Lue lehden pdf-versio.pdf-versio.
Sisällys tulossa pian.
Author: minna
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Practice languages in Maailmanvaihto’s Language Café
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Answer to the reader survey of the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices!
Do you read the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers' Voices? Answer...
Keeping in touch after volunteering
The end of the international volunteering period often marks a new phase for the friendships which have begun during the stay: it’s time to connect across countries. Two pairs of friends tell about their friendship and about staying in contact mainly through digital channels.
Jaishrre and Annika: Northern Lights and Friendship at a Training Camp
Six and half years ago, Annika Reinholm and Jaishrre Dhanjani met and became friends in Finland. They both had travelled there for Erasmus+ European Voluntary Service (nowadays known as European Solidarity Corps Volunteering), Annika from Estonia and Jaishrre from Spain.
Jaishrre, who nowadays lives in Spain, tells:
“We met in Helsinki from where we took a bus to our onarrival camp. Annika seemed very lively, energetic and interesting to me, so I wanted to get to know Annika.
With Annika everything seems like an adventure. During our volunteering time in Finland, we used to roam around. Annika was the spice of my experience, we had so much fun! It seemed we were in our own world and always laughing! And, by the way, Annika made our first Northern lights experience a bit scary by scaring us all the time. Hah!
As Annika said, distance friendship is possible, but for me it’s hard. Some, like me, prefer the old 90s style of meeting your friend in person. I think the trick to maintaining a long distance friendship is to be in touch, not to forget the other.
We both have changed, but it seems that our friendship has not. I wish we could see each other. Before Covid, it was like always making excuses. Now we want to visit each other, but there’s Covid.
I hate distance relationships but I love talking with Annika. I have learnt from Annika two very, very important words we tend to forget: be yourself. I keep those in mind and heart. Whatever happens, I know that Annika is one of those friends in the globe that I can always count on.”
Annika, who nowadays lives in Estonia, tells:
“I remember meeting Jaishrre at Maailmanvaihto’s camp for volunteers. In the night, we went to the meadow and forest next to the camp center to watch revontulet (Northern lights). We went there with Jaishree and other volunteers. It was pretty scary, but at the same time a lot of fun. Jaishrre was the one who kept up our good mood. It was an amazing experience!
We keep in touch on Facebook Messenger and through voicemail and videos. Distance friendship is possible, but both have to do hard work and keep in touch. It doesn’t matter how big the distance is, the important part is that you two areconnected and can trust each other.
I think Jaishrre is just like sunshine and makes people laugh and have a good time. There is a good quote about that: smile is the best medicine. I learned from Jaishrre that regardless of what has happened in your life, you have to stand up, keep smiling and move on. Never lose your positive side and thinking. You have to keep hoping that one day everything will fall into the right place.
I am sure that no matter what we still keep in touch and one day meet again.“
Karoliina and Silko: Paths Crossed in Ecuador
In 2013, Karoliina Kupari was ICYE volunteering in Ecuador and Silko Mergenthal travelling there. Their paths crossed and a friendship began.
Silko, who nowadays lives in the Netherlands, tells:
“I was traveling in South America for eight months and traveled to a little town called Collaqui in Tumbaco, Ecuador, to help build an eco house. We got along very quickly and spent time together during my entire stay. We even went hitchhiking together.
Nowadays, LinkedIn is the only channel through which we keep in touch… just kidding. We have called each other through Telegram. We have also occasionally whatsapped to each other which is very easy and quite natural for people in our age group.
I have visited Karoliina in Helsinki and she visited me in Nijmegen in the Netherlands when I was studying there. During that time, Karoliina set me up to meet her friend who was living there, too. I think people don’t change that much, only circumstances do. We have planned to visit each other again after the pandemic.
From Karoliina, I learned to love Helsinki when I visited the city. Karoliina showed me around and I met new people through her. I miss Karoliina’s unique laughter. Laughter and joking around is like medicine. I guess our sense of humour and passion for travel is what connected us in the first place.
Karoliina, who nowadays lives in Finland, tells:
“I met Silko in the town where we both lived in Ecuador. I think Silko made a lot of friends and learned Spanish super quickly thanks to his outgoing personality.
Time has made our communication more infrequent, but we have visited each other’s home countries during the years and followed each other on social media. It is nice to see how the other is doing now later in life. Silko just graduated from university.
It’s not the same over digital channels, but I like how social media reminds you of the people that are there, even though you haven’t seen them in ages. Whenever news come up from Germany, Silko pops up into my mind. Silko has followed Finnish politics after we got to know each other. When Silko hitchhiked through Sweden and Finland, he stayed at my place in Helsinki.
