A 23-year-old student from Finland Konsta Kuusinen engaged in the Physical Activity and Lifestyle study programme, which provided great opportunities for his improvement. He believes that he would not have gained so much experience in his native country. The student is happy to have developed at the university as a personality and a young specialist.
In 2015, Konsta Kuusinen had to decide where to study – in Sweden or Lithuania, and chose our country. According to the student, he knew very little about Lithuania. The international study programme Physical Activity and Lifestyle attracted Konsta’s attention as none of the universities in his interest offered such a study programme. “Sports science is usually associated with physical education or biology, and this programme covers more – nutrition, psychology, exercise, physical activity, public health, etc. This programme allows you to better understand the areas of health, physical activity and sports. That helped me make a choice,” said Konsta. In his opinion, this programme gives all the opportunities to get knowledge in the fields of health, sports, proper exercising and healthy lifestyle, which is relevant in the current world. Teaching staff members are helpful, if students want to get knowledge.
Konsta has been playing ice hockey since childhood, so, before he arrived in Lithuania he contacted an ice hockey school in Kaunas and offered to cooperate. Linas Paražinskas, the head of “Griunvaldas” Hockey School, knew that ice hockey in Finland is as important as basketball in Lithuania and was happy to employ Konsta. At the end of their cooperation, he thanked the student “for great work with children”.
K. Kuusinen very much appreciated the fact that people trusted him. “In Finland I would have never got such a position. I was given a huge responsibility and at the same time a lot of freedom. I had the opportunity to be a creative coach,” said LSU student.
Konsta says that he most likes to popularize ice hockey, to prepare and implement a training programme. “When I train children, I focus on the child’s personality and abilities. “Griunvaldas” Hockey School organizes excellent training sessions and athletic performance camps,” says K. Kuusinen.
During the training sessions the student encountered some difficulties with English. However, Kuusinen understood that this was not the children’s problem; it was his. The student tried to create such training sessions, where children learned as much as possible independently, learned to think and got practical knowledge.
Konsta is open. “You must understand the child and his/ her world, and then there is trust between the coach and the children. I got a lot of experience in teaching them. During the training sessions, the child is educated as a personality as well, so the coach is even more responsible. It’s an experience I would have never got in Finland.”
K. Kuusinen says that on the one hand, Lithuania is like northern countries, but on the other hand it is a blend of cultures of the northern and central European countries. People in Lithuania are more able to enjoy moments than the Nordic people. Sometimes, at first glance, they may grumble too much, but in fact they are very friendly and helpful, even if they do not speak foreign languages. Konsta thinks Lithuania is a very modern country, and Lithuanians have to learn to appreciate what they have.
More information about Physical Activity and Lifestyle study programme
