Kuperkeikka – Youth voices on Finnish education

#8 - Quiet Doesn’t Mean Weak

In the final episode of this season, Zainab talks about what it’s like to grow up in Finland after moving from Iraq at the age of eight. She shares how pressure around language can build over time, and how being quiet is often mistaken for not caring. This episode closes the season by centring a voice that is often overlooked, and by reminding us that integration is not just about learning a language, but about feeling understood. Transcripts: 🇫🇮 Finnish: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/06NFK4T1AR#mBefBpEQivuY] 🇬🇧 English: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/K4BVRQ0B3M#4qEIBir4Mo4k] 🇵🇹 Portuguese: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/NJ5NSCZTKR#2iTntmZh581L]

#7 - From Poems to Preparatory Class

In this episode, Ndey Sukai, a 17-year-old student from Gambia, reflects on support from teachers, moments of isolation, and the emotional impact of not being fully understood, both in school and in everyday life. She talks about poetry, multilingualism, family, and the small but important things that shape a young person’s sense of belonging. Transcripts: 🇫🇮 Finnish: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/8HM5P19J40#t3A6qzYnY5Mk] 🇬🇧 English: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/9MVMZ1MS0G#1FvuW203SAgJ] 🇵🇹 Portuguese: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/QPKE65WXX4#01bwHijXFwwH]

#6 - Somewhere Not Here

Ilja talks about arriving in Finland after a very different school experience back home and what it took to adapt to a calmer and more reserved school culture. He reflects on learning Finnish, making friends when people already have their circles, and how the valmistava luokka can feel both supportive and isolating. The conversation touches on identity, belonging, music, and the feeling of being “from somewhere else,” ending with Ilja’s question for the next guest: how do you make friends? Transcripts: 🇫🇮 Finnish: ⁠here⁠ [https://drive.proton.me/urls/NH4N1PK2Z0#nWcD8Fjoxi2Z] 🇬🇧 English: ⁠here⁠ [https://drive.proton.me/urls/8ZWJTEK510#fxlealj3x38R] 🇵🇹 Portuguese: ⁠here⁠ [https://drive.proton.me/urls/E0MQN3QB6C#MQbIVj1EoDWi] Comments & questions: kuperkeikkapodcast@proton.me

#5 - Shoes Off, Oatmeal On

Sini and Oona, two teenagers who arrived in Finland from very different parts of the world, yet found themselves navigating many of the same questions: What does it feel like to start over? How do you learn a new language, new habits, new rhythms? And where do you belong when every country has been temporary? Sini talks about culture shocks like taking shoes off at school, learning Finnish fast, and finding support in teachers and classmates. Oona reflects on moving through many countries, losing and regaining her voice, and the challenge of entering a Finnish classroom where everyone already knows each other. Transcripts: 🇫🇮 Finnish: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/T5Y3GK6X3G#MYq9rx0j48I8] 🇬🇧 English: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/C4QMB5H70M#7odpIKC3U0me] 🇵🇹 Portuguese: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/YYSATBZPQ4#7wVnGmsz7sQa] Comments & questions: kuperkeikkapodcast@proton.me

#4 - Feeling Seen

Between languages, classrooms and quiet hopes, Maxine and Rishita trace the paths they are learning to walk in Finnish school. They speak about the moments that made them hesitate, the ones that helped them breathe again, and the slow work of finding a place where they truly belong. Transcripts: 🇫🇮 Finnish: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/ZBT4A43X0R#1SX41iC05VmW] 🇬🇧 English: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/YPQ5D872PR#0mNdOcqTiLX4] 🇵🇹 Portuguese: here [https://drive.proton.me/urls/PPBZCX8Z1G#xLNY7YDlz3J0] Comments & questions: kuperkeikkapodcast@proton.me