I guess the meaning of friendship is the friendship itself. It’s very fulfilling to catch up and notice how the same person is there, even though life runs on its course.
I think Silko is super funny and always in a good mood. He is very interested in current events of the world and keeps himself very updated. He is also brave and spontaneous.
I think knowing people from around the globe is super life enriching. Even though you see and contact people who live far away much less than with those who are nearby, you always know they are there.”
Online Meetups at Maailmanvaihto’s Forums
Often volunteers form friendships with a bunch of people: other volunteers from around the world, host family, support person, mentor, people met through hobbies… This spring, Maailmanvaihto offers two forums to keep in touch with people met while participating in its volunteering programs:
- Facebook group for alumni: In this group, previous participants of Maailmanvaihto’s programs can keep in touch with each other and receive once in a while news from Maailmanvaihto. So far, the message flow has concentrated on the latter, but the forum is open for diverse matters. facebook.com/groups/maailmvan
- Online Language Café: A weekly meeting point for all Maailmanvaihto’s people as well as for other people. Chats are held weekly in Finnish and in Spanish in Zoom. The Language Café welcomes all from beginners to advanced speakers of these languages to participate. maailmanvaihto.fi/en/online-language-cafe
Text: Minna Räisänen
Photos: from the albums of Jaishrre Dhanjani, Karoliina Kupari, Annika Reinholm and Silko Mergenthal
The article has been published in the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices 1/2021.
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European Solidarity Corps volunteering in Austria – apply 9th June at the latest!
Our Austrian co-operation organization Grenzenlos is looking for young people aged at 18–30 years to fourteen workplaces. Give your input and learn new in early childhood education or the cultural field, for instance!
Get to know the workplaces and the tasks of the volunteers as well as the experiences of previous participants on the website of Melange. The volunteering periods last for 10–12 months and begin in next September–October, if the coronavirus situation allows.
An example of these inspiring voluntary workplaces is the culture center Kulturhaus Brotfabrik in the outskirts of Vienna. In the center, the residents of the district decrease isolation and strengthen solidarity and social cohesion within the neighbourhood.
While volunteering in the European Solidarity Corps, the volunteer learns via daily life co-operation. The volunteering periods offer a chance to learn from deeper than just the surface both the voluntary workplace and local living. Volunteering co-operation in the open positions is coordinated by the youth exchange organization Grenzenlos which also supports the volunteers.
The volunteering periods will be subsidized by the EU. With the support, the volunteers will for instance be provided with accommodation, insurance and support for language learning. In addition, the travel costs to Austria will be covered (the participant may need to pay only a small portion of the travel costs) . We at Maailmanvaihto can act as a sending support organiaztion for the volunteers who head for the experience from Finland. We will train the volunteers and be a part of their support network throughout the volunteering period. After their return, we will meet the volunteers to explore together with them the learning experience and we will welcome them to join in our upcoming activities.
The European Solidarity Corps volunteers is meant for people aged at 18–30 years. In order to participate, you don’t need to have an educational or work background – motivation for international volunteering as well as practical English skills are enough. The positions are primarily targeted at those young adults who have less opportunities than their peers to gain international experience, due to unemployment, for instance. Learn more about the European Solidarity Corps volunteering in general.
Applying
Apply on 9th May 2021 at the latest! See on the website of Melange the applying instructions and download from there the application form (docx). Send your fiilled-in application form and your CV in English to Grenzenlos to application@grenzenlos.or.at. Please, remember to tell in your applicatin form about your motivation to apply to the voluntary workplace in question. If you wish to apply for several workplaces, please fill in a separate application form for each workplace.
You are welcome to name in your application Maailmanvaihto (Oikokatu 3, 00250 Helsinki, Finland; +358 50 452 5660; maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi) as your sending organisation. Our OID code is E10126971 and our contact person Secretary General Anni Koskela. NB! Maailanvaihto can work as your sending organisation only if you live in Finland. Send you application message as a copy to us at maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi. If the voluntary workplace would like to receive you as a volunteer, let’s set up a meeting to get to know each other, and if everything seems good for you and us, let’s agree upon co-operation.
Accessibility information
In case you have a disability or a long-term illness, you can, if you wish, ask from Grenzenlos at application@grenzenlos.or.at whether if it would be possible to arrange for you the kind of support that you would need, in case you got selected as a volunteer. In you wish, we can also ask for this information from Gzenzenlos for you. You can reach us at maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi.
