100 dreams in Vörå

⛴️ Our archipelago is incredibly beautiful – sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have such stunning nature so close. Imagine a unique world of islands in the Kvarken Archipelago with more than 300 islets. Mickelsörarna offers something truly magical with its hiking trails, observation towers, and peaceful surroundings. You can also enjoy a delicious salmon soup at Café Kummelskär. 🍽️☀️

🌸Take the opportunity to book a day out at sea with the boat Filifjonkan – find more info at www.visitvora.fi, and Jessica Havulehto is happy to answer any questions!

There’s a strong tradition of theater and revue in our community, one that has carried us through both good times and hard times – it has entertained us and driven progress. The summer of 2025 will be no exception! Book your tickets and enjoy outdoor theater in a magical setting. 🌸👏

☀️ 🎭 At Tottesund Manor in Maxmo, you can catch “Liket i garderoben” – a fast-paced, hilarious farce. And at Kyroboas in Kimo, “Skinnprinsen” will be performed, a play about a village and its people, fur farming, and the global economy.

I express myself better in writing than in speech. Meet Ann-Luise Bertell – theater director, author, and storyteller with roots in Kimo. This summer, she’s wrapping up her work as theater director to devote herself fully to writing. 📖📚

Here, you’ll get to hear about the power of writing, the realm of imagination, and the 120-year-old oak tree outside her workspace. 🌳

From childhood revue scripts to acclaimed historical novels – step into a creative world and come along to Torrkullan! 💫

💫 Having the courage to go after what you believe in and trust in the future is incredibly important for all of us. So last Saturday, we took the opportunity to ask KAJ what message they’d like to send to all the children and young people here in Vörå.

"First of all, thank you for all your support! And then – keep carrying that joy with you, keep having fun together, and keep doing creative things. Sing, play, dance – do what you enjoy, because it can take you much further than you think. We’ve truly seen that!"

We’re in election season, and soon it’s time to make your voice heard. On Sunday, April 13, both the wellbeing services county elections and the municipal elections will be held in Finland. Two simultaneous elections mean you’ll receive two ballots at the polling station – a purple one and a white one – when voting.

🟣 Purple ballot – vote for a candidate in the wellbeing services county election (NOTE! Four-digit number)

⚪ White ballot – vote for a candidate in the municipal election

Advance voting will be organized throughout the municipality. Watch the video for more information.

The municipality of Vörå and the city of Tampere are launching a unique collaboration for the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel – a project where warmth, openness, and culture come together in a mobile sauna touring through Europe. The journey passes through Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Berlin – before meeting up with the city of Tampere in Basel just in time for the start of Eurovision week. The Finnish Sauna Society, led by Hanna Pakarinen, will be there to enjoy the sauna in Kasern Park in Basel.

This project is a tribute to KAJ, Erika Vikman, Tampere, Vörå, and European cooperation. With this joint initiative, the message of an inclusive Europe reaches even further.

From Vörå, two sauna ambassadors, Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge from Kulturhuset Abramsgården, will be responsible for the warmth, hospitality, and conversations along the way. The project is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnish embassies, the Finnish Institutes in Berlin and Stockholm, and Visit Finland, among others.

There are still a few spots left for our Mello party on Saturday! First come, first served, but you're still in time. 🥳🙌

Several media outlets are currently covering Vörå and Norrvalla. Even on Saturday! Plus, you can follow our live reporter Linda as she broadcasts segments from Stockholm and the Mello excitement there. And to make everything even more fun, feel free to dress in green or just sparkle however you like. And, of course, bring your best mood! 💚✨

🎤 And the hosts, you ask? Of course, we have our own local familiar faces on stage to guide us safely through the evening – Roland Engström and Uffe Johansson. Our young, promising artists will also perform on stage. Närpes Ljud och Ljus will handle the technical setup.

🎉Welcome to our newly renovated swimming pool and gym at Norrvalla! It's finally here – the swimming pool has opened its doors!

Come take a dip or visit our modern gym with new equipment. Young, old, and everyone in between are welcome to enjoy exercising close to home.

A big thank you to Sparbanksstiftelsen in Vörå, which makes free swimming possible for the unemployed, retirees, and children under 19 years old.

Don't miss the chance to get moving!

This week kicks off Vörå's very own version of "Firarsvängen." For the first time ever, Vörå is taking part in Sweden's Melodifestivalen – and naturally, it's KAJ taking the stage, sending the whole municipality into festival fever! 🎉

Revue icons Maj-Lis and Gun-Lis make a strong opening with their greeting to KAJ. Follow us for more greetings throughout the week. The countdown to the weekend has only just begun.

As December comes to a close, we can say that a lot of good things can happen in 12 months. Our municipal director, Jan Finne, summarizes the highlights and notes that together we are looking forward to a new year starting with KAJ and schlager.🎶

During 2024, among other things, we followed:

✨ The voting bus, which made early voting easier and more accessible for everyone in the municipality.

✨ The artificial snow track in Vörå, which was already in use from October – big thanks to the technical sector for their fantastic work!

✨ The new co-located school in Oravais, where Finnish and Swedish-speaking students attend together, had a very successful start.

✨ Progress in renewable energy development, focusing on wind and solar power.

✨ Successful events like Hopeasompa, which showcased the strength of our community life and the invaluable volunteer work in the municipality.

✨ The "Open Access" service at Maxmo's library was warmly welcomed. Now planning is underway to renew Oravais library.

From all of us in the municipality to all of you – a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!🎄❤️

New construction law comes into effect on January 1, 2025! What does this mean for those looking to build?

