Student Union of Haaga-Helia – Helga’s equality plan has been approved at the Representative Council meeting held on 5.2.2024!
The work on the equality plan started in autumn 2023 and the plan was completed at the end of the year. However, for scheduling reasons and with the new Representative Council coming into power, it was deemed better to approve the plan at the first meeting of the Representative Council in 2024.
Various parties were widely involved in the working process of the equality plan, f.ex. Employees of Haaga-Helia and the SOLE-project, Helga’s Board and Representative Council, local associations, the Finnish Students Sports Federation and the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK. Last autumn, at the same time, Haaga-Helia’s Equality and Non-Discrimination plan was also revised, which was also used in the preparation of Helga’s equality plan.
“I am happy that we were able to get an extensive equality plan approved for Helga by a unanimous decision of the Representative Council. Equality has long been one of the basic pillars of our Student Union’s activities. With this plan, we can develop our activities even more efficiently and communicate our values not only with words, but also with actions,” commented Diana Muraskina, Chairperson of Helga’s Representative Council.
The objectives of Helga’s equality plan are divided into four sections; Helga’s community and internal operations, Associations, Communications and language and Events. Here are examples of Helga’s objectives:
- Those who work at Helga’s office and are actively involved in the activities are familiar with the equality plan and understand the meaning of equality.
- Helga takes gender diversity and the right to self-definition into account in its operations.
- The associations operating in Helga’s vicinity take equality into account, and equality work is encouraged and offered support.
- Helga’s communication is accessible.
- Helga’s events are accessible and the event accessibility information can be found in the event information.
“Helga’s equality plan has been prepared to be ambitious and to represent one of the most important values of our Student Union, equality. For us at Helga, the equality plan will be a tool involved in all activities, with the help of which we promote equality and prevent discrimination,” says Ilona Hirvonen, Chairperson of Helga’s Board.
The entire student union is responsible for the implementation of the equality plan, but especially the board and employees of the student union. The implementation of the plan is monitored with equality surveys conducted every two (2) years, but also with equality reports conducted annually by sectors. If necessary, the implementation of the plan can be monitored, and possible development ideas can be obtained, by additionally utilizing the university’s own surveys related to equality, equity and accessibility. The plan is valid for 2024-2026 and will be updated as necessary or by the end of 2026 at the latest.
You can view the entire equality plan via this link.