About applying for ESC Volunteering in the coronavirus times
European Solidarity Corps Volunteering period can be started if starting the volunteering period physically in the host country is not possible due to exceptional circumstances. The periods will be completed in the host country when the circumstances allow it. European Solidarity Corps Volunteering can also be postponed to a later date or canceled in case needed due to the coronavirus situation (see the news from the Finnish National Agency for Education). It is worth finding out from the flight company, with which kinds of costs the flights would be possible to postpone or cancel if needed.
Further information
In case you have any questions, please contact us! We will be happy to answer. You can reach us via e-mail from the address maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi and by phone from the number 050 452 5660.
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Get to know our activities during the World Village Festival weekend!
The World Village Festival will be organized online 29–30 May 2021. We participate in the festival as an exhibitor. In between the festival program, learn about possibilities to join in the activities of Maailmanvaihto, you can find information on them from below and during the festival weekend also on our social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Visit the World Village Festival
5 x join in the acitivities of Maailmanvaihto
Upcoming events
We at Maailmanvaihto work for advancing intercultural understanding, equality and peace. We are a youth exchange organization found in 1958. Our organization is religiously and politically nonaligned.
Via us, young people both travel abroad and come from abroad to Finland for 6–12 months of volunteering. The co-operation offers for the people of the workplace and the volunteer a joint intercultural learning journey.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we currently have much less volunteering exchange. About the impact of the coronavirus situation on the volunteering programs you can read on the pages of the programs. We follow the situation and update the information.
5 x join in the activities of Maailmanvaihto
1) Abroad from Finland for volunteering
In international volunteering, you will learn through daily life co-operation. You will gain understanding of life in another part of the world and learn about yourself, too. There are volunteering tasks in the educational field, human rights work, and environmental protection work, for instance.
If you are aged 18–30 years, apply for EU-supported volunteering in the European Solidarity Corps (ESC)!
In the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) program, volunteers work outside Europe. The upper age limit of this program is flexible. The next time to travel for ICYE volunteering abroad is in January–February 2022.
2) From abroad to Finland for volunteering
We receive volunteers from different parts of the world. In Finland, too, the young people participate within the European Solidarity Corps or in the ICYE program. Most often, our volunteers work in the educational field or take part in work with people with disabilities.
3) Become a host family
As a host family, you have an important role in making the co-operation between a young volunteer from abroad and a common-good organization possible by providing a home for the volunteer. In this voluntary task, you will share your daily life home living with the volunteer. Welcome to become a host family are families, couples as well as those who live alone. See our current possibilities to become a host family as well as further information on host family activities – and apply to become a host family!
4) Become a support person
Also as a support person, you are an important part of the volunteering period in Finland of a young volunteer from abroad. You are a local friend who cares about the greetings of the volunteer and supports the volunteer in getting to know living in a new place. See further information on the support person activities and apply to become a support person!
5) Join in the teams of training camps for volunteers
In the teams of Maailmanvaihto’s training camps, you will get a chance to exercise your skills and get to know volunteers from different countries. We are currently putting together a team for the on-arrival training camp which we will hold in August in Tuusula, if the coronavirus situation allows, or online. Learn more about the training camp activities and apply!
Got interested? Do you have questions? Please, contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also e-mail or call us at maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi +358 50 452 5660.
Want to say up to date about possibilities to join in our activities? Subscribe to our monthly e-mail newsletter (MailChimp) (the newsletter is published in Finnish).
Upcoming events
18 Aug Zoom
Zoom into international volunteering: ICYE volunteering in Asia!
We will learn about co-operation in Asian countries, such as Japan and Taiwan. Further information and sign-up instructions coming up soon.
22 Sept Zoom
Zoom into international volunteering: Skills for life from volunteering
The participants will share their learning experiences. Further information and sign-up instructions coming up soon.
6. Oct Zoom
Zoom into international volunteering: Opi vapaaehtoistyössä luonnon- ja ympäristönsuojelusta
ESC and ICYE volunteering opportunities in the nature and environment field in different parts of the world. Further information and sign-up instructions coming up soon.
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Would you like to practice speaking in Spanish or Finnish...
Answer to the reader survey of the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices!
Do you read the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers' Voices? Answer...
What motivated you to participate in international volunteering? Write about your experiences in the MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices magazine
Write about your experiences
Maailmanvaihto sends and receives international volunteer workers for periods of 6 to 12 months both in Finland and abroad. Even though we are a youth organization, our volunteers have widely varying backgrounds: some have just graduated from upper secondary education, some are spending a gap year, some have already some professional experience…
Have you participated in an international volunteer program via Maailmanvaihto? What kind of motivations and expectations did you have prior to leaving abroad? Did your experience change your perspective or thoughts? Did you get what you expected? Were you surprised by something? Which kinds of things kept up or increased your motivation?
