Every summer, in a picturesque forested area of southern Finland by a glimmering lake, some 100 teens from more than 30 countries, speaking over a dozen languages, gather for a week of tents, teamwork, and shared adventures. But this is no ordinary summer break. It’s the KONE Global Youth Camp, a long-running tradition that brings together the children of KONE employees from across the world.
“I was a camper myself in 1999,” says Camp Director Carina Herlin with a laugh. “Some of the same tents are still in use today – checked each year, of course.”
Now in its 46th year, the camp is still built on its original foundation: curiosity, connection and care.
From traditions to secret friends
Campers begin their adventure with a weekend homestay at host families. When arriving to camp they spend their mornings solving challenges in the woods, down by the lake, or indoors in the craft and activity rooms. Some prefer mental challenges and enjoy group activities or solving riddles.
“We build the program so everyone can feel valued for who they are,” Herlin says.
In the evenings, they play games, gather around the campfire for songs, and take time to reflect. The camp staff also perform skits, often making fun of themselves. This is punctuated with the very Finnish sauna tradition, or as one camper, describes it: “Sitting in the sauna, jumping in the cold lake, then going back to sauna, and then the lake again.”
Evenings are also a good time for campers to leave a message or gift for a secret friend. On the first day, everyone is assigned one. “They’re encouraged to leave small surprises like a supportive note, or a craft or a candy bar, in a specially marked box,” Herlin explains. “It’s a way of helping create a feeling of belonging for everyone.” The secret friends are revealed on the last day in a quiet ceremony with everyone in a circle.
What began in the post-war 1940s as a break for the children of Finnish factory workers has grown into a globally diverse gathering of teens from every part of KONE’s operations. The turning point came in 1979 with the first KONE Global Youth Camp, which brought together 100 participants from around the world. The Finnish children’s camp continued until 1993, after which the camp’s focus became entirely international, in many ways mirroring KONE’s own shift from a national to global business.
Past campers with memories that remain
For former 1990s KONE campers Outi Pelkonen and Terhi Salminen, the experience has never really faded. Both returned multiple times as teens – first to the Finnish children’s camps, then to the international youth camp – and Terhi also later made a comeback as a counsellor. And today, surprise surprise, they both have ended up working for KONE. Outi is in communications in Australia, and Terhi is in supply-chain compliance, going back and forth from Finland to China.
One of Pelkonen’s standout camp memories is the factory visit that preceded a trip to the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki. “I was so sure it was going to be boring,” she admits, “and I was in a hurry to get to the rollercoasters, but it actually turned out to be really impressive to see how things were made.”
For Salminen, the experience shaped more than just memories – it helped set her life course, by giving her the spark to pursue a global career. “The camp gave me a taste of the international world, and I realized it suited me,” she says. “I also realized that hearing and seeing how people from different cultures speak and behave inspired me.” She has since lived in seven countries, four of those through KONE.
Of course, the cultural exchange wasn’t always smooth. “In the early 1990s, most of us weren’t fluent in English yet,” Salminen says. “We had to get creative using sign language, drawings, anything to communicate.” But those shared efforts often created stronger bonds. One year, she and her family hosted a girl from France, and the two stayed in touch for years, even visiting one another’s families.
Pelkonen also remembers the deep friendships formed in just a few days. That sense of connection wasn’t accidental. “Even as a child, I could tell KONE was a company that cared,” Pelkonen reflects. “The camp helped build that image in my mind, that this is a place where people matter.”
Camp connections in 2025: From strangers to family
Lacey, 16, had never been to Finland before. Valtteri, also 16, lives just an hour away from the campsite. But for one week, they’re sharing the same forest with 100 others all with the same goal: to try something new.
Lacey’s mom works at KONE Australia. “At first, when my mom asked me, I said no,” she admits. “I’ve never travelled alone before, and this is the furthest I’ve been from home.”
But something shifted. “Then I thought… why not? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. And I’m glad I said yes. People were just instantly kind. Even if we didn’t speak the same language, we could still laugh at the same things.”
Valtteri, on the other hand, was on familiar ground, although he’d never canoed before. “That was cool,” he says. But even cooler has been seeing his own country through the eyes of so many others. “You notice things more,” he says. “Like, what they find strange.” Lacey was surprised on the first day at her homestay to find a sauna inside the house. Valtteri was surprised by how some kids talk a lot. “In Finland, we don’t talk as much,” he grins. But in the sauna, he admits, chatty campers are welcome.
“It’s weird when it’s silent except for the audible breathing,” he says. “So, I want people to talk a lot in the sauna.”
Lacey had a similar experience that stuck with her. “One time we were all sitting in there and no one was talking,” she says. “It was getting more and more awkward so finally I just said something to start a conversation. And it actually worked – everyone joined in.”
Both Lacey and Valtteri agree that camp friendships form fast. “You just do so much together,” says Lacey. “You go from not knowing anyone to suddenly being in this massive group that feels like a family.”
More than just camping
Beyond the camaraderie and campfire, every camp has a theme to help young people see themselves, and each other, differently. The 2025 theme, Futures Thinking, encouraged campers to reflect on the kind of world they want to shape. The clocks jumped ahead 25 years in the morning and will be put back will be put back the same evening. Around the camp, staff are dressed in their own version of 2050, in futuristic outfits, metallic, floaty, and robotic. Conversations during the day have ranged from inequality to climate change, and from silly hypothetical futures to serious ones.
During one of the previous camps, a game simulating the theme of global inequality made a particularly strong impact on the youngsters. Some campers only got rice for lunch, while a privileged few had a five-course meal. The situation developed into a rice-throwing protest that got quite emotional and heated. The day’s program had to be paused while the campers cooled down enough to consider the fact that this is the reality for many people in today’s world.
“You can’t always plan where the learning moments come from. That’s what makes it powerful,” reflects Camp Manager, Jere Santala.
Then, too soon it’s time to say goodbye. Even the staff find it hard to let go. “There are tears every year, at the end,” says Santala. “It sounds funny to say, but if the kids leave on the bus crying, then we know our work is done.”