Who are we?
IDS stands for International Degree Students of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. IDS is a part of the international divisions of Helga, the student union of Haaga-Helia UAS
What is our objective?
IDS mission is to represent the students of the International Degree Programs in methods such as, but not limited to, events, activities, and/or advocacy and wellness work. Our mission is to encourage and facilitate intercultural communication between the international and Finnish students of the school and to create an international atmosphere that benefits each student.
Our team
IDS Helga has 8 board positions. Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, two Marketing Coordinators, Advocacy Chair, Secretary and two Event Coordinators. IDS Helga can also recruit actives if more people are needed to create valuable experiences for international students. The new board is elected at the end of the academic year in November or December.
Organizational development
As IDS is an action group of the student union of Helga, it follows the rules set by the student union, but also the rules that were made for the action group in particular. The organizational development inside the action group is tied to all of its board members, but most importantly the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are in charge of making sure that the organizational development is ongoing and the goals set in the action plan actually happen.
Advocacy
When looking at advocacy in IDS, the reason behind advocacy processes is quite clear. Advocacy work is done in IDS to better the experience that international students get from studying in Finland. The processes in the advocacy aspect are more looking into things that international students might need information on when they come to study in Finland. That is why in IDS we stay up to date on advocacy related material, like news articles, announcements from the school et cetera, to make sure the international students are getting as much information regarding studying and living in Finland as the Finnish students. The information is distributed through our social media channels.
Events
One of the main things that IDS does is events. As IDS stands for International Degree Students, the events organized by IDS are aimed towards students who are studying in international degrees in Haaga-Helia. But even though they are more aimed towards international students, all students of Haaga-Helia are welcome at the events. All of the events are always held in English. IDS Helga organizes a lot of different events, from pizza & poker-evenings to bigger events like appros that are very popular in Finnish student culture.
Any questions about IDS in general, life in Finland, or want help with anything? Getting a social security number, housing, Kela benefits or a phone plan? Hit us up on our social media accounts or send us an email!
Contact information
Facebook – @IDSHelga
Instagram – @ids_helga
LinkedIn – IDS Helga
Email – ids@helga.fi