Would you like to write about your experience in the upcoming issue of Volunteers’ Voices? We also welcome photographs and illustrations! Please contact us with your suggestions by June 20th 2021. The deadline for materials is August 1st 2021. Contact address: maailmanvaihtoalehti@maailmanvaihto.fi.
Join in the editorial team
Would you like to explore the theme as a part of the editorial team? Please, contact us if you would be interested in contributing by writing an interview story, making graphics, taking photos, or taking part in editing the stories. We will be happy to hear about your interests and to tell you more about the magazine work and ideas for stories for the upcoming issue. Also from those interested in taking part in the editorial work we hope a message by 20th June 2021.
Join in learning together in magazine work! You can reach the editor-in-chiefs via the address maailmanvaihtoalehti@maailmanvaihto.fi.
Read also
Practice languages in Maailmanvaihto’s Language Café
Would you like to practice speaking in Spanish or Finnish...
Answer to the reader survey of the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices!
Do you read the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers' Voices? Answer...
Greetings from abroad: From Finland to Austria and from Taiwan to Finland
Each year Maailmanvaihto sends and receives young people for long-term volunteering. Susanna Halme and Fang Yuan Chuang share their volunteering experiences during a global pandemic.
Interviews: Fabienne Zogg & Roos Freije
Photos: Daniela Fellinger, the albums of the volunteers
Susanna: Suomesta Itävaltaan
Lähdin, koska…
Olen aina unelmoinut asumisesta pidemmän aikaa toisessa maassa itsenäisesti. En kuitenkaan tiennyt, miten se onnistuisi. Kun löysin tiedon nuorisovaihtojärjestö Grenzenlosin ESC-vapaaehtoistyöprojektista, tajusin sen olevan täydellinen mahdollisuus. Olen näkövammainen, minkä myötä ei ole ihan yksinkertaista muuttaa ulkomaille: täytyy miettiä miten saan tarvittavan avun ja tukitoimet, kuten henkilökohtaisen avustajan ja liikkumistaidon ohjauksen. Tässä projektissa haettiin nimenomaan vammaista vapaaehtoista ja projektin tavoitteisiin kuuluu erityistarpeiden huomioiminen. Siksi pystyin lähtemään matkaan luottavaisin mielin. Halusin myös oppia lisää järjestötyöstä ja kansainvälisestä vapaaehtoistyöstä. Olen todella vaikuttunut, kuinka inklusiivinen tämä hanke on ja kuinka sujuvasti saavutettavuus, yhdenvertaisuus ja tarvittavat tukitoimet on otettu huomioon.
Itävaltaan!
Vapaaehtoishankkeeni nimi on Grenzenlos Without Barriers, jonka tavoitteena on edistää kulttuurien moninaisuutta ja kulttuurienvälistä vuorovaikutusta lähettämällä vapaaehtoisia ulkomaille ja vastaanottamalla vapaaehtoisia Itävaltaan, järjestämällä vapaaehtoistyöleirejä, seminaareja, koulutuksia jne. Työskentelen vapaaehtoisena Grenzenlosin toimistolla Wienissä.
Monipuolisia työtehtäviä ja uuden oppimista
Pääasiallinen työtehtäväni on tuottaa blogia, joka sisältää tekstiä sekä podcasteja. Blogissa käsittelen vapaaehtoistyötä monelta eri kannalta. Esimerkiksi: mitä vapaaehtoisena voi oppia, millainen vaikutus vapaaehtoistyöjaksolla on pidemmälle tulevaisuuteen sekä kuinka saavutettavaa ja inklusiivista vapaaehtoistyö on. Haastattelen vapaaehtoisia ja muita ihmisiä sekä reflektoin omia kokemuksiani. Tapaan ja haastattelen ihmisiä, kirjoitan, äänitän ja editoin. Työni on erittäin mielenkiintoista ja saan kuulla hienoja tarinoita. Opin lisää niin vapaaehtoistyöstä kuin esimerkiksi äänitteiden editoimisesta. Välillä teen myös muita pieniä työtehtäviä. Olen mm. tuottanut ja kääntänyt materiaalia englanniksi ja avustanut somekampanjassa. Olen oppinut paljon Grenzenlosista ja sen monipuolisesta toiminnasta sekä järjestötyöstä yleensä.
