Suomi 100 Escape room
Hi, Chloe here. Last year I was working as a teacher in northern Finland where I created and led the construction of a fully-functioning escape room.
Brief
Design a project to celebrate 100 years of Finnish independence and attract prospective students to Kalajoen lukio (a high school in a small, rural town).
Insight
History feels more relevant and engaging when we experience it in an interactive way. Kalajoen lukio is a school known only for teaching from textbooks - we want to change that.
Solution
Build an educational escape room, open to the general public.
making the idea a reality
Step 1:
Secure funding from the local council in order to rent out and decorate an empty space.
Step 2:
Design the room.
I decided to split it into six sections based upon key parts of Finnish history:
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The formation of Helsinki
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The Right to Vote
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Tsar Alexander II's reign
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The Finnish Civil War
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The presidency of Urho Kekkonen
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Joining the EU
Step 3:
Build walls for each of these sections.
Step 4:
Craft, craft, craft.
Step 5:
Advertise the room in the run-up to its launch (through various social media channels).
Step 6:
Open up Suomi 100 Escape Room to the general public.
Step 7:
Make people wish they were there.
Step 8:
Get fully booked up with 70 groups and enjoy rave reviews.
Step 9:
Win an award for Rieska Leader's top youth project of the year.
Step 10:
Sleep well - because making an escape room ain't easy!