Welcome to the international ISGA goes ULOS-UT-OUT event, bringing together professionals in school grounds, outdoor learning and outdoor play from around the world. The theme of the event in Finland is the enchantment of nature, movement and learning – how school grounds and local environments support the learning, movement and well-being of children and young people. The event encourages education providers to set aside and develop nature-based outdoor learning environments for early childhood education, schools and other educational institutions, and to support outdoor learning in other ways.

The event takes place at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia and the Solvalla Sports Institute, next to Nuuksio National Park, just a 30-minute drive from Helsinki. The main language of the event is English, with parallel programme also in Finnish and Swedish.

Programme

Wednesday 1 September – Practice and Research from around the world

• Keynote lecture
• Presentation sessions

Thursday 2 September – Workshops

• Deep Dive workshops
• Non Stop workshops
• Round tables

Friday 3 September – Excursions

• Bus excursions to school grounds, nature schools and kindergartens in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

Timeline

• Call for proposals open 26 October 2026 – 31 January 2027
• Proposals are selected during the call and by February 2027 at the latest
• Programme published and registration opens in March 2027
• Event held 1–3 September 2027

ISGA (International School Grounds Alliance) is a global volunteer network that brings together experts in the use, design and management of school grounds. It promotes high-quality design and everyday use of school grounds to support children’s learning, play and well-being. The ISGA conference is held every two years in a different part of the world – and in 2027, for the first time in Finland!

Read more about the call for proposals →

How to submit a proposal

The call for proposals is open 26 October 2026 – 31 January 2027. Please read about the programme days and formats below and submit your proposal using the application form (the form opens on 26 October 2026). Proposals can be submitted in English, Finnish or Swedish.

Programme days

• Wednesday 1 September: presentations and keynote – practice and research from around the world
• Thursday 2 September: workshops and round tables
• Friday 3 September: excursions

Programme formats

Presentations last about 15 minutes. You can present your own research, a method you have developed, a school ground you have built, a successful pilot, an ongoing project, an upcoming campaign, and so on.

If you wish, you can pre-record your presentation as a video or audio file. Please pay special attention to sound quality: we recommend a headset microphone rather than the built-in microphone of your phone or computer. Recorded presentations will be added to the event recordings, where they reach a wider audience and remain available after the event.

Workshops use hands-on, active methods and take place primarily outdoors in the school grounds or in the forest. A limited number of indoor spaces is also available.

• Deep Dive workshops: a group works continuously for 1–1.5 hours, guided by a facilitator. In addition to practical work, the workshop may include an introduction, discussion and a pre-assignment.
• Non Stop workshops can include, for example, building, crafts, games or other activities that participants can drop in on for a shorter or longer time. These workshops last 3 hours, leaving time to build something larger that participants can join for as long as they like.

If your workshop materials are online or in PDF format, we encourage you to add them to the MAPPA.fi service. We will collect workshop materials from MAPPA into the event recordings, giving them extra visibility.

Round tables look for joint solutions to desired changes: identifying barriers to change and finding ways past them. Round tables last 1.5 hours and are held outdoors or in a classroom. Their outcomes can be compiled and added to MAPPA.fi, from where we will collect them into the event recordings for extra visibility.

You can also propose other programme content, such as topics and speakers for panel discussions, or keynote presentations. You can also propose your own school ground, kindergarten or nature school in the Helsinki metropolitan area as an excursion site.

What we offer programme contributors

• National and international visibility at the event and in its advance communications
• Networking and new opportunities for collaboration

UUO2023, Nurmes, summer 2023

UUO2021, ONLINE, summer 2021

UUO2017, Turku Castle, summer 2017

Lectures in English

Moments

All lectures (mainly Finnish or Swedish)

Published 7.6.2017

The health and well-being effects of Finnish nature for children and young people are undeniable. Nature is a dynamic learning environment that supports personal development, social interaction and participation, in contrast to a sedentary lifestyle. Versatile activities in nature also strengthen the immune system and promote mental health.

Our diverse nature is a source of numerous well-being effects that the Ulos-Ut-Out! international conference organisers encourage others to take advantage of from early childhood to adulthood. A good relationship with nature in childhood gives solid ground for a sustainable lifestyle.

The long-term wellbeing effects of Finnish nature can be utilised by moving teaching in pre-school and schools and youth work outdoors. Education, youth work and social work professionals however, need support and training in outdoor learning.

Ulos – Ut – Out! organisers emphasise that teacher training for all educators must include methods of outdoor learning. Those who are already in the profession need continuing professional development. Organisations that promote outdoor learning organise numerous training events, school visits and events and publish outdoor learning materials. In addition, the state administration must ensure that a national plan for education and training in sustainable development is drawn up.

The methods presented in Turku and Sauvo at Ulos – Ut – Out! in June 2017 should be available throughout Finland. The Out – Ut – Out! organisers would like to challenge all of Finland’s municipalities to promote outdoor learning and to support educators in this important work.

How can the diverse benefits of Finnish nature be utilised? Share your ideas on social media! #ulos2017

The international outdoor learning conference Ulos – Ut – Out! was organised in Turku 5.–6. June 2017. It was arranged collaboratively by FEE Suomi, Suomen luonto- ja ympäristökoulujen liitto ry, Suomen ympäristöopisto Sykli Oy, Suomen nuorisokeskusyhdistys ja Valtakunnallinen seikkailukasvatusverkosto, Suomen Metsäyhdistys, Finlands Svenska Idrott rf, WWF Suomi and Valonia.

For more information please contact:

Maija Ihantola
Conference co-ordinator
Ulos–Ut–Out!
Suomen luonto- ja ympäristökoulujen liitto ry
Tel: 041 536 8232
maija.ihantola@luontokoulut.fi
www.ulos2017.fi