Sini and Pete's year as ambassadors

"We are Sini and Pete, an ordinary couple from Äänekoski. We found each other a little over five years ago and celebrated our wedding last autumn at Matilan virta. Our household also includes two cats, Matti and Teppo. In summer our yard hosts hedgehogs and a squirrel that hides acorns, and a bat couple patrols the evening skies." This is how Sini and Pete introduced themselves in May 2019, when they were chosen for the first social media ambassador group. 

Our year was rewarding and eventful. As ambassadors, we created content about things meaningful to us from many different places. Through our photography hobby, we've roamed with the camera far and wide through ditch bottoms and rock crevices, and we've amassed about 280 GB of photos! We've had the chance to work with amazing/ creative/ skillful/ capable/ innovative/ positive people! 

It's been great to see that in our own neighborhood there is an enormous amount of expertise, and people work together selflessly. In the region there are many active people who want to develop and improve the quality of life for all of us in our home municipality. We want to give special thanks to Niskanen Oy, Kartano Kievari, Kokon puutarha and S-market Äänekoski for fruitful cooperation! 

Nature is an important part of our everyday life and thus the main theme of our content. During our ambassadorship, we discovered many new hiking spots and beautiful nature in Ääneseutu. On the trails we have met both locals and people from elsewhere, and there has been plenty to talk about. 

In Koskela we got to run a course on local hiking, which quickly filled up. It's fantastic that there are so many people in town interested in hiking! Although hiking was our main theme, we also created content about events: Shake 19, KuusYsäri, Route 69`Meeting, Keitelejazz, E4 Kesäteatteri at Kartano Kievari - Mies joka tiesi liikaa, Kylältä kylälle event, Pankkari opening, Halloween walk in Suolahti, a moonlight evening organized by locals, StandUp at Kartano Kievari, Pro Nemus Visitor Centre, Visit Äänekoski- jahti, Bokachi evening in Koskela. In addition, we visited places that were new to us and did a bit of everything, meeting people... We explored the engine shed in Suolahti. We interviewed a variety of people. We got to present Visit Äänekoski's activities to secondary school students. We visited tourism events. At the art museum we admired skilled craftsmanship. We test-drove a car. We were also in newspaper interviews a few times. We explored different villages around Ääneseutu. At Poke we explored new studies. We held a course in Koskela. We met the Chinese national javelin team. 

During our ambassadorship, the work and efforts of village communities have really stood out. A big thank-you to you! You do a lot of diverse and demanding work that is invisible to many. For example, everyone has always been welcome on the Laulavan Mörön trail and the site's maintenance has been top-notch. Huge thanks also to our followers! Our starting point was to create content and a new hiking experience for even one person, but there are so many of you! The best has been when people have come to tell us about hiking spots and hiking. Absolutely fantastic! Let's say hello when we meet. You can still find us on Facebook sinijapete and on Instagram sini&pete and the hiking continues. 

Now it's time to make room for new ambassadors! Thanks to our whole crew for a lovely year and the cooperation :) The last and most important thanks go to Saana; she has been the 'mother' of the whole group. Saana made all this possible and gave us permission to romp, and that's exactly what we did! P.S. LET'S REMEMBER TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR WONDERFUL NATURE! Take your trash with you and follow safe practices when moving in nature.

Have a great spring and thank you to everyone who has been along with us - Sini and Pete