Vapaaehtoisena pandemian aikana
Alun perin minun piti aloittaa vapaaehtoistyöjaksoni jo toukokuussa. Koronatilanteen ja matkustusrajoitusten vuoksi jouduimme kuitenkin siirtämään aloitusta, ja lopulta aloitin syyskuussa. Itävallassa on ollut paljon koronarajoituksia: kokoontumisrajoituksia, ulkonaliikkumiskielto, etätyösuositus ja muutamaankin otteeseen ihan täydellinen lockdown. Tämä on väistämättä vaikuttanut arkeeni. Olen tehnyt melko paljon etätöitä. Myös monet muut aktiviteetit, kuten tulovalmennus, saksan kielikurssi sekä vapaaehtoisten tapaamiset ovat siirtyneet verkkoon.
Olen Itävallassa alkanut harrastaa uintia ja sokkojalkapalloa. Valitettavasti tiukentuneiden rajoitusten takia treenit ovat olleet tauolla ja olemme pystyneet tekemään vain kuntopiirejä verkkoversiona. Kavereita tai toisia vapaaehtoisia ei ole pystynyt näkemään isolla porukalla. Ravintolat, museot, kulttuuripaikat yms. ovat suljettuna ja tapahtumat on peruttu. On siis täytynyt löytää uusia tapoja viettää vapaa-aikaa. Olen lenkkeillyt paljon opaskoirani kanssa, kävellyt Wienin puistoissa ja vaelluspoluilla sekä nauttinut luonnosta. Olen myös löytänyt kaverin, jonka kanssa olemme käyneet paljon juoksulenkeillä.
En ole juurikaan pystynyt matkustelemaan naapurimaiden rajojen ollessa kiinni. Wienin ohella olen vieraillut Itävallan kaupungeista vain Wiener Neustadissa, sillä lockdown-olosuhteissa ei kaupunkivierailuista ehkä saisi niin paljoa irti. Minut myös määrättiin kotikaranteeniin reiluksi viikoksi korona-altistuksen takia. Karanteenin aikana en saanut poistua huoneestani käytännössä lainkaan. Jouduin kavereiden ja kollegoiden kanssa järjestämään koiranulkoilutukset ja ruokaostokset. Onneksi pystyin tekemään töitä ja jatkamaan saksan kielikurssia. Vaikka karanteeni ei olekaan kokemuksista mukavin, sekin opetti taas uudenlaisia organisoimistaitoja.
Vaikka koronarajoitukset jollain tavoin rajoittavat ja määrittävät tekemisiäni, asenne ratkaisee: yritän nauttia täysillä niistä asioista, joihin minulla on mahdollisuus. Esim. opaskoirani kanssa lenkkeily Tonavan rannalla on saanut ihan uuden merkityksen lockdownin keskellä. Ja poikkeusoloista auttaa selviämään se, että todella pidän työstäni Grenzenlosilla ja sitä pystyn koronasta huolimatta tekemään!
Arvokkaita ystävyyssuhteita ja koronarajoitusten tuomat haasteet
Antoisinta on ollut toteuttaa omaa projektia pääasiallisena työtehtävänäni. Olen saanut ideoida blogiani ja suunnitella haastatteluja, postauksia ja podcasteja. Voin käsitellä niitä aiheita, jotka koen kiinnostaviksi ja antoisiksi, ja saan käyttää luovuuttani. Tarvittaessa saan arvokasta ja kannustavaa tukea kollegoilta. Työ motivoi, kun sitä saa olla itse suunnittelemassa ja kun näkee oman työn ja ideoinnin tuloksen.
Antoisia ovat olleet myös uudet kaveruudet ja ystävyydet. Arvokkaita kaverisuhteita on löytynyt niin toisista vapaaehtoisista kuin harrastuksista. Harrastusteni kautta olen päässyt tutustumaan myös toisiin näkövammaisiin, mikä on tarjonnut arvokasta vertaistukea. Myös yhteistyö henkilökohtaisen avustajani kanssa on todella toimivaa ja meistä on vähitellen tullut ystävät. Tämä yhteys varmasti jatkuu pitkään projektin jälkeenkin.
Haasteellisinta on ollut korona ja sen mukanaan tuomat rajoitukset, epävarmuus ja jatkuvasti muuttuvat olosuhteet. On ollut hankala tehdä suunnitelmia ja jatkuvasti on täytynyt olla valmis sopeutumaan uudenlaiseen tilanteeseen ja uusiin rajoituksiin. Etenkin tiukat kokoontumisrajoitukset ovat aiheuttaneet haasteita työssä, vapaa-ajalla ja tukitoimien järjestämisessä.
