Students at Risk Finland – StaR ry is an association founded in 2023 to support university students who have been victims of human rights violations or political persecution. The association promotes internationally the conditions for the student movement to work for democracy, human rights, academic freedom and students’ rights.
Our aim is to establish a scholarship scheme for foreign students working as human rights defenders and integrate it into the Finnish higher education system.
The founders of the association are the National Union of University Students in Finland SYL and the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences SAMOK.
StaR ry Board 2024
The association’s activities are guided by the Board. The Board is elected annually at the Association’s meeting.
- Diana Muraskina – Chair
- Eugenie Touma van der Meulen – Vice-chair
- Antti Regelin
- Jaakko Sirén
- Asta Nieminen
- Janina Brunfeldt
For office and staff information, see the contact details.
National cooperation
We are promoting the establishment of a scholarship scheme in broad cooperation with organisations, higher education institutions and governmental actors. In addition, important partners for cooperation are the participating universities, their student unions, student housing foundations and YTHS.
The programme’s central national cooperation network is the Steering Group established in 2023. The Steering Group is a group representing:
- Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
- Ministry of Education and Culture
- Finnish National Agency for Education
- Finnish Immigration Service
- The Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities Unifi
- The Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Arene
- National Union of University Students in Finland SYL
- National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences SAMOK
International cooperation
At international level, we cooperate with other similar national Students at Risk schemes that already exist or are in the process of being set up. The most important of these partners are the Norwegian Students at Risk (StAR) programme and the German Hilde Domin Programme. International cooperation is also being built with other national student organisations in Europe and with the European Students Union (ESU), the European umbrella organisation for national student organisations.