Summary
Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto needs your help. This Spring 2022 fundraising campaign has been organized by the Canadian Friends of Finland Education Foundation (CFFEF), founded in 1990 to support Finnish Studies at U of T.
The Goal for 2022 is $25,000
You can help by (1) sending in a donation, and (2) spreading the word and the link to your friends and acquaintances.
As a donor you can give any amount: $10, $25, $50, $100, $200, $500 or more!
Canadian donors will receive tax receipts.
Who Are We?
CFFEF’s mission is to raise funds for Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto, where the Finnish Studies Program was established in 1989. In multicultural Canada it is essential to offer Finnish Studies at the university level. A partnership was formed between Canada’s premier University, the University of Toronto, and the Government of Finland. The Finnish Studies Program has ever since taught courses in Finnish language, Finnish literature, Finnish folklore, Finnish and Scandinavian cinema and Finnish Canadian Immigrant Experience.
Our first professors were Börje Vähämäki (1989-2009, 2013-2014) and Pia Päiviö (2009-2013). The current professor, Anu Muhonen (2014- ) is a dynamic teacher and cutting-edge researcher. The program in Toronto is of top quality and is one of the largest in North America. To date more than 1500 students have taken our Finnish Studies courses. Many students have had life-changing experiences.
Finland’s Ambassadors to Canada consistently praise our program as a significant component of Finland-Canada relations. This is evidenced by the fact that no less than two Presidents of Finland, Mauno Koivisto (1990) and Sauli Niinistö (2014) have visited our Finnish Studies Program on their official state visits to Canada.
The Goal for 2022 is $25,000.
How Can You Help?
We ask you to do two things: (1) Send a donation (2) Spread the word to your friends and acquaintances.
You as a Donor. You can give $10, $25, $50, $100, $200, $500 or more – any amount is welcome.
Why Does the Program Need to Be Preserved?
The Finnish Studies Program serves Finnish Canadians, and Canadians of all backgrounds on several levels:
- The Finnish Studies Program represents an impactful and worthy legacy of Finns in Canada;
- Finnish Studies is an academic discipline of national and international significance;
- Finnish Studies is an increasingly important link in the cultural, educational, and economic relations between Finland and Canada;
- Despite its smallness the Finnish Studies Program is “a precious piece of the global mosaic.”
Impact
The Finnish Studies Program enriches the students’ lives, many with life-changing impact.
Finland and Canada share many facts in common. They both
- Are northern countries with Arctic concerns;
- Are bilingual nations;
- Have large and powerful neighbours;
- Have strong democratic traditions and share similarities in social fabric and attitudes.
Yet Finland, its people, and its culture are unique:
- The Finnish language is unrelated to all Indo-European languages.
- Geographically Finland is and has always been between East and West, experiencing conflicts and challenges throughout its history.
Watch the "extended version" video:
Perks
Painted and generously donated to CFFEF by Viola Lindala, this painting (oil on canvas, 18"x24", unframed) is a beautiful reproduction of “Beached Boat at Daybreak" originally painted by Finnish artist Aksel Gallen Kallela.
Viola Lindala writes: "I’ve had the privilege of teaching grades 1-5 in a Toronto public school, teaching piano and pedagogy for the Royal Conservatory of Music and am now an active member of the Arts and Letters club. I have undergraduate majors in Music, Fine Arts and Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto.
"Recently my fifth generation grandchildren and I published an art book on the three major heroes of the Kalevala. My pride in our Finnish heritage has guided me to further study and reproduce the oil paintings of Aksel Gallen Kallela and I would like to offer my interpretation of his 'Beached Boat at Daybreak' as a fundraiser for the Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto."
Highlights
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Painted and generously donated to CFFEF by Viola Lindala, this painting (oil on canvas, 18"x24", unframed) is a beautiful reproduction of “Beached Boat at Daybreak" originally painted by Finnish artist Aksel Gallen Kallela.
Viola Lindala writes: "I’ve had the privilege of teaching grades 1-5 in a Toronto public school, teaching piano and pedagogy for the Royal Conservatory of Music and am now an active member of the Arts and Letters club. I have undergraduate majors in Music, Fine Arts and Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto.
"Recently my fifth generation grandchildren and I published an art book on the three major heroes of the Kalevala. My pride in our Finnish heritage has guided me to further study and reproduce the oil paintings of Aksel Gallen Kallela and I would like to offer my interpretation of his 'Beached Boat at Daybreak' as a fundraiser for the Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto."