Terveiseni niille, jotka ovat kiinnostuneet vapaaehtoistyöstä maailmalla
Go for it! Jos yhtään tuntuu, että maailmalle lähteminen voisi olla se oma juttu, ei muuta kuin matkaan! Kannustan ihan jokaista lähtemään. Etenkin haluaisin kannustaa vammaisia ja erityistä tukea tarvitsevia nuoria osallistumaan – kaikki on mahdollista ja Maailmanvaihdossa asenne on kohdallaan ja kaikkien osallisuutta halutaan aidosti tukea. Vapaaehtoistyöjakso ulkomailla antaa todella paljon. Siinä oppii toisesta maasta ja kulttuurista, ja työtehtävät opettavat varmasti tulevaisuudessa hyödyllisiä taitoja. Myös kielitaito karttuu ja itsevarmuus toimia vieraalla kielellä kasvaa. Ennen kaikkea vapaaehtoisuus kuitenkin antaa mahdollisuuden oppia itsestään, haastaa itseään, löytää uusia taitoja ja vahvuuksia ja kokea osallisuutta. Vapaaehtoisuus huippuhetkineen ja haasteineen on kokonaisuus, joka varmasti muuttaa elämää ja on monin tavoin opettavainen ja arvokas.
Fang-Yuan: From Taiwan to Finland
I went because…
I have lost many wonderful opportunities because I was not confident enough, nor did I dare to speak English or talk to foreigners. A while ago someone told me “Language is not the reason to stop you from knowing the world.” This changed my perspective and led to the fact that I left my comfort zone behind in order to get to know a different version of myself. And now I can happily say that I made it!
To Finland!
I wanted to experience a completely different culture than that of my home country. In my eyes, the best way to do this was to live with locals in another country for a longer period of time, to find a more authentic self. At the same time, I believe that Finland has one of the most advanced values in the world, such as the focus on equality and respect for every individual being. This is also reflected in their well-known educational system where there is room for personal growth, which I really admire.
Living and assisting at a Finnish folk high school
I work as an assistant at Kainuu College, a folk high school in Mieslahti in northern Finland. Kainuu College is a learning institution and an adult education centre that is open for all. It offers many different study opportunities as well as guidance in learning and active citizenship. As an assistant, I organize activities, participate in different courses and do cleaning and kitchen work.
Influence of the coronavirus situation
During the pandemic, the Finnish government closed schools for a period of time, which prevented me from meeting other people. Although I felt lonely, I spent more time in nature and strengthening my Finnish language skills through online Finnish courses provided by Kainuu College.
Greetings to those who are thinking of volunteering abroad
As a volunteer, you will meet all kinds of people, and volunteering abroad, in general, is a rare and special experience not to be missed. Remind yourself to always keep an open mind so you don’t miss any unexpected experiences: try strange and different things. Before you say “no”, just try it! And don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. During the volunteering period, the most difficult thing for me has been communicating in Finnish and understanding the language, but I have always found solutions in different ways. “Language is not the reason to stop you from knowing the world.”
The story has been published in MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices 1/2021.
Read also
Practice languages in Maailmanvaihto’s Language Café
Would you like to practice speaking in Spanish or Finnish in a relaxed atmosphere? Would you like to support others in learning these languages by sharing your language knowledge? Join in Maailmanvaihto’s Language Café! Participation is free and open to all young people.
The schedule of the autumn season 2024:
- Thursday 12th September at 17.30–19.30, theme: Learning with games (maybe we’ll pay Uno cards togehter)
- Friday 11th October at 17.30–19.30, theme: Friends, interaction, and ways to communicate
- Thursday 14th November at 17.30–19.30, theme: New words: let’s learn 10 new words together
- Wednesday 11th December at 17.30–19.30 (Please note that the date has changed!), theme: Wishes and Proposals – how to communicate your thoughts
The meetings will be held at Maailmanvaihto’s office, in the address Oikokatu 3, Helsinki. The office is situated about 10 minutes walk away from the Helsinki central railway station.
The Language Café is open to all interested, and you are welcome to join once or several meetings. We welcome to the Language Café both young participants of Maailmanvaihto’s activities and new people. You are welcome to participate in one or several meetings.
The Language Café is hosted by volunteers Isa and Mikaela. Isa created the Language Café for Maailmanvaihto as a part of their European Solidarity Corps volunteering period in Maailmanvaihto.
Safer space and accessibility
We wish to build in all Maailmanvaihto’s activities an atmosphere in which all participants can feel welcome as themselves. To support this, we will follow at the event Maailmanvaihto’s Safer space principles.
Inside Maailmanvaihto’s office, it is possible to move around with a wheelchair, but the office space is not completely wheelchair accessible: there is an approximately 7 cm doorstep at the entrance, and the toilet is not big enough for a wheelchair. Assistance dogs are welcome. If needed, we will gladly give you further information: tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi.
