Board of the student union
The HUMAKO board is responsible for the day-to-day practical running of the Student Union.The Board’s activities on an annual basis are guided by an action plan and a budget approved by the representative council.
Therefore the broad lines of action taken by the board are decided by the representative council.You can find the documents guiding the activities of the Students’ Union in the material bank, which includes HUMAKO’s strategy, political programme and equality plan.
HUMAKO board members have their own responsibilities, which are carried out individually, in teams and collectively as a board. Board work is mainly carried out remotely, but also occasionally live in Helsinki, with HUMAKO covering the necessary travel costs.
In HUMAKO, the board members work on average between 5 and 20 hours per week and you can influence the number of hours you work.The chair and vice-chair’s tasks take up more time than the other members of the board. Board activities are year-round but there is less work in the summer, from Midsummer to early August.The job description of a board member includes team tasks, various development projects and the day-to-day activities of the board.
For more information on the board’s activities and on how to apply, please contact chair of the board of HUMAKO, Elina Liekkinen (elina.liekkinen (a) humako.net, 045 22 5030) and the Executive Director, Aleksi Niemi (aleksi.niemi (a) humako.net, 044 257 8884).
Projects
Every year, HUMAKO carries out various projects based on the yearly action plan. Each project is assigned a person who is responsible for it. In addition a working group, and a team is identified to manage the project. Projects are open to non-members of the board, as there is an open call for applications for the working groups.
Projects carried out in recent years include:
- HUMAKO info and tours
- Annual celebrations
- Developing sustainability, online community and equality
Student union communications
Communications at HUMAKO is carried out by all members of the Board in their respective areas of responsibility. Communication is coordinated by a communications team chaired by the board’s member who’s responsible for communications.
The communication platforms used by HUMAKO are:
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Discord
- Website
Accrediting the board work
HUMAKO is fundamentally a learning organisation and as a board member it is possible to learn by doing. The number of credits depends on the tasks and hours of the board member. The Executive Director will make a personal plan with each board member to promote learning and doing. At HUMAKO, leadership is also seen as an opportunity to learn and develop. It is also possible to apply for the positions of chair and the vice-chair without previous experience in leadership or student union activities.
As a board member, you will learn about meeting and working life skills and network with a variety of partners, stakeholders and other university of applied sciences students.
Teams in HUMAKOs board
HUMAKO’s board is currently divided into three teams: advocacy, local activities and services & events team. The teams meet online every couple weeks and for example prepare motions for the board meetings and work on processes in their own area of responsibility.
Advocacy team
The Advocacy Team is responsible for lobbying the university, promoting and communicating students’ interests and promoting equality. The Advocacy Team is led by the chair of the board and bases its activities on HUMAKO’s strategy and political programme.
The Advocacy Team also cooperates with other student unions, both locally and nationally.
The tasks of the Advocacy Team include.
- gathering and processing feedback and using it to influence
- coordinating and developing the functions of the anti-harassment contact persons
- coordinating student representatives in Humak working groups
- influencing SAMOK, the umbrella organisation of HUMAKO
Local activities team
Local activities team is responsible for planning, coordinating and improving HUMAKO’s local division activities and tutoring. The team is led by HUMAKO’s specialist.Local activities’ goals are based on HUMAKO’s strategy and the yearly tutoring action plan, which is made in cooperation with Humak.
The tasks of the local activities team are including but not limited to:
- Training local actors during the year
- Supporting and developing local activities
- Handle current issues with local actors in their meetings
- Keep in contact with the group leaders
Services and events team
The Services and events team is responsible for developing HUMAKOs membership, membership procurement and services, online shopping and student unions products. The team also handles tasks related to HUMAKO’s event production and partnerships. The Services and Events Team is led by the Vice chair of the board and includes the Student Union’s specialist. The team’s activities and objectives are based on HUMAKO’s strategy and annual action plan.
Leadership in HUMAKO
Leadership in HUMAKO is seen as a process and a learning experience and mistakes are seen as an opportunity to learn. Actors are supported in developing their own working skills and discovering their own strengths. Sectors in HUMAKO are led by team leaders and the chair of the board.
At HUMAKO, team leaders are both employees and board chairs. Team leaders are responsible for managing the activities of their own team and supervising their team members. Team leaders support the development of their team members’ skills and monitor their performance. HUMAKO holds team leader meetings biweekly online that guide the unions ongoing activities.
HUMAKO’s overall activities are managed by a steering committee consisting of the chair of the board, the vice-chair of the board and the executive director of HUMAKO. The steering committee meets weekly.
The steering committee is responsible for:
- stakeholder engagement
- preparing the Board meetings
- maintaining and developing the administration of the Student Union
- general financial monitoring
The vice-chair of the steering team is responsible for services and events production. The chairperson is responsible for developing the activities of the Student Union, making decisions and monitoring the activities of the Student Union, as well as lobbying and advocacy.
Applying to the board
Applications for the HUMAKO Board are mainly in the autumn. There are occasionally additional application periods during the year. When applying to the board, it is a good idea to consider if you want to be the chair, vice-chair or a board member. It is also a good idea to think about which teams interest you the most. Representative council will interview applicants before making their decision in their meeting.
To apply you must submit a free application. In the application you must select the position (chair, vice-chair or board member), tell us about yourself, your motivation and why you should be selected. You can also express your interest in the activities of different teams. There is no need to have previous experience, every board member gets orientation to board work. During the application process you can discuss accreditation opportunities with the executive director.
Once the application period is over, the council chooses the board in their meeting. The executive board is composed of the chairperson, vice-chair and from three to seven members. The board decides the responsibilities and teams between themselves after the election, when the board organises. In addition to their respective responsibilities the board is jointly responsible for all HUMAKOs activities. Board orientation begins as soon as the board is elected. It includes both independent review of material and meeting shared by the board both live and online.
You can apply for the HUMAKO Board when the application process is ongoing by sending an open application and CV to the Executive Director by email to aleksi.niemi (a) humako.net.
Board application 2025
More information about the next years board application will be published in autumn of 2024.