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Aleksi Neuvonen

Aleksi Johannes Neuvonen
Born 21 December, 1975, Helsinki

MA 2005 (theoretical philosophy), University of Helsinki
PhD student, built environment doctoral programme, Tampere University of Technology

Founder, researcher, research director 2005-, Demos Helsinki
Finland Futures Research Centre: researcher 2002–2003 and 2004, Turkku School of Economics
Technological research group: trainee researcher 1999 and 2000–2001, Technical Research Centre of Finland

Board member, The Finnish Society for Futures Studies
Founding member and former chairman of the environmental organisation Dodo 

Awards
Greater Helsinki Vision 2050, 2007: shared second place as part of the City 2.0 team

Written by Aleksi Neuvonen (Riitta-Ilona Hurmerinta, ed.)
Translated by Matthew Billington

My Best Memory from the University of Helsinki

My best memories from the University of Helsinki are related to starting my studies and the transformative experience it facilitated. In a blink of an eye, I was being treated as an adult who had something to say, who could create something worthwhile and who was interesting as a person.

It was easy to become part of a community and form meaningful relationships with people. This was all also connected with a genuine interest in my major, although with a hint of playfulness: goofing around with concepts, observing lecturers and fellow students, applying theories to odd places. And of course there were conversations on music, movies, books, politics and the big questions in life. I was allowed to mature among wonderful people and test my boundaries during seminars, essay writing and participating in a student organisation.

After my first year at university, I found myself in the group that founded the environmental organisation Dodo. I consider my second dose of higher education to be the ten-year period of active volunteering that followed. These are the people who made me the person I am today. I doubt I would have ever found them had I not met them through the University.

Picture from Aleksi Neuvonen’s home archive.

 

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