Sun, Sea and Mölkky – Host Week Started with a Perfect Summer Day on Iso Vasikkasaari
15.7.2026
The first Host Week day trip took 20 international Youth Exchange participants to the beautiful island of Iso Vasikkasaari in Espoo. The day was filled with new friends, Finnish summer traditions and plenty of laughter.
The first Host Week adventure started at Iso Omena, where everyone met before heading to the island. Before the journey, the group visited K-Market to buy picnic food and drinks for the day.
From Iso Omena, we travelled by bus to Nokkala Pier, where a boat was waiting to take us across the sea to Iso Vasikkasaari. Around 20 exchange students and several host family members joined the trip.
Once on the island, the group enjoyed a relaxed picnic together before exploring the beautiful nature. We climbed to the scenic viewpoint, walked through the forest looking for "shortcuts" that sometimes became little adventures of their own, and spent time discovering the island.
Of course, no Finnish summer day would be complete without games. Beach ball was a favourite, but the biggest hit of the day was Mölkky. Many participants tried the traditional Finnish throwing game for the first time, and it quickly became one of everyone's favourites.
The warm weather also encouraged many to swim at the sandy beach. The Baltic Sea was definitely cooler than most participants were used to — but to everyone's surprise, the water was much warmer than expected!
Camp leader Ingo introduced a few challenging exercises on the outdoor gym's pull-up bar for participants interested in sports. In the video, he makes climbing smoothly on top of the bar look effortless—but everyone quickly discovered that it was much harder than it seemed. Despite the challenge, many campers gave it a try, encouraged each other, and had plenty of fun testing their strength and balance. 💪
Then it was Lion Mika's turn to prove that age is no obstacle. He showed everyone that even an older Lion can still pull himself up onto the bar. The only thing that raised a few suspicions? The video was carefully framed to show only his upper body... so we'll leave the rest to your imagination! 😄
Another memorable Finnish experience was tasting salmiakki. As always, the reactions ranged from "This is actually good!" to some very funny facial expressions that said everything without words.
The first Host Week day was exactly what a Youth Exchange is all about: spending time together, trying new things, enjoying Finnish nature and creating friendships that cross borders.
Tomorrow the adventure continues as the group heads to the historic sea fortress of Suomenlinna to discover one of Finland's most famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
What is the Lions Youth Exchange?
The Lions Youth Exchange gives young people aged 16–21 the opportunity to experience another country by living with a local host family and taking part in an international youth camp. The programme helps participants discover new cultures, improve their language skills, make lifelong international friendships and grow as independent young adults.
For Finnish host families, the experience is just as rewarding. Instead of acting as tour guides, families simply welcome a young guest into their everyday life. By sharing normal family activities, meals and summer traditions, they give the visitor an authentic experience of Finland while often creating friendships that continue long after the exchange has ended.
Learn more about the Lions youth exchange program.