Board of the student union

Board activity

The HUMAKO Board is responsible for the student union’s daily practical operations. The board’s work throughout the year is guided by the action plan and budget approved by the Representative Council.
In other words, the Representative Council decides on the overall direction, which the board then implements through its activities. You can explore the documents that guide the student union’s operations in the materials bank, which includes for example HUMAKO’s strategy, political program and equality plan.

Each HUMAKO board member has their own areas of responsibility, which are carried out individually, in teams and collectively as a board. Board work is mainly conducted remotely, but occasionally also in person in Helsinki, in which case HUMAKO covers the necessary travel expenses.

At HUMAKO being on the board typically takes around 5–20 hours per week and you can influence the amount of work you take on. Serving as chair or vice chair generally requires more time than being a regular board member. Board work continues year-round, but slows down for the summer break from Midsummer to early August. The role of a board member consists of team-specific tasks, various development projects and the daily operations of the board.

For more information about the board’s work or how to apply, please contact:
HUMAKO’s Chairperson of the Board Senja Suntola ([email protected], 045 22 5030) or Executive Director Suvi Torikka ([email protected], 044 257 8884).

Projects

At HUMAKO, various projects based on the annual action plan are carried out each year. Each project is assigned a responsible person and a working group, and a specific team is designated to oversee and guide the project. Participation in projects is not limited to board members — open calls for working group members are organized, allowing anyone interested to get involved.

Examples of recent projects include:

HUMAKO info sessions and tours
Anniversary celebrations
Development of sustainability, online community building and equality

Student union communications

At HUMAKO all board members are involved in communication related to their own areas of responsibility. Communication is coordinated by the communications working group, led by the board member in charge of communications.

HUMAKO’s communication platforms are:

Slack
Microsoft Teams
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Discord
Website

Accrediting the board work

At its core HUMAKO is a learning organization and as a board member you have the opportunity to integrate your tasks and learning into your studies. The number of credits earned depends on your role on the board and the number of hours you commit. The Executive Director works with each board member to create a personalized plan to support both academic progress and practical work. At HUMAKO, leadership is also seen as an opportunity for learning and growth. You can apply for the position of chair or vice chair even without prior leadership experience or involvement in student union activities.

In addition to earning credits, being part of the board helps you learn about meeting practices, develop professional skills and network with various partners, stakeholders and other university students.

Teams in HUMAKO´s board

The HUMAKO Board is currently divided into three teams: advocacy team, local activities team, and the services and events team.

Each team meets online every few weeks to, for example, prepare proposals for board meetings and develop processes related to their areas of responsibility.

Advocacy team

The advocacy team (shortened as “ev-team”) is responsible for influencing decision-making within the university, promoting student rights, communicating about these issues and advancing equality.
The team is led by the Chair of the Board, and its activities are guided by HUMAKO’s strategy and political program.

The advocacy team also cooperates with other student unions, both locally and nationally.

Tasks of the advocacy team include:

collecting and processing student feedback and using it as a basis for advocacy
coordinating and developing the harassment contact person network
coordinating student representatives for Humak’s working groups
have an influence to HUMAKO´s umbrella organisation SAMOK (the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences)

Local activities team

The local activities team (shortened as “paikkari-team”) is responsible for the planning, development and coordination of HUMAKO’s local tutor and division activities. The team is led by HUMAKO’s specialist. Local activities are goal-oriented development work, with objectives based on HUMAKO’s strategy and an annual tutoring action plan created in cooperation with Humak.

Tasks of the local activities team include:

training local actives throughout the year
supporting and developing local activities
addressing current issues with local actors in their meetings
maintaining communication with group representatives

Services and events team

The services and events team (shortened as “pata-team”) is responsible for development work related to membership, member recruitment and services, the online store, and the product selection. In addition, the team handles tasks related to HUMAKO’s event production and partnerships. The team is led by the Vice Chair of the Board and includes one of the student union’s staff members. The team’s activities and objectives are based on HUMAKO’s strategy and annual action plan.

Leadership in HUMAKO

At HUMAKO leadership is based on coaching and all board members are supported in finding their own way of working. Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn. Members are encouraged to develop their working skills and discover their strengths. Leadership within HUMAKO is carried out by team leaders and the Chair of the Board.

Both staff members and board chairs serve as team leaders at HUMAKO. Team leaders are responsible for guiding their team’s operations and supporting the individual development of their team members. They monitor team members’ well-being and help them grow in their roles. Ongoing activities are coordinated through regular team leader meetings held online approximately every two weeks.

HUMAKO’s overall operations are led by the Executive Leadership Team, which consists of the Chair of the Board, the Vice Chair of the Board, and the Executive Director. This team meets weekly.

The Executive Leadership Team is responsible for:

Stakeholder collaboration
Preparing board meetings
Maintaining and developing governance
General financial oversight

Within this team the Vice Chairperson is responsible for services and event production, while the Chairperson focuses on the development of the student union’s operations, ensuring smooth decision-making, monitoring activities and leading advocacy efforts.

Applying to the board

Applications for the HUMAKO Board are mainly open in the autumn, as well as during possible supplementary calls throughout the year. When applying, it’s good to consider whether you are interested in serving as the Chair, Vice Chair or a Board Member. You can also already think about which team’s work interests you the most. Before selections are made, the Representative Council will interview the applicants during a council meeting.

To apply for the Board, submit a freely formatted application for the position of Chair, Vice Chair or Board Member. In your application describe yourself, your motivation to join the board, and why you should be selected. You can also mention your interest in specific teams. You do not need previous experience in similar roles — you will receive a thorough orientation for your board duties. During the application period, you can also discuss opportunities for integrating your board work into your studies with the Executive Director.

After the application period, selections are made in a meeting of the Representative Council. The board will consist of a Chair, a Vice Chair, and at least three (3) and at most seven (7) members. Once selected, the board will assign team roles and areas of responsibility together during its orientation phase. Despite having individual responsibilities, the board operates collectively and is jointly responsible for all activities. Board orientation and discussions on integrating the role into studies will begin immediately after the board has been selected. Orientation includes independent review of materials, as well as team-specific and full-board sessions held both online and in person.

You can apply to the HUMAKO Board during the application period by sending an open application and CV to the Executive Director via email at: [email protected].

Board application 2026

More information about the board application process for the next term will be published in autumn 2025.