⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠About Us

The ISV parent's association, Vakka ry, is led by an executive board of at least 3 people.  The officers are elected annually at the association's Annual General Meeting (AGM) held before end October each year.

The 2022-23 board is:

  • Chair, Thomas Alemayhu (Vakka.Chair@google.com)
  • Vice-Chair, James Gardiner (Vakka.Vice.Chair@google.com)
  • Secretary, Tanja Gardiner (Vakka.Secretary@google.com)

Message from the Board:

"In 2021-2022, Vakka ry was in a low-state of activity due to impacts of COVID restrictions on gatherings and the konck-on effects of low membership involvement and enthusiasm.  Thus, the focus became on delivering a high-quality morning and afternoon club service to the ISV community, to uphold the contract with City of Vantaa.  During the spring semester, Vantaa found a new service provider which started on August 11th.  Vakka can now re-focus on our core mission as defined by the memership."

Vakka ry is the parent's association of the International School of Vantaa (ISV).  It is an official not-for-profit entity, founded in 1996 under the Finnish Associations Act 503/1989.  It is a member of the national-level Finnish parent's association "Suomen Vanhempainliitto" and is in alignment with its mission, goals, and values.  Click here for info in English.

Vakka's mission is to foster a collaborative learning environment at the International School of Vantaa (ISV) between the school administration, the parents, and the students with special emphasis placed on multiculturism and community spirit.

  • Provide ideological and financial support to the teaching and educational activities at ISV.
  • Promote positive cooperation between the school, parents, teachers, and students, and the community in general.
  • Foster a safe and secure sense of community at ISV.

We do this by planning and running specific annually recurring monthly events and additional events as decided by the membership and the executive board.  The events are a mix of fun social, fundraising, and other activities to re-enforce/support educational themes being promoted at the school.