A Finnish Expert at Active Yourope: New Methods in Adult Education

Between 25 and 29 May 2026, Asociația Active Yourope in Craiova hosted an expert from Finland, Virve Seiteri, training-planning coordinator at Taivalkoski Kansalaisopisto - a community adult-education centre in northern Finland.

The visit took place under our Erasmus+ accreditation in adult education, KA121-ADU, as a “guest expert” activity, and had a clear purpose: to bring proven methods of working with adults into the association and adapt them to the reality of the groups we work with.

For five days, Active Yourope’s trainers worked directly with the Finnish expert in practical workshops, demonstrations with adult learners and best-practice transfer sessions. Below we summarise what we learned and why it matters for adult education in Romania.

The Finnish model: adult education as a common good

Community adult-education centres, kansalaisopisto, are a flagship institution in Finland. The country has around 172 such centres, and more than 2 million people take part in adult courses each year. Their stated purpose is simple and powerful: to support social cohesion, equality and active citizenship, in the spirit of lifelong learning.

The Taivalkoski centre, where our expert comes from, has over 1,000 learners a year, more than 200 courses and almost 4,600 hours of instruction - from crafts, languages and art to sport, health and well-being. The values it puts at its core are equality in education, participation and community, a learner-centred approach, collaboration and flexibility.

One detail that impressed the team was access. Education is free at all levels of the Finnish system, and for adult education there are “study vouchers” that reduce or remove fees for people at risk of exclusion - immigrants, pensioners and the unemployed. The centres are funded mostly from public money, with learner fees making up a small share. It is a philosophy in which adult learning is not a luxury but a community’s investment in its own vitality.

Non-formal methods that activate adults

The most hands-on part of the visit was the methodology workshops. The expert demonstrated non-formal and experiential methods used in Finland to activate and motivate adults with fewer opportunities: peer learning, storytelling, reflective dialogue, cooperative tasks and learning by doing.

For our trainers, the value was immediate: this is not theory but techniques they can test the next day, working with groups of disadvantaged adults. The sessions alternated plenary moments with work in small groups - exactly the model the expert recommends for keeping engagement high and maximising the transfer of knowledge.

Well-being as the engine of learning

A central theme was the link between well-being and education. The Finnish message is direct: well-being supports learning. The data presented by the expert, from a 2026 survey of learners, shows four consistent types of benefit: mental well-being, physical well-being, social relationships and learning itself.

The conclusion, backed by Finnish practice, is that adult-education centres act as real social hubs: they reduce loneliness, increase confidence and life satisfaction, and strengthen the community’s social capital. There is even an economic argument - active participation in such courses is associated with reduced use of social and health services, which means long-term benefits for local authorities.

Active citizenship and active ageing

The final days were dedicated to active citizenship and civic participation, with Finnish examples of volunteering, cultural participation and community involvement, as well as the themes of active ageing and intergenerational learning.

In a demonstration session, the expert worked directly with the association’s adult learners, showing how non-formal community methods from rural Finland can be adapted to the context of Oltenia.

What the visit means for Active Yourope

For us, the concrete benefit is twofold. On the one hand, the trainers enriched their set of methods with proven European models. On the other, we laid the foundations of a lasting partnership with Taivalkoski Kansalaisopisto, which opens the way to future Erasmus+ collaborations.

All the knowledge gained will be disseminated in the association’s current work and integrated into the courses we offer adults in our community. Now in its third year of Erasmus+ accreditation, Active Yourope continues to bring European-tested practices into adult education in Craiova.

This activity was carried out under Asociația Active Yourope’s Erasmus+ accreditation in the field of adult education. The content reflects only the authors’ views; the European Commission and the National Agency cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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