news item and worked on a social-media post.

What have you learned?

I learned a lot during my working-life orientation, such as how to find and research information on websites, how to improve my skills in writing fluent text, and, in general, more about the everyday life of a cultural-sector professional and the tasks involved by interviewing IHME Helsinki employees. I also learned about the exhibitions and artworks at the Malva Museum on the recreation day. In Lahti I was particularly impressed by Olavi Lanu’s Gray January, in Lanu Park, which the artist created by freezing flowing water on top of a working template.

What was the best part?

The best part has been learning new things. Thanks to the jobs I was given I have been able to learn about climate work in art and culture. It was interesting to explore things I didn’t know about before and to try out jobs where I could learn by doing. During my internship, I learned to look at things from new perspectives.

Based on your internship experience, what is the role of art in climate work?

I have gained a better understanding of how significantly art can contribute to climate work. Art opens up new perspectives and helps us understand complex issues, such as major social questions. At IHME Helsinki I saw how different fields of art and science come together in contemporary art, and how they can promote the principles of sustainable development. The working-life orientation at IHME Helsinki was inspiring and encouraging. I recommend it, especially to anyone interested in combining art and science.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) Revised by MG