We welcome new residents to the city with a postcard
What is Espoo like as a new home town? This topic was discussed in the spring when a group of Espoo residents with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds gathered to compose a welcoming postcard for the city.
We will send a postcard greeting to all new residents. With the card, we want to welcome the resident to their new home town and tell them about its useful services. This year, we have redesigned the contents and look of the card together with residents.
“The postcard is a small gesture, but it matters a lot. We want the new resident to feel that they are part of Espoo from the very first moment,” says Astrid Puumala-Thévenet, Development Manager at the City of Espoo.
Hearing residents in workshops
In April and May, the participants of a series of workshops talked about what kind of communication makes a new resident feel welcome. They brainstormed words, images and messages that create a sense of belonging. The workshops also produced drafts and prototypes of the card.
The workshops were organised as part of the international Trust-M research project in cooperation with the Neighbourhood Mothers programme of Nicehearts ry. The aim was to create two-way interaction: residents could have a say in the city’s communications while learning about service and visual design, for example.
“The focus is on the residents’ own voice. They know best what kind of words and images help people feel welcome and find the city’s services. These processes also create an opportunity to participate and affect your new home town,” says Debjani Chaudhuri, Regional Coordinator of Neighbourhood Mothers in Espoo, Nicehearts ry.
The new postcard will be introduced in autumn 2025. From now on, the card will be developed regularly together with residents. This way we can make sure that our message to new Espoo residents is always current and meets their needs.
Espoo residents of different ages and backgrounds took part in the workshops. Thank you Anaya Sathe, Vinumol Maliekal Nicholas, Emma Rees, Adriana Godoy, Daisy Salli, Jayanthi Kavasheri Veettil, Mehreen Ali and all other participants for your valuable contribution.
Postcards are a long-standing tradition
New residents of Espoo have received postcards before too. In 2018, the idea was tested for the first time by sending welcome greetings to a thousand randomly selected new households. Since 2019, Espoo has sent a postcard to all new households.
“The card is not just a greeting. It can be their first touch with the city and encouragement to explore their neighbourhood and find places that will make Espoo feel like home,” says Rūta Šerpytytė, Researcher from the Trust-M project.
In autumn 2025, we will send cards to over 7 000 addresses. The card is written in Finnish, Swedish and English, and it contains a short greeting in Arabic, Chinese, Somali, Russian, Estonian and Ukrainian.
We will send postcards again in March – this time to all who have moved to Espoo in the latter half of 2025.
Check out the HelloEspoo.fi website, to which the card also directs.