How to join
Register for the meetings of the Language Café via e-mail: tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi. We hope to receive your registration in order to know how much coffee and tea to make for the participants. 🙂
Welcome! Tervetuloa! ¡Bienvenidos!
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Marta’s Story as an ESC Trainee – An Opportunity to Continue Broadening your Horizon after volunteering
Marta Melendez Ortega is one of the young people who have participated in the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Volunteering through Maailmanvaihto. Marta’s story is a unique one: After a year as an ESC volunteer, Marta was still eager to develop relevant skills and to continue the learning experience in Finland. So, Marta applied through Maailmanvaihto for a new ESC opportunity: being an ESC trainee. Now Marta is the first young person who participates in the ESC traineeship, coordinated by Maailmanvaihto!
The ESC traineeship is a rather new opportunity for young people. The aim is to support young people in gaining work experience and intercultural competences in order to benefit their future career possibilities. This international traineeship can widen the understanding of global issues, cultures, and solidarity, for instance. Besides supporting young people, the traineeship aims at supporting the vitality of the participating organizations.
Continuing co-operating with Kisälli-Harjulanmäki
In September 2020, Marta started as an ESC trainee at Kisälli-Harjulanmäki, right after finishing a European Solidarity Corps Volunteering period there earlier in September: “During my volunteering year, I was very happy with working with Kisälli-Harjulanmäki. The whole of Kisälli-Harjulanmäki is really passionate about the project they carry out and they dedicate a lot of effort to create an environment of personal, social, and creative development for all the clients, workers, and volunteers.”
Kisälli-Harjulanmäki is located in Vihti, a town situated about fifty kilometers away from Helsinki. Kisälli-Harjulanmäki is an organization that provides people with intellectual disabilities support in their personal, professional, educational, physical, emotional, and communicative development through art and working together. It is carried out via workshops where artistic projects are made that seek the discovery and development of their skills, and the learning of new ones.
Kisälli-Harjulanmäki has already been working together with Maailmanvaihto for a long time, but this ESC traineeship is a new addition to our successful co-operation. The director of Kisälli-Harjulanmäki and Marta’s mentor, Mauri Pajunen further explains: “We thought that it would be interesting to use the opportunity of an ESC trainee and to continue the co-operation in this context with Marta – the co-operation which has worked so well!”
When Marta had the chance to continue working with Kisälli-Harjulanmäki, Marta seized this opportunity with both hands: “I am a teacher by profession. Kisälli-Harjulanmäki is a really beautiful place where I can develop also professionally. I knew that with Mauri at the helm, and together with the rest of the team, I would always be very well supported. I have meetings with my mentor about my development on a regular basis. I am learning new teaching techniques and I have more responsibilities in the organization, which is very useful for my career path. I am super lucky with this opportunity!”, Marta tells.
Expanding skills and knowledge through the ESC traineeship
Marta explains that the ESC traineeship opens more opportunities for the future: “My studies to become a teacher included general aspects of education for people who have some type of intellectual disability. Through this project, I have been able to broaden my vision and have a more understanding of this. Thanks to the experience here, I can improve my skills in this direction in the future.”
“I have also discovered new ways of learning and working at Kisälli-Harjulanmäki. They differ much from those which I have learned in Spain. At Kisälli-Harjulanmäki the participants of the workshops have the freedom to develop themselves at their own pace. They are approached as individuals, taking into account their individual needs and skills, without comparing them to each other. I will take this valuable perspective with me to Spain”, Marta explains.
According to Marta the difference between the ESC volunteering experience and the ESC traineeship is Marta’s involvement in the organizational part and having more responsibilities. Both ESC volunteering and the ESC traineeship comes with the benefits of the European Solidarity Corps: “Besides the daily learning experiences at Kisälli-Harjulanmäki, this traineeship offers me an opportunity to keep discovering the Finnish culture, and through Maailmanvaihto I still have the chance to easily meet new people from every corner of the world. I still enjoy all the creative and social parts in the same way as to when I was an ESC volunteer”, Marta tells.
Sharing working methods and approaches during the traineeship is highly beneficial for the participants as well as the participating organizations. Mauri Pajunen from Kisälli-Harjulanmäki would recommend the ESC traineeship to other organizations: “There is a lot of potential with the young volunteers and interns. I see the ESC traineeship as a continuation for the ESC volunteer year.”
The photo on top: In Kisälli-Harjulanmäki ESC trainee Marta Marta Melendez Ortega (left) has got to participate in inspiring artistic co-operation with the participants of Kisälli’s workshops. In the left photo Artturi Holm, a participant of the workshops, painting.
