A New Chapter

Previously, in Björkboda School:

It’s 1911, Finland is still a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire under Tsar Nicolas II. A brand new school stands proud beside the vast fields of Björkboda, opening its doors to local children, with the great task of educating new pupils for the challenges that lie in the future. And, as it happened, Finland gained its independence, a few years after on December 6th, 1917.

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It’s 1956 and Finland has recently stepped into the new modern era of free health care and education for all its citizens. Björkboda school answered the call with its shiny new annex and the state-of-the-art sports hall “for the culture of the body” and a dedicated theatre stage “for the culture of the mind”.  Soon enough, Finland was excelling over the rest of the world with the “best education” and the “happiest people.”

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It’s 2021, Sari and Tuomo drive to the schoolyard on a brisk November afternoon. The school has been closed for years now, first, like in too many other rural communities, there were not enough children to keep it going, and later, the informal adult education faced the need for cost savings. Sari knows this first hand. She has been struggling with diminishing groups in local art education. They are going to make an offer, but they are not alone. There has been much interest in turning the school into apartments or lodging.  Development business wins culture and education usually hands down. The odds are very odd.

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And waddayaknow. Against the odds, their moderate offer is accepted. A rumour tells that their plan for turning the house into a community venue and a culture house tipped the scales. Björkboda School gets renamed Kulturhus Björkboda and will stand its ground for culture in all its forms in the coming years as long as there is a community to support this.

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Join us in writing this new chapter.
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