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Learn to Contribute to the Most Pressing Problems in
The Effective Altruism Intro Program
The Effective Altruism Intro Program is a free, four-week program for those with an active interest in improving the world.
Each week, you will read thought-provoking materials and join a small group of 4–7 participants for a guided discussion. The program gives you a chance to explore the principles of effective altruism: how to use evidence and reason to do the most good with the resources we have, and to connect with like-minded people.
After graduating from the program, participants get free entrance to the EA Summit Helsinki 28.02.2026.
You can take part either in person in Helsinki, Espoo, or online from anywhere. Meetings are held once a week and are supported by individual readings and reflection between sessions.
We are looking for participants who are not satisfied with just doing some good but are interested in maximizing their positive impact on the world.
Participation is free, thanks to Effective Altruism Finland’s funding and the efforts of the organisation’s volunteers.
The deadline for the Winter 2026 Intro program is January 27th.
The program will begin during the week of 2 February.
Don’t hesitate to email program@altruismi.fi if you have any questions.
FAQs
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The program is organised live in multiple cities in Finland as well as remotely.
To get the most out of this program, Effective Altruism Intro Program participants should be:
willing and able to commit approximately ~3–4 hours per week throughout the 4-week program to complete the readings and participate in group discussions
passionate about helping others
open-minded and flexible, eager to update their beliefs in response to persuasive evidence.
We are committed to building a diverse cohort of participants. There is some evidence suggesting that underprivileged individuals tend to underestimate their abilities. We do not want the application process to dissuade potential candidates and we strongly encourage anyone interested to apply, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, or any other background. We welcome people working or people studying at universities, vocational institutions, and all kinds of professional and intellectual fields.
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Fill out the short expression of interest form.
Fill out the longer application form sent to you after completing the first form. It will include a short reading and telling more about yourself.
Don’t forget to apply on time! We look forward to reading your application!
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Effective altruism is a global movement and philosophy focusing on finding out how we can use our resources to help others the most.
Effective Altruism Finland is a countrywide community dedicated to inspiring and supporting one another to achieve our altruistic goals. The program will be organized by local groups all around Finland.
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Every week you will have reading to do and a 90-minute discussion session. In addition to that, we will organise social events where you can get to know participants outside your discussion group. We also encourage you to have a 1-on-1 chat with a facilitator where you can discuss any questions you have.
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All the readings are in English, so it’s good if you are used to reading in English. However, you don’t need to be a native English speaker, and nor are we. Many of our facilitators are Finnish speaking, so we run some Finnish discussion groups too. Anyway, we encourage you to have an open mindset. This could also be a good opportunity to improve your English skills, as you learn and talk with others about interesting topics!
Testimonials
80% of the spring 2021 program participants said
they would highly recommend the program to their friends
“The program was well organised, discourse oriented, and surprisingly thorough. I received important insights on the topical socio-political and existential issues, and gained lots of inspiration for my studies and future career as an aspiring economist. What I appreciated especially was the multidisciplinary setup of the groups!”
— Ilkka Lähde, Economics Student
“Taking part in the Fellowship was a very rewarding experience. The group discussions gave interesting new viewpoints every week, and I was happy to get to meet like-minded people from different fields and hear their insights on our topics. Many thanks to the EA Helsinki Fellowship team, and our group leader in particular!”
— Sara Mansnerus, Law and Music Student
“The program enables you to actively learn EA concepts and stress test your understanding in a safe environment every week. Highly recommended!”
— Aayush Kucheria, Data Science Student
"The best thing about the program was to learn and discuss interesting and meaningful things with like-minded, but still different people. At the same time, I also learned a lot about myself."
— Iris Kause, Engineering Physics Student
“We read unbelievably good, perspective-widening materials, and had very interesting conversations on the most important topics of life. The greatest thing was meeting awesome, smart and like-minded people. I can recommend a program to everyone whether you are a first year student or finished your studies years ago.”
— Tapio Lahtiharju, Medicine Postgraduate
Contact us
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to program@altruismi.fi