Summer Camp Finland International Camp — Lake Sääksjärvi, Finland

The camp runs one international programme for all participants, built on a three-week cycle with a different theme each week: Finnish culture and traditions, lake and forest nature, and sports, teamwork and creative workshops. Families book by duration rather than by course, choosing anything from a single day up to the full three weeks. English is the working language of the camp and English study is part of the daily programme, so children practise the language while taking part in activities rather than sitting in a classroom timetable.

The published camp fee is all-inclusive for the booked duration. It covers accommodation at the lakeside resort, full board, the supervised activity programme, camp materials and the excursion included in the weekly programme, together with the daily English practice and a participation certificate. Airport transport and private additional English tuition are arranged on request and charged separately. The camp asks families to confirm arrival times in advance so that transport and check-in can be organised.

Campers stay in the resort building itself, which has ninety-seven rooms, of which six are singles, eighty-eight are doubles and three are suites with terraces facing the lake. Every room has its own toilet and shower and a television. The standard economy room included in the camp fee is a double with two single beds, shared with another camper. Bed linen and cleaning are provided by the resort, and camp leaders are accommodated in the same building so that supervision continues through the night.

Full board is included and served in the resort restaurant. A typical camp day includes breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and a light evening snack before bedtime, with water and juice available through the day. Meals are prepared on site and the menu introduces campers to traditional Finnish ingredients and dishes as part of the cultural programme. Special diets and allergies should be reported when booking so that the kitchen can plan for them.

Days are built around Finnish outdoor life. Campers swim in the lake and in the indoor pool, canoe and kayak, hike and orienteer in the surrounding forest, camp overnight in tents, cook outdoors and sit around the campfire in the evening. Sports include basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball, football, badminton and floorball, and there are creative and ecological workshops, photography, arts and crafts, Finnish games such as molkky, and quieter sessions such as yoga and forest bathing. An excursion is part of the weekly programme, with previous visits including a science centre, an adventure park, a Finnish farm and the Helsinki area.

The resort sits directly on the shore of Lake Sääksjärvi, surrounded by forest and moorland. Indoor facilities include a seventeen-metre swimming pool, a six-hundred-and-thirty square metre sports hall used for basketball, volleyball, badminton, floorball and gymnastics, a well equipped gym, saunas both indoors and by the lake, an auditorium with a hundred and twenty seats, a hall for up to three hundred and fifty people, meeting and group rooms, a restaurant and kiosk, a lobby lounge and wireless internet throughout. Motor boats are not allowed on the lake, which keeps the water clean and the shoreline quiet.

The camp is designed for children and teenagers from around the world who want to experience Finnish nature and everyday life alongside international friends. English-speaking camp leaders work to a ratio of roughly one leader to every ten participants, with a camp coordinator on site, and the daily rhythm is deliberately steady: an active programme through the day, a shared evening and a quiet night. Campers who complete the programme receive a certificate. Arrival the day before the programme starts is possible for families travelling long distances.