European Solidarity Corps Traineeships through Maailmanvaihto
Maailmanvaihto has begun to coordinate European Solidarity Corps Traineeship periods of young people in Finland as well as to send young people abroad from Finland for ESC Traineeships. In a project of three-year project which began in 2020, three young people will arrive in Finland for ESC Traineeships coordinated by Maailmanvaihto and two young people will head abroad for an ESC Traineeship sent by our NGO.
We gladly plan new traineeship co-operations for the future! We will be happy to tell more about the ESC Traineeship for those organizations interested in receiving a trainee as well as for those young people interested in participating in it.
Please, contact us for further information: Programme Coordinator Mari Takalo: hosting@maailmanvaihto.fi, 044 318 0888. Further information is also available at the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education (in Finnish).
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Volunteers’ Voices 2/2020: Returning from Volunteering Abroad
In this issue
4 Pääkirjoitus / Editorial
6 Kutsu syyskokoukseen / Invitation to autumn meeting
7 Kuulumisten vaihtoa
10 Tule mukaan toimintaan
11 Haastattelijana pääsee peilaamaan omia vapaaehtoiskokemuksia
12 Join our activities
13 Terveisiä maailmalta! Greetings from abroad!
16 “Let the world walk into our school”
18 Uusia näkymiä Boliviasta
33 26 maailmanvaihtolaisen kausi
35 Tapahtumakalenteri
Theme
21 Kotiinpaluun kulttuurishokki – voimaa vertaistuesta
24 From Turkey to Finland
26 Pitkä matka kotiin – erään vapaaehtoisen tarina
28 The conflict of emotions in the aid work industry
30 After volunteering
Editorial: A Year to Remember
The year 2020 shall be remembered by one major global theme: the worldwide corona pandemic. COVID-19 and its consequences have brushed upon peoples’ lives all over the human-inhabited continents. We have seen debates on the usefulness of mask policies, travel restrictions being imposed, recommendations to work remotely from home and keep social distance, and quarantines.
With such great impact on society, the corona virus has most definitely affected the operation of ICYE Finland as well. With slight dread we have been anticipating changes to our Finnish volunteers’ travel schedules, and even possible program interruptions for those already abroad. Also, the situation for foreign volunteers in Finland kept us vigilant on the conditions for continuing volunteer programs during the pandemic and whether those who decide to interrupt their program could even safely return to their homelands. Amidst all this confusion shines a light of optimism: as an organization, this has provided us a test on how we cope with a crisis at such a large scale as a pandemic, and I must say I am very proud of the people working together to make ICYE Finland work. Both our basic functions and our board activities have been taken care of with the swift moves corona has required: activities have been transferred online and our gaze has shifted even further into bettering the quality of our functions and monitoring it even though our participant numbers might temporarily drop. Not everything is at halt, the functions of ICYE Finland keep churning on.
A big part of ICYE Finland’s functions consist of training our volunteers both before their departure to and after their return from their volunteer period. The theme issue that you’re reading focuses on the latter part of the volunteer’s journey: return. On page 22 Liisi Vakkila, who recently went through the homecoming process, tells us what it was for her to return from the bustling city of Tainan to her quiet hometown in South Karelia. On page 28 Joy Martins Branco Correia Lopes shares the conflicting feelings that working in a Red Cross refugee reception centre had evoked. In addition, we have two volunteers share their volunteer work experience under the time of corona: Anssi Häkkinen who travelled from Finland to volunteer in Argentina, and Ana Costa Machado who came from Portugal to volunteer in Sippola residential school in Finland.
The theme issue in your hands is indeed one packed with big emotion. The moment of return offers us the chance to look back at everything lived and experienced and cherish those experiences – and maybe even the lessons we learned. Whether the return took place a year ago, a decade ago, or it’s been even several decades since, it’s useful to go over the mental items brought over through one’s journeys and how they live on in us into this day.
I wish you pleasurable reading moments with this issue themed “Returning from volunteering abroad”!
Mia-Elina Aintila
Board member, Finnish volunteers’ team
(ICYE volunteer in Colombia 2010–11)
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Accessibility of Maailmanvaihto’s website
23.9.2020
Accessibility is an important aspect to our website. We are currently exploring in Maailmanvaihto the accessibility of our website through the demands in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 criteria’s stages A and AA. Our website does not meet all those demands. When our exploration ready, we will describe on this page the accessibility of our website as well as our plans for improving the accessibility.
Feedback on accessibility
In case you notice accessibility problems on our website, we would like to hear about them from you! You can reach us via e-mail at the address maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi, by phone from the number +358 50 452 5660 and through the feedback form of our website.
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