Apply to HUMAKO’s Board of Directors 2025?

HUMAKO will elect a new board for next year at the assembly meeting on Friday 19.11.2024. Are you the right person to lead the student union next year? The board application is open from 29.10.-15.11.

Next year, HUMAKO will update its strategy, celebrate its 25th anniversary and develop both advocacy and communication.

Activities of the teams

HUMAKO’s Board is made up of three teams, which form the core of HUMAKO’s activities. These teams are the Local Action Team, the Advocacy Team and the Services and Events Team. All teams are supported by a management team, which is responsible for the administration of the Student Union, the cooperation with stakeholders and the overall activities of the Student Union. The members of the Board are divided into teams, led by HUMAKO employees and the Board Chairs. HUMAKO has two full-time staff members supporting the Board, an Executive Director and an specialist

Advocacy team

The advocacy team is chaired by the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Board. The advocacy team is responsible for influencing the UAS, promoting the interests of students and ensuring equality. The practical tasks of the Advocacy Team include collecting feedback and influencing students, coordinating harassment liaison officers, coordinating student representatives in HUMAKO’s working groups, and influencing HUMAKO’s umbrella organisation, the Finnish Association of Student Unions (SAMOK). The activities of the advocacy team are based on the strategy and the political programme of HUMAKO.

Local activities team

The local activities team is led by a HUMAKO specialist. The Local Activities Team is responsible for the planning, development and coordination of HUMAKO’s local tutor, division and team activities. The Local Activities Team organises several training sessions for local actors throughout the year, discusses current issues with them in webinars and keeps in touch with their counterparts. The objectives of local action are based on the HUMAKO strategy.

Services and Events team

The Services and Events team is led by the HUMAKO President or Vice-President. The team is responsible for the provision of member services at the HUMAKO office and online, events, online sales and product range development, for example.

Management team

The Management Team consists of the Chair of the board, the Vice-Chair of the board and the Executive Director of HUMAKO. The Management Team meets weekly. The Management Team is responsible for stakeholder cooperation, preparing Board meetings, maintaining and developing the administration and general financial monitoring. The Vice-Chair of the Steering Team is responsible for advocacy and lobbying. The President is responsible for developing the activities of the Student Union, taking decisions and monitoring the activities of the Student Union.

Working in the Board

Although the Board is divided into teams, each with its own responsibilities, the work is done together. The whole Board meets together regularly in Helsinki for planning days, team days and student union network meetings about 6-10 times during the year. Board members have the opportunity to participate in events and trainings of HUMAKO umbrella organisations and cooperation networks as representatives of HUMAKO.

In addition, the Board holds regular online meetings to prepare for decision-making and to further elaborate on the issues to be decided at the meetings. At HUMAKO, the Board holds its actual meetings live during the planning days and otherwise online.

In HUMAKO, board activities usually employ board members on average 5-20h/week. Chairs may have a higher workload. The workload is lighter from Midsummer to early August. Board members have the possibility to integrate board activities into their studies. During the year, Board members have the possibility to include 10-40 credits of HUMAKO activities in their studies. The number of credits depends on the role of the Board member and the number of hours worked. For more information on the course, please contact the Executive Director. The President and Vice-President receive a monthly fee for their duties.

Term of office and important dates

The term of office of the Board of Directors is the calendar year 2025, but the familiarisation process will start after the elections at the end of November. If you are applying to join the Board, please make sure you are available for an orientation meeting in Helsinki on 3-5 December 2024. Before then, the Board will have a few remote evening orientation sessions for general Board activities. In addition, on 28 November we will meet with other student bodies. Please also mark your calendars for the orientation/grouping event for student union officers on 27-29.1.2025. HUMAKO will cover the travel costs for these events. 

To apply

You can apply for the Board by sending a free application and, if you wish, your CV via the Forms by 15.11.2024. Remember to indicate whether you are applying for the position of Chairman, Vice-Chairman or member of the Board. You can also apply in advance if you already know which team you would be interested in. All applicants will be interviewed at the representative council’s organisational meeting on 19.11.2024 in Helsinki. We recommend attending the interview in person, but will arrange remote access if necessary. At the meeting you will have the opportunity to introduce yourself and the members of the Council will ask you questions to clarify your application and test your suitability. 

Forms: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdqOhLdZeP3kYHqXeQWT6VJnz8S9-HC1uoBfxud1SkTQEWug/viewform