Valio awarded Valio Akatemia® stipends in Finland in late November and early December. This year 300 stipends were awarded to children and young people to support their sporting activities. The combined value of the stipends was EUR 126,000. The stipends and award events got plenty of attention in local and social media.
The recipients of the stipends were selected by Valio and Valio Akatemia sponsors – the skier Kerttu Niskanen, football player Joel Pohjanpalo, endurance runner and orienteerer Topi Raitanen, and hockey player Roope Hintz. Recipients of Valio Akatemia stipends most commonly use them on hobby fees, equipment, coaching, training camps, and travel to competitions. The Valio Akatemia programme also offers nutrition advice through snack and cooking courses, as well as nutrition training. These activities are carried out jointly with the Martha Organization, which is a home economics organisation, and Finnish sports nutrition experts.
What is Valio Akatemia®?
Valio Akatemia helps children and young people to make their own dreams come true related to sports, exercise and wellbeing by awarding financial stipends and stipends for nutrition, products and events in Finland. Established in spring 2013, the programme along with the participating role models provides practical, everyday experiences related to sports, exercise and wellbeing. It also helps to teach young people about living well, and acts as a bridge between generations. This year we received over 1,400 applications, from children, adolescents and groups. Valio Akatemia is a part of Valio’s sustainability program.
