UAS Moves Continues to Promote a Movement-Friendly Higher Education Culture
The joint project UAS Moves by Haaga-Helia and Laurea Universities of Applied Sciences launched its new project phase on 1st of August 2025. The project builds on the work started in the 3AMK Moves initiative, aiming to embed movement into the everyday life of studying and working.
During the previous project phase (1st of August 2024–31st of July 2025), the 3AMK Moves project developed a shared activity etiquette, introduced movement-based pedagogical practices, and implemented a variety of pilot initiatives. The entire university community (Haaga-Helia, Laurea, and Metropolia Universities of Applied Sciences) participated in the development work through team-specific activity pledges, activity agent activities, and pedagogical workshops.
In the current phase, the UAS Moves project focuses on implementing and further developing the established models. The key focus areas remain the activity etiquette, physically active learning, and activity pilots. The jointly designed activity etiquette is being implemented through institution-specific action plans: Haaga-Helia Moves and Laurea Moves.
Development actions in physically active learning include sharing best practices within the university community, expanding the movement agent model into a network-based approach, and collaborating with the City of Helsinki on physically active learning. A publication on the activity agent model is also expected by the end of 2026. Haaga-Helia is responsible for the development of physically active learning.
Laurea University of Applied Sciences continues to pilot interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration models. These include strengthening cooperation with student health services to reach students with low levels of physical activity and working with the City of Vantaa to increase opportunities for communal physical activities and sports. Student-centeredness is supported through collaboration with the student unions Helga and Laureamko, who are active co-operators in promoting a more active higher education culture.
The target group of UAS Moves includes all students and staff at Haaga-Helia and Laurea Universities of Applied Sciences, reaching approximately 27,000 people. Activities are carried out on campuses in Southern Finland as well as online.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture as part of the Get Finland Moving programme. With a total budget of €300,000 for the academic year 2025–2026, UAS Moves is the largest project funded under the programme. The project is implemented in collaboration between Haaga-Helia and Laurea, with student unions Helga and Laureamko, and the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa and FSHS as network collaborators.
