SaWonder
Guiding & Consulting
Welcome!
We specialize in offering customized solutions that support the effective adaptation, guidance and familiarization of your organization’s international experts and their families in the local cultural environment.
We invest in individual attention to your needs by lecturing about the multicultural and international work community. We focus on experiential learning, which helps your personnel understand international and diverse communication methods in different cultures.
To spice up business visits, we offer a local guided tour according to your wishes. We also do various guided tours for individuals and groups by bus or on foot in Kuopio to anyone interested.
Company Introduction
When your company recruits international experts, SaWonder offers customized solutions that support the effective adaptation, guidance and familiarization of your organization’s international experts and their families to the local cultural environment. We focus on experiential learning, which helps your personnel understand international and diverse communication methods in different cultures. We offer lectures on multicultural and international cooperation.
In addition, for those who have been in the country for a longer time, I organize guided tours to the most interesting places in the locality and help open up cultural questions! I also help your business with presentations of local culture when you are hosting your international guests.
I also work as an authorized local guide in Kuopio
Introduction of the entrepreneur
Hello!
My name is Sirpa Laukkanen.
I founded SaWonder Guiding & Consulting in 2022 in Kuopio.
I have lived and worked abroad for several decades in several countries and continents (e.g., Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia) and have held management level international positions in various companies and, for example, in London I operated through my own company. I have also travelled extensively for my work, so I have gained experience in several countries, cultures and working conditions. It is easy for me to identify and work with people from different backgrounds.
I came back to Finland and my new city of residence in the summer of 2018, so I have first-hand experiences of cultural differences and practical challenges in adapting to new situations.
My mission is to get international experts and their families, employees and students coming from abroad to Finland to adapt and settle in their new place of residence faster and more easily, and also to stay.
charm you!“
Sirpa Laukkanen
Entrepreneur
Why choose Kuopio / North Savo
Kuopio is the centre of eastern Finland and a beautiful cultural city. It is located in the middle of Finland, approximately half way up to Lapland and down to Capital Region. It offers many opportunities both in working life and in leisure time.
A move to Kuopio / Northern Savo can offer a new kind of life experience in a wonderful and versatile urban environment, where nature and lake scenery are close by. We have four seasons here to enjoy!
Safe and peaceful environment: The cities and North Savo offer a safe and peaceful environment for living for everyone.
Good quality of life: Kuopio and North Savo offer high quality of life at lower cost than the capital area, many services and opportunities for building a good life, such as high-quality healthcare, education and cultural offerings. You can enjoy beautiful landscapes, outdoor activities and many activities depending on the season.
Culture and events: Kuopio offers a wide range of cultural offerings, such as theatre, concerts, art exhibitions and festivals throughout the year. This creates opportunities to enjoy a varied leisure time.
Education opportunities: Kuopio has several higher educational institutions e.g., University, University of Applied Science and Trade School that offer high-quality and international education in various fields.
Diverse working life: Kuopio is a growing economic area that offers diverse job opportunities in various fields, such as health, technology, life sciences and tourism.
Friendly people and community: North Savo is known for its friendly and hospitable people. Local residents are usually helpful and ready to help newcomers adapt and integrate into the community.
For Companies
Customer service and values: Our customers always come first, and we strive to provide them with tailored services and see the internationalising Kuopio and North Savo in the future.
Culture Dive
During the Culture Dive induction event, the international experts and their families will be introduced to the conditions of Kuopio / Northern Savo / Finland to help them in adapting to the new place of residence and understanding cultural differences. Kuopio and places are explored concretely, facts and examples explained, and the stories of history and present day of Kuopio are told according to the needs and wishes of the customer target group.
Goal
The aim of the Culture Dive is that the participants of the orientation will adapt better and faster to Kuopio or their new hometown and that the customers will get to know their new domicile and get tools for everyday life to integrate. In addition, this also helps create a positive relationship with the new place of work and domicile.
Better Every Day
International experts who have been with the company for some time and their family members can ask questions and propose the topics what to be discussed. As there may still be questions and challenges in everyday life, and their knowledge of their home region has remained limited. The questions are reviewed either by attending a lecture or by getting to know things concretely in a real operating environment. Cultural differences will be discussed and guiding is given of the home region to understand the current conditions better.
Goal
The aim is to give answers to questions and talk about Finland and Finnishness, so that the participants become even better familiar with their hometown, which in turn increases enjoyment and makes everyday life easier.
Better Every Day increases the knowledge of the nuances of cultural differences, which strengthens belonging to one’s current place of residence.
Culture Across Borders
I offer Culture Across Borders lectures on a multicultural and international work community based on decades of solid international experience. Practical examples will help the participants understand internationality and diverse ways of communicating in different cultures and how to work together.
Goal
The aim is for work communities to learn and get to know different cultures and cultural differences. Through the lectures, we learn that internationalization is clearly more of an opportunity than a threat.
Tourism
Kuopio Trails
SaWonder Guiding offers your corporate guests local guided tours in Kuopio according to your wishes. Organizing a guided tour is a great way to showcase the company’s domicile, which leaves a positive message to your guests about the visit.
We also do various guided tours by bus or on foot in Kuopio for private customers, groups and tourists in Finnish and English.
Contact us!
Leave a contact request using the form below and we will contact you as soon as possible.
SaWonder
Guiding & Consulting
