Pilvi 50

Pay It Forward jubileum 2026

Pay it Forward
jubileum

Dear friends, family and people life has brought close,

6th January 2026 marked my 50th birthday and our 25th wedding anniversary with Samuli*. These 50 and 25 have been full of life, love, friendship and work, milestones and disappointments, discoveries and ideas. These years are worthy of a celebration in different ways. Therefore the entire year 2026 will be a Pay Forward Jubileum.

*In addition to Pilvi 50y and Pilvi and Samuli 25y, there are many other reasons to celebrate year 2026. Among other things, UWC Mostar celebrates 20 years (we kick off the full year of celebration in May 2026) and HEI Schools 10 years.

Pay It Forward Jubileum borrows its name from a film suggested by an Indian friend. The Jubileum is dedicated to love, life and humanity. It is a year to build physical and mental strength, celebrate and revive friendships, and find and deepen strategies to tirelessly act together for peace and sustainable & prosperous future & show resistance against authoritarianism, populism and bigotry.

Please join through the year - and after❤️ I will also update pics and words here! With love and kindness,
Pilvi

My opening words and reflection on Age Generation and Time as part of 6th January Global call here.

ALL I LOVE

During the Jubileum I wish to bring people together to do things together and celebrate in meaningful ways. In addition to festivities with music and food to create spaces for discussions and actions on important topical themes in these troubled times.

FITFOR50

As part of my FitFor50 goal I wish to create opportunities to physically challenge oneself in places dear to me from Lapland to Lammi and Helsinki, from Italy to the Balkans Join whatever seems interesting for you.

Pilvi Pay it Forward Jubileum Programme

Dinner in the place where we got married 6th January 2001.
Great Global moment together. See in pictures below.
Special thanks to speakers: Elisabeth Sutcliffe, Vishal Talreja, Mario Nava, and Samuli and in-between pieces for Loviisa (8-vuotiaan elämänohjeet), Aatos (song), Ilari & Susanna (poem).
And thank you for our goddaughter Prena and elder sons Elias and Kaius for moderation!
Link to my opening & intervention to be updated here and we will also keep the recording for private use.
We will ski together with my childhood friend Sirpa. Read more here.
Kaius was born 21st March 2006 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was born in the middle of most intense work to establish United World College in Mostar. 20 years laters we will celebrate Kaius by running in Mostar, his elder brother Elias will join as will our great friend Adriaan.
Our dearest crosscountry skiing routes in Lapland. Samuli plans 55km, Pilvi 70km. You can enrol here.
Europe Day 9th May carries special meaning in the times we live in. On the Eve of it is right moment to celebrate with great ETF colleagues the 50s - mine and perhaps few others too.
Choose 10km, half marathon or full marathon. I will decide later which one to take! More here
Birthday party time!
We have dreamt of this hike with my sisters in law. Now we will do it over one long weekend.
To be seen…

Please Pay It Forward with us to organise a UWC camp

United World College Scholarship from the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 1993-95 changed my life. Working over the years to set up the UWC school in Mostar is probably the most profound experience in my adult years.

As a Jubileum goal we want to set up “Pay It Forward” fund to support the UWC Mostar. Fund will target children and young people from conflict and fragile regions. For example this year we have managed to bring students from Gaza to Mostar UWC and several Ukrainians have continued their education all these years. In particular we would like to be able to organise a UWC Camp short course in summer 2027 or 2028 and join efforts with Dream a Dream India.

Every euro counts and every donor will be listed and made part of the community of donors. We can also shape the camp together. Together we can make a difference. And pay forward. Always.

Read more on United World College in Mostar here.

Dedicated account Bank:
Raahen Seudun Osuuspankki
Pay It Forward fund Pilvi Torsti
IBAN FI64 5317 1720 0552 48
BIC/SHIFT OKOYFIHH

Warmest thanks to dear friend Anne Rusanen for her gift - these pages

Pilvi and Samuli 25th Anniversary - 2001 and 2026 same place, same dress, same people

Global Call on My Birthday 6th January at 3pm (CET)

For quite some time I was trying to find the way to mark my very birthday day in a meaningful way that feels right. I wanted to bring people from around the world together for a moment. I wanted to create a moment to share❤️

A Global Meet - a little over one hour together online at the time suitable from Bengalore to Boston and Sussex - was all that!

Thank you all who joined! It was jump into unknown and I am very happy how it turned into a shared moment across the globe.

Special thanks to speakers: Elisabeth Sutcliffe, Vishal Talreja, Mario Nava, and Samuli and in-between pieces for Loviisa (8-vuotiaan elämänohjeet), Aatos (song), Ilari & Susanna (poem).

And thank you for our goddaughter Prena and elder sons Elias and Kaius for moderation!

PIlvi’s interventions here

Samuli´s speech on TRUST here