Developing: a multi-stakeholder effort: how the International Food Day event was born to promote job search
How was the event organised? This will be supported, for example, through events where young people from the tourism, hospitality and catering sectors meet employers. One concrete example of such an event is the International Food Day, organised in cooperation between Tour4Youth and WinNova on 8 April 2025.
The idea for the International Food Day came from the reflection on how to organise targeted meetings between employers and young people, in line with the objectives of Tour4Youth. The background was when the Sri Lankan students of International Tourism at SAMK organised their 2024 Sinhala New Year celebration called Aluth Avurudda, where they presented their celebration customs, games and food culture to SAMK teachers. It was a very enjoyable day for all, and what particularly struck us was how much our students enjoyed sharing their culture and felt great joy and pride in it. This led us to consider how we could get more young people involved and give them the opportunity to showcase their cooking skills and culture to potential employers. Tour4Youth's project specialist Teija Nuurma was partnered with Terja Wahlberg, project manager of the Recipe for Success in Productivity and Wellbeing in the Restaurant Industry, and Maija Airio and Päivi Tikkanen, lecturers at WinNova in Pori, who were happy to take up the opportunity. WinNova's three teaching kitchens and the HoReCa teachers made it possible to carry out the event professionally and on such a large scale, with 7 cooking teams. The day of the event was chosen to coincide with SAMK's International Week and Tuesday 8 April.
Let's make it happen - 7 cooking teams are born
The practical work for the event took three months, as producing such a big event, putting together the teams and organising everything required a lot of work face-to-face, online, communicating with the teams and general organisation between Tour4Youth and WinNova. For example, we visited the WinNova premises with the students on two occasions and saw how the students were working flat out to prepare and plan the day. There were seven teams in total; India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ukraine, a joint team from Thailand and the Philippines and a joint team from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The programme for the day of the event on 8 April started with a meeting of the students at WinNova at 12 noon, where they enjoyed lunch prepared by WinNova's teaching kitchen. Next, the teams headed to the kitchen under the guidance of WinNova teachers. Teacher Maija Airio had gone to great lengths to source the raw materials for the recipes from which the delicacies were created. The magic in the kitchen was made by our amazing 29 students working together. The cooking lasted for about three hours until 4pm, when the prepared dishes were laid out for the invited guests; employers, developers, teachers and other stakeholders related to youth employment had been invited to the event. WinNova tourism students acted as guides for the guests during the event.
Tastings and encounters
Thirty or so guests attended the invitation-only event, representing companies, developers and educational institutions. The team members set up at their own points and tasted their country's savoury and sweet dishes and presented their culture to the guests. Taru Hyrkäs, an alumna of both WinNova and SAMK, hosted the event, interviewing teams, chefs, lecturers and restaurant owners during the event. They told us how successful the students' dishes were and what kind of food is available in Satakunta. Among the traditional dishes of our region, a favourite recipe was found in lapskoussi, while Nepalese momo and kheer found its way into the taste buds of the chef in question.
The dishes prepared by the students were prepared with extreme care and attention and were delicious. A wide range of dishes from different cultures were on offer, which invariably drew praise from the guests. During the event, we learned about the cultural difference between the amount of food that is usually served in Finland and the amount of food served in our team members' cultures. It's safe to say that all of the invited guests skipped dinner and supper after International Food Day when they got home, as there was more than enough salt and sweet to fill their stomachs.
Corporate partnership awards teams
To support the job search, team presentations were on display during the event, as well as a presentation on Tour4Youth and the study opportunities in tourism at WinNova and SAMK. Team members' CVs for employers were also distributed. Tour4Youth's Jonna Huuhka and Niina Kallio were on hand to support students throughout the event.
We were able to hand out gift vouchers from our partners to the students as a reward for a job well done. There were breakfast/brunch gift vouchers, lunch and non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and Terja Wahlberg handed each team the recipe book Taste Satakunta for Satakunta food tourism. Many thanks for the prizes to Hotel - Restaurant Amado, Amarillo Pori, Kauttua Ruukinkartano, Wanhan Rauma Cellar, Taste Satakunta, Rauma Hovi Oy / Hovihotels, Scandic Pori and Meggala winery.
Successful event formula: good preparation and a happy atmosphere
The students were ecstatic about the day, and their feet must all be sore after a day of running around in the kitchen. Of course, we hope that the restaurant owners found their gems among the teams, and pocketed the best recipes for home cooking.
At the end of the event, Tour4Youth Project Manager Tiina Leino shared the lessons learned from the project with the invited guests. The core lessons for the employment of young people, especially international young people, are that young people need continuous, interactive support and guidance from professionals and close, natural and long-term cooperation between professionals, companies, educational institutions and other actors.
We would like to see more events like this, so that young people and workers can meet each other in concrete activities, presentations and discussions, through fun and action.
Did you know:
- Dozens of Tour4Youth participants have found paid work or job opportunities
- Tour4Youth has supported the career skills of hundreds of young people and encouraged them to progress in their careers towards their own goals.
Photographer: Tawan Rapipong
For more information on Tour4Youth, visit https://tour4youth.eu/
Follow Tour4Youth-some https://www.facebook.com/TourForYouth/
Read more about Samk trainings https://www.samk.fi/hae-opiskelemaan/
Read more about WinNova trainings https://www.winnova.fi/koulutustarjonta/
Background:
The Tour4Youth project is a joint project between Satakunta University of Applied Sciences from Finland, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and Kurzeme Regional Developer from Latvia and Pärnumaa Vocational College from Estonia. The Interreg Structural Fund enables cross-border cooperation in the Central Baltic region and strengthens networks between municipalities and regions. Tour4Youth supports young people aged 15–24 - students in vocational schools or universities of applied sciences or unemployed jobseekers who have graduated in the field - with career guidance and job opportunities in the tourism, catering and hospitality sectors.
