Community, security and closeness to nature

Already after high school and studies to become a horse groom on Kimitoön, Janina Honkala moved to Åland. Her then-boyfriend received a job offer, and she followed along.

- I started with mail delivery at Åland Post, and then started my own company with stable operations while also being involved at Ålandstravet.

After that, Janina also took over a shop selling equestrian and leisure goods, eventually working more than double the hours. She continued until she became exhausted and needed to take a break.

The archipelago beckoned

Nowadays Janina lives in the archipelago municipality of Kökar, and daily life looks completely different. After recovering from her exhaustion, she started working at the gaming company Paf, headquartered in Mariehamn. Nearly five years ago, she also met her current partner Jimmy. Janina moved into his house in Lemland, and three years ago the couple had their first child. Right now, Janina is heavily pregnant with their second child.

- Fairly early on, we started talking about moving to Kökar. Jimmy is from here, so it's actually quite natural that we ended up here. Both his brother with his wife and his parents also live on Kökar.

Kökar is Åland's southernmost municipality and one of the region's six archipelago municipalities. From mainland Åland, the travel time is 2.5 hours by archipelago ferry, and it takes just as long from Galtby in Korpo on mainland Finland. The municipality has just over 220 residents and offers childcare, school for grades 1–9, a library, a village shop and an elderly care home.

Perfect for remote work

The idea of moving out to the archipelago had been on their minds for a long time, but the plans didn't become reality until Janina found a job that worked with Kökar as a base. She was happy at Paf but wanted to work fully remotely.

- Paf only offers hybrid solutions. I don't mind going into Mariehamn occasionally for meetings and other things, but living on Kökar and spending a large part of the week away from the family was not an option.

The solution was a job at a Finnish medical company headquartered in Tampere. Today she works as a customer advisor in a team where the majority work remotely. The main language is Finnish, but Janina also provides service in Swedish in calls and chats with the company's customers.

To have a stable internet connection, Janina rents an office in the municipal offices.
- So far, I haven't had a single problem day. The archipelago municipalities have invested in fibre and there is a good connection throughout the archipelago.

She enjoys remote work and wishes that more companies would see the benefits, especially in Åland. 
- Investing in remote work would be perfect for the archipelago and perfect for businesses. My employer is headquartered in Tampere and my entire work group is spread across the whole country. Everything happens remotely.

A calmer everyday life

The work is admittedly intense, but when the workday is over, it truly is over. Janina has two kilometres to work, and Jimmy has ten. After moving, he started working as a childcare worker on Kökar and also started a property services company. He helps cottage owners with everything from minor repairs to lawn mowing.

The couple rents out their house in Lemland but has no plans to move back. Instead, they rent an older house on Kökar that they have fully renovated for year-round living.
- What do you do on a winter evening in the city? Probably the same as we do here! Daily life looks the same everywhere, but here there is also the tranquillity, nature, the sea and a starlit sky.

A sense of community matters

Nature is important to both Janina and Jimmy, who enjoy spending time on the water and going out in their own boat. They also appreciate the sense of community in a smaller place.
- Everyone knows everyone and it becomes social in a different way, very close-knit. Just by going to the shop you get your daily social dose, says Jimmy.

The families with children in the municipality socialise a great deal. They have themselves set up toddler gymnastics at the school. Many are active in associations such as the youth association, the village council or the Martta Association. Janina is involved with Folkhälsan and has recently taken over as chairperson from her mother-in-law.

- As long as you want to and are interested, you are always welcome!

The municipality is also actively working to attract more residents. A relocation team helps newcomers with practical matters.

Appreciating the sense of security

Jimmy and Janina see a safe environment for the children to grow up in as a great advantage. 
- We could almost let our 3-year-old walk on their own to grandma and grandpa 300 metres down the road without worrying.

Life is not slow-paced – they are parents of young children, work full time, run a business and are active in community life – but it is still calmer. Despite the fact that they will soon be welcoming a new addition to the family!