coel thomas

My name is Coel (pronounced like cole or coal).

I'm a 30-year-old master of political sociology from Eastern Helsinki. Currently, I serve as Deputy City Councillor in Helsinki. I was born in the United States and grew up in the Roihuvuori suburb in Helsinki. I studied in the Netherlands for five years. I live in Eastern Helsinki, in Itäkeskus.

In politics, I want to make a positive impact on the community that my family and friends live in. I want our city to be a good place to live for everyone. I stress the importance of freedom, equality and sustainability in my politics.

Read about what I want to do on the city council here or my check out my plan to legalize cannabis here.

People must be free to live as they want in a way that they do not limit the freedom of others to live how they want to. People should not have to face discrimination based on things they cannot affect, like their age, gender, sexual orientation, name or ethnic background.

Striving toward social and ecological sustainability should direct all politics. A society that doesn't care for its citizens and environment cannot continue indefinitely.

My goal is to be a strong part of the movement to build Finland into a sustainable society.

CV Summarized

Education

  • Master of Sociology (Politics & Society), Erasmus University Rotterdam

  • Bachelor’s degree, double major: International Relations and Political Sciences & Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam

  • High School, Kulosaari Secondary School (2013)

Work experience

  • Assistant to Member of European Parliament (2023-2024)

  • Researcher, Visio Think Tank (2020-23)

  • Trainee, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Department for Africa and the Middle East (2019)

  • Research Assistant, Libera Think Tank (2019)

  • While I studied I worked as a bike courier, at a salad bar and a bar.

  • After high school, I worked at the Herttoniemi Lidl for a year.

  • I’ve also worked on the phone selling stuff or collecting answers for surveys.

    Read more on LinkedIn.

experience within the greens of finland

  • Vice Chair of the Helsinki Greens (2020-23)

  • European Policy Working Group of the Finnish Greens (2019-22)