Starting this year, it will be easier to build smaller structures like sheds and canopies without needing a building permit. But remember – with freedom comes responsibility!

Key Points:

Buildings under 30 m² and canopies under 50 m² do not require a building permit.
No responsible site manager or drawings required – but having drawings is still recommended to avoid issues.
It is your responsibility to check building possibilities and zoning rights.

Use our map service at vora.fi > Municipal Services > Land use planning to see building rights and zoning information in Vörå.

Do you have questions or want to know more? Contact our building inspection department – we are happy to help!

#100dreamsInVörå

Our fantastic team of property managers takes care of over 50,000 m2 of properties – from schools and kindergartens to fire stations and buildings the municipality leases to the welfare area.

💡 So, what do we do?

We handle everything from minor repairs to advanced property technology to ensure healthy, safe, and sustainable environments. We change filters in ventilation systems for clean air and regularly test fire alarms and sprinkler systems for safety.

👷‍♂️ Our property managers – the everyday heroes!

They keep the properties in top condition and are a reassuring presence for everyone there.

✨ The best part of the job? No two days are the same 💪

Did you know that Backsmart started as a project in Vörå IF and is now part of Vörå municipality's operations? 💛

🎽 When you volunteer and put on the Backsmart vest, you become a trusted adult on the slopes. You make sure the rules are followed, that everyone is having fun, and help if someone needs it. In return, you ski for free! 🙌

👧 "Nestor's dad can help, he works here," says one of our young visitors – and that's exactly what Backsmart is all about. Trustworthy adults should always be present in children's everyday lives.

💡 Vörå is also part of Unicef's model for child-friendly municipal work, where we focus on safety and community for our young people.

👀 Does it make a difference when Backsmart is on the slopes? YES! Lift operators see it clearly: more eyes on the scene make the experience on the slopes both more fun and safer for everyone. 💕

Do you want to be a part of this important work? Come and be Backsmart – together we create safety and joy on the slopes! 🏔️

For a thriving school, it's essential to have a teaching staff that feels good and works side by side. And teachers really enjoy working in Vörå, say Elisabeth, Johanna, and Mikael at Tegengrenskolan.

Here are their reasons why teacher satisfaction is improving:

We work towards common goals
Help and support each other
Clear structure and forward-thinking
Small staff, easy to approach each other
Great school food

And when it comes to the children's rights week, the right to learn is one of them. The teachers who are there from day one get to follow and support the students through many different stages of development and phases in life.

As the teachers at Tegengrenskolan put it: "Being able to follow a student from when they start seventh grade and are still quite young, to when they finish ninth grade and apply their knowledge in new ways, is a gift."

When Finland's best school meals were decided in 2024, one of the participants was the kitchen at Tegengrenskolan in Vörå. They ranked fifth in the whole country with their lasagna. All participants had to make lasagna, and Vörå's entry received top marks from the students.

School meals are a fundamental service and an education - they are also crucial to the energy and daily life of students and staff.

We are proud of all our school kitchens in the municipality. Thank you for your excellent work and tireless inspiration in the kitchen!

We have active and engaged residents, as noted by Pernilla Nilsson-Wik, the principal of the municipality's adult education center EMMI. Throughout the year, the courses enhance new skills, knowledge, and community, which is naturally just as important.

"Many eagerly await our course catalog, and I personally find it quite special to hold it in my hands each year," says Pernilla. "This year, we've introduced several new courses that have drawn interest from different age groups, and some courses, like the senior gym, fill up immediately."

➡️Registration for the spring courses opens on December 16 at 9:00 AM.
If you're already enrolled from the fall, you can continue as usual, but otherwise, it's advisable to act quickly to secure a spot!

Welcome to the courses in 2025!

That Vörå has been and continues to be a strong sports community is well-known throughout Finland. We took a look behind the scenes and met athletes and coaches within the school camp sports concept led by Folkhälsan Utbildning in conjunction with Vörå idrottsgymnasium. Four camps per sport are organized each year, involving about 250 participants in the current year.

The concept has grown significantly in recent years, allowing young athletes to meet both in training and school life during the camp weeks at Campus Norrvalla.

And here, there are many sports dreams that we hope will come true!

In our municipality, over the past two years we have started more bilingual activities, with the idea being that children should naturally hear and learn both Finnish and Swedish. And it's off to a really good start, says Simone Envall, who is the head of early childhood education in the Vörå municipality.

- In early childhood education, we work a lot with respect and tolerance, both when it comes to culture as well as language. Will we be able to create new opportunities for the children? We certainly hope so, says Simone.

Making early contact with professional life and getting the chance to try out potential future careers is incredibly important. The local connection to our companies and organizations in the community is just as important, and we warmly appreciate that many open their doors for ninth graders from Tegengrenskolan who are doing work experience this week. Tyra and Agnes, who are also doing a communications internship, got to travel around and meet Tobias, Sara, Elviira, Alex, Isa, Elin, Albert, and Oliver who were doing their internships at various places in the community.

Thanks to those who make internships possible, this is how young people get to test their future dreams!

In the municipality, the fishing competition Gäddkastet is held, starting and awarding prizes in the beautiful harbor of Oravais. The youngest participants' eyes sparkled in the bright sunshine when this year's competition took place last Saturday. The atmosphere was great and the anticipation was palpable.

The older participants shared wise and tested tips and advice with the younger ones. With patience, you can achieve a lot! A day offered both smaller and larger catches, but also wonderful camaraderie and lifelong memories.

If you didn't manage to join this year, seize the opportunity next year!