The Humanist Act of the Year Award Went to Global Clinic Turku
The Faculty of Humanities of the University of Turku has chosen Global Clinic Turku as the Humanist Act of the Year. The clinic offers health care for undocumented immigrants and for others foreigners outside the social security. The Humanist Doctor of the Year is Marika Räsänen and the Humanist Masters are Pauliina Peltonen and Niina Myllys.
Pauliina Peltonen (left) and Niina Myllys were awarded as the Humanist Masters of the Year, the Humanist Doctor of the Year is Marika Räsänen (right).
By awarding the Humanist Act of the Year, the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Turku wants to honour and make known a person, organisation, group or measure that promotes humanistic values, methods and attitude towards life. The Humanist Act of the Year winner is voted by the university community, from among the nominees put forward by the community.
The Humanist Act of the Year 2013 winner is the Global Clinic Turku, which was opened in April 2013. The clinic helps undocumented immigrants and others who are outside the Finnish welfare system. The clinic is open every other week and its purpose is to diagnose different kinds of infectious diseases and treat illnesses.
Global Clinic Turku is run by 30 voluntary healthcare professionals, among others a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist and psychotherapist. The location of the clinic has not been told to the public but the essential authorities know where it is located.
The founders of the clinic have described its operation as a question of human rights. The National Institute for Health and Welfare stated in March that, according to the agreements on human rights that Finland is a part of, the undocumented immigrants are entitled to the same healthcare services as the Finnish people. However, this is not the case in practice. In addition to Turku, volunteers help undocumented immigrants in clinics situated in Helsinki and Oulu.
In Turku, the clinic’s operations are supported by the social work centre of the Turku and Kaarina Parish Union.
The Humanist Doctor and Masters 2013
Each year, the Faculty of Humanities chooses the Humanist Doctor of the Year among the newly graduated doctors. Professor Emerita Irmeli Helin chose Marika Räsänen as the Humanist Doctor of the Year 2013. In her dissertation in the field of cultural history, Räsänen researched the significance of the relics removed from the body of Thomas Aquinas. According to Helin, Räsänen’s dissertation The Restless Corpse. Thomas Aquinas’ Remains as the Centre of conflict and Cult in Late Medieval Southern Italy is at the same time a scientific research revised to the smallest detail and a fascinating reading experience.
For the second time, the Faculty awarded the recognitions Humanist Master of the Year for distinguished students who have completed their Master’s degree studies. One Master of the Year is chosen from both schools of the Faculty.
The Humanist Master of the Year of the School of Languages and Translation Studies is Master of Arts Pauliina Peltonen, who studied English as her major subject. In her thesis, Peltonen researched the fluency of spoken English. She compared Finnish and Swedish speaking students at the upper secondary school and university levels.
The Humanist Master of the Year of the School of History, Culture and Arts Studies is Master of Arts Niina Myllys, who graduated from Media Studies. The topic of Myllys’ thesis was the urban environment and identity in the television series The Wire.
The Humanist Act of the Year Award and the Humanist Doctor and Masters of the Year recognitions were revealed during the Humanist Day organised by the Faculty of Humanities.
Text: Erja Hyytiäinen
Photo: Antti Tarponen
Translation: Mari Ratia