MY Camper Kati Venho: Changing the view on science
19-year-old MY Camper Kati Venho is especially drawn to the environmental side of science, and linking it to politics and economy to make the world a better place.
Kati lives in Helsinki, and is just about to graduate from Ressun lukio high school. She recently sat through International Baccalaureate final exams in Finnish, maths, psychology, chemistry, history, and English.
After Kati heard about the Millennium Youth Camp from a friend, she was especially drawn to the idea of linking technology and science to the environment.
“I am in general interested in climate change. It draws attention from many different fields. I have examined the issue from geographical, political and economic approaches, and I hope that attending the MY camp will deepen my understanding, and knowledge.”
As Kati says her life philosophy is “to live without expectations”, she has not pondered too much about what the camp will be like.
“I guess I hope to have a good time and meet new people with differing points of view from mine. Every time one tries something new, one learns something new. And this is a good enough reason to try anything.”
Kati is in the Climate Change group. In her project plan she contemplates the ways to get companies more interested in environmental issues, and through that make the next climate change conference successful.
“I guess the idea must have crossed my mind before, and I know I have for a long time thought of industries and markets as the most important drives of society. It is an interesting thought, how much of the world is a product of careful planning and execution of plans by those who benefit from the status quo. Or whether it is all fairly natural and randomly developed.”
Kati says that her relationship to science is not as passionate as some of the other campers might have. She has studied chemistry on higher level and has enjoyed it as a subject.
“I feel that now I begin to understand, how learning and development in Western societies occur. I think science deserves the position it indisputably holds, regarding all the amazing applications in the field of technology, for example.”
However, also the abuse of scientific discoveries has affected Kati’s view on science.
“I guess I have associated materialism and abuse of the environment with science. But I hope to overcome this ‘prejudice’ at MY camp, because rationally thinking, I know the problem is not science but people.”
Lately Kati has been so occupied with the final exams that she hasn’t had the time for any spare time activities. Now she wants to take up her hobbies dancing, painting, reading, and playing the piano. She has also a summer job as a face-to-face fundraiser for Amnesty International.
After a gap year she is planning on spending traveling in Latin America and Crimea, where she has relatives from her mother’s side of the family, Kati plans on applying to university to study politics and economics.
“I want to understand how our world works. Then, I want to dedicate my life to making the world a better and a more just place to live in. Some might think it’s clichéd, but I like to think it’s classy!”
Link: Millennium Youth Camp
Document: Kati´s plan for MY Camp (pdf)
Elisa Lautala works as web editor for University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science. Elisa likes all kinds of cultural events, good books, warm weather, and aqua-jogging.