Laurea’s buddy program: 'Kummitoiminta'

Laurea’s buddy program, ‘Kummitoiminta’, helps 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.

The Frendie app, launched at Laurea in autumn 2025, provides a platform that enables staff and students interested in mentoring to meet.

Activities may include, for example:

• cooking together
• practicing crafts from your own culture
• nature excursions
• visits to events and museums
• sports activities
• other recreational activities
• playing games, such as board games

Rules for Kummitoiminta:

1. The activity can be a one-off event or lead to long-term contact and/or meetings.
2. The activity is a mutual sharing of cultural knowledge.
3. The activity is positive and open, and people's differences are understood and valued.
4. The activity must be in line with Laurea's accessibility, equality, and non-discrimination plan.
5. The activity is voluntary.
6. It takes place outside working and studying hours (it is not covered by Laurea's insurance).

Laurea provides the Frendie app for use by staff and students, but is not responsible for the Kummitoiminta program or its content. Discussions on the Frendie platform are monitored by the app's own moderators.

For more information about the program, please contact Laurea's development managers Sirkku Mäntynen and Paula Yliluoma, who monitor the development of the program and collect feedback.

Laurea students can find more information about using the Frendie app in Laurea from student intranet.

More information: