Tempaus 2024: The Collective Handprint 21.10.–25.10.

The eight-year wait is over. The rumors are true – 2024 is a Tempaus year! Tempaus is an initiative driven by the collective power of students, aimed at raising public awareness of a cause important and timely to students. The roots of Tempaus go back nearly a hundred years in student culture, and similar activities have historically been organized in other fields of study. Tempaus 2024 is open to the entire Aalto community, regardless of year or field of study.

Tempaus aims to increase the appreciation of volunteer work in Finland

The theme for this year’s Tempaus was announced in April in the form of the traditional “Tempaus Command.” The theme this time is increasing the appreciation of volunteer work in Finland. Volunteer work spans across Finnish society and has been visible in the spirit of community effort throughout history. It holds great value. At its core, it is about caring for others and true altruism, which is also reflected in the small acts of everyday life. Many of us do volunteer work, for example, by donating blood, picking up litter in nature, or participating in a sports club’s activities. We feel that in today’s society, volunteer work does not receive the appreciation it deserves.

What is Tempaus?

Tempaus is a massive event or series of events organized by the student community to highlight current issues affecting the entire student body or even society as a whole, aiming to promote the common good through collective action. Efforts similar to Tempaus have been made by the predecessors of the Aalto community since the 1870s, but the term became established as a project undertaken by the entire student community in the early 20th century. The first formal order to organize such an event was issued by the Sturdy-bearded Engineer a hundred years ago, in February 1924.

Tempaus in the 21st-century include those organized in 2006, 2009, and 2016: In 2006, the stunt was organized to advocate for bringing the metro to Otaniemi. In the 2009 MIR-Stunt (Magnificent! Wonderful! Explosive!), future Aalto University students formed a human chain from Arabia and Töölö to Otaniemi to celebrate the founding of Aalto University. The idea of Tempaus 2016 was to send university students to Finnish primary schools to teach a special programme for one day. The purpose was to increase both motivation to study and the value of Finnish basic education.

How to get involved?

The sign up for Tempaus 2024 has ended.

During the Tempaus autumn, we will also organize events open to everyone, warmly welcoming alumni and students from other universities. You can find more information about the Tempaus schedule and events below. The latest updates can be found on our main communication channel on Telegram, where we can be found under the name Tempaus2024.

Behind the Tempaus

Tempaus is coordinated by the Aalto University Student Union's Tempaus Committee, which was recruited through an open search at the end of 2023. The members of the Tempaus Committee are: Niina Tapanainen (Head of Tempaus, Chair), Juha Malinen (Vice-Chair), Ilkka Törrönen (Influence), Jani Anttila (Corporate Relations), Leevi Kosonen (Corporate Relations), Senja Santala (Events), Eeti Ahola (Communications), Ville Mansikkaniemi (Marketing), Mandate positions: Tero Karesniemi and Oona Sorala (KY), Vilma Ikola (Teekkari Section), and Kathleen Lindgren (TOKYO). The coordination of Tempaus is also supported by AYY’s producers Johanna Vanttaja and Samu Nurmi, and lead communications specialist Julia Wihuri.