Community spirit and friendship – Laurea is focusing on community spirit this fall

Already 400 Laureans have started using the friend app this fall to find new friends.

An important part of higher education is meeting new people, not only in your studies and among your fellow students, but also in your hobbies and other leisure activities. Approximately 11,000 students study at Laurea's six campuses and in online courses, and as a university, Laurea wants to help people meet each other.

A shared platform for all Laurea students

This fall, Laurea introduced the Frendie friend app as a channel for meeting people, strengthening community spirit, and increasing participation and well-being. By the end of October, more than 400 Laurea students had already started using the app.

The Laurea Pro platform, which is open to all Laurea students and staff, offers the opportunity to network, find companions for hobbies and events, receive peer support, and invite others to join in shared leisure activities.

The app has already brought many Laurea students together:

"I want to meet other creative people with whom I can organize joint activities. I have already made friends with new students", says Laurea student Priyash Pokharel.

"Every student needs the support of friends in life. I also want to pass over the same support for new students myself."

Voluntary activity brings together international students and Laurea's staff

Frendie also serves as a platform for Laurea’s buddy program, 'kummitoiminta', helping international students easily find support and connections. 'Kummitoiminta' is a voluntary initiative between Laurea staff and international students. Its goal is to support international students in learning Finnish and integrating into Finnish society, while also strengthening the staff’s international competencies.

Frendie is a Finnish, free-of-charge friend app for adults. It helps people find new friends, share everyday moments, and strengthen community spirit—locally and meaningfully. Frendie PRO is the community version of the app, used by universities, cities, and work communities, among others, to build community and support well-being.