Author: minna

Would you like to

• diversify your world view and practice your language skills?
• support international volunteering?
• make a new friend?

Become a host family! In August, a 34-year-old Japanese volunteer called Eri will arrive in Alavus to volunteer at Kirkkomännikkö school for six months. Maailmanvaihto is now looking for a host family for her.

In Japan, Eri works as a teacher. She’ll volunteer at Kirkkomännikkö school from August 2025 to January 2026. We’re primarily looking for a home for the entire volunteering period, but a shorter stay of 3 months for example, is also possible.

Being a host family is a voluntary activity that provides an opportunity for a cultural exchange at home. As a host family, you get to practice your language skills in everyday life and see your surroundings from new perspectives.

Becoming a host family is suitable for a family or individual interested in getting to know a new person and sharing their daily life with them. The host family provides accommodation and food for the volunteer. Families with only one adult, or where one or both adults are unemployed, students, or pensioners, can apply for support money of €150 per month.

Eri

”Hi! My name is Eri and I’m from Japan. I work as a junior high school teacher and love supporting children as they grow and learn. I’m curious, open-minded, and enjoy cultural exchange, nature, and working with others. I’m joining this volunteer program because I admire the Finnish education system and want to learn from it.”

Interested?

Please, contact us for further information!
Programme Coordinator Mari Takalo
hosting@maailmanvaihto.fi
+358 44 318 0888

Maailmanvaihto ry – ICYE Finland is a youth exchange organisation founded in 1958. We have opportunities for volunteer exchanges for 6-12 month periods to and from Finland. Our vision: a more equal world through intercultural learning. Our organisation is religiously and politically unaffiliated.

Find out more about host family activities

Would you like to

• diversify your world view and practice your language skills?
• support international volunteering?
• make a new friend?

Become a host family! In August, Tzu Han, an 18-year-old young woman from Taiwan, is arriving in Kirkkonummi to volunteer at Kantvik school. Maailmanvaihto is now looking for a host family for her.

Tzu Han will volunteer at Kantvik school for a year, and we’re primarily looking for a host family for the entire duration of her volunteering. However, a short period of hosting is possible too, 3-4 months long for example.

Being a host family is a voluntary activity that provides an opportunity for a cultural exchange at home. As a host family, you get to practice your language skills in everyday life and see your surroundings from new perspectives.

Becoming a host family is suitable for a family or individual interested in getting to know a new person and sharing their daily life with them. The host family provides accommodation and food for the volunteer. Families with only one adult, or where one or both adults are unemployed, students, or pensioners, can apply for support money of €150 per month.

Tzu Han

”I’m an easygoing and considerate person with a love for music and literature. During my volunteer period in Finland, I’m looking forward to learning more about the culture and language, and gaining new perspectives through everyday experiences.”

Interested?

Please, contact us for further information!
Programme Coordinator Mari Takalo
hosting@maailmanvaihto.fi
+358 44 318 0888

Maailmanvaihto ry – ICYE Finland is a youth exchange organisation founded in 1958. We have opportunities for volunteer exchanges for 6-12 month periods to and from Finland. Our vision: a more equal world through intercultural learning. Our organisation is religiously and politically unaffiliated.

Read more about host family activities

In September, two young volunteers from Türkiye will arrive in Finland, Nisa and Anil, and Maailmanvaihto is looking for a home from them in the metropolitan area of Helsinki!

Nisa will be volunteering in an organisation called Nicehearts (nicehearts.com) in Espoo for 10 months, and Anil at Maailmavaihto in Helsinki for a year. Both are participating as volunteers through European Solidarity Corps.

We’re looking for a joint home for Nisa and Anil from the metropolitan area, for example, a room or rooms to let, or a shared flat. Both Nisa and Anil are youth workers in Türkiye. Below you can find a short introduction of each of them.

If your interest arises, please contact us, and we can have a chat!

Anil

”My name is Anıl. As a youth worker, I decided to join the European Solidarity Corps in Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland to experience the programme from a different perspective. As someone who is always looking for ways to improve myself, I aim to contribute to the personal and professional development of young people while also strengthening my skills in international project coordination.”

Nisa

”I am Nisa and 26 years old. I’ve been working as a youth worker for 2.5 years and now that I decided to take a gap year and take advantage of ESC projects. I’ll volunteer in Nicehearts ry for 10 months and I’m looking forward to this opportunity.”

Interested?

Please contact us for further information!
Programme Coordinator Mari Takalo
hosting@maailmanvaihto.fi
+358 44 318 0888

Maailmanvaihto ry – ICYE Finland is a youth exchange organisation founded in 1958. We have opportunities for volunteer exchanges for 6-12 month periods to and from Finland. Our vision: a more equal world through intercultural learning. Our organisation is religiously and politically unaffiliated.

Read more about host family activities here

Welcome to Maailmanvaihto’s Spring Picnic, all friends of Maailmanvaihto!

• On Saturday 24 May at 12–14
• in Kalasatamanpuisto park (add. Parrulaituri 1), Helsinki

Join us for a nice Saturday in Helsinki Spring!

We will meet in Kalasatamanpuisto near the seafront and the street called Parrulaituri. Our spot for the picnic is situated near the World Village Festival (https://maailmakylassa.fi/en/in-english).

Maailmanvaihto will provide small vegan snacks, but you are welcome to bring food to share. Picnic blankets and placemats are also welcome.

We will follow at the picnic the Safer Space principles of Maaimanvaihto. In case of heavy rain, the gathering will, unfortunately, be cancelled.

Further information on Kalasatamanpuisto: https://www.myhelsinki.fi/see-and-do/sights/kalasatamanpuisto-park

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can reach us at tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi.

See you!

Again this year, Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland will attend the World Village Festival.

A warm welcome to come and say hello to us and learn about current opportunities in our international volunteering programmes and other activities of our NGO. You can find our stand at the Market of Possiblities in Kattilahalli.

The World Village Festival 24–25 in Suvilahti, Helsinki. This year, the theme of the festival is peace. 🕊

https://maailmakylassa.fi

Are you interested in writing, brainstorming ideas, photography, editing, or graphics? Would you like to help create a magazine that gives voice to volunteers and highlights international experiences?

We are now looking for contributors for issue 2/2025 of MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices! The theme of the upcoming issue is environment and international volunteering. The magazine is published twice a year and includes both theme-based articles and recurring sections featuring interviews with participants of Maailmanvaihto’s volunteering programs, Maailmanvaihto co-workers, and alumni.

There are many ways to participate – for example, you can:

• come up with article ideas
• write articles
• proofread or edit
• take photographs
• create illustrations or graphics

 If you’re interested, please contact the editors-in-chief Susanna and Tuuli-Maria by May 4th via email: maailmanvaihtoalehti@maailmanvaihto.fi. Let us know how you’d like to be involved – and feel free to pitch your own article idea if you already have one in mind!

• On Wednesday 23rd April 2025 at 17.30–20
• In Sumppisali, Loviseholminpolku 8, Helsinki

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

Do you ever make gnocchi? They are pasta-like dumplings often made with potatoes. They are really easy to make!

On Maailmanvaihto’s Bite the Culture night, we are going to prepare vegan gnocchis! Join us to cook and enjoy a nice gnocchi meal! Don’t worry, there are no special cooking skills needed! The only thing you will need is a kitchen apron.

Since it’s always a good thing to fill both the body and the mind, we will also learn a little bit about the celebration of the 25 of April in Italy “Festa della Liberazione”, a national festivity since 1946. So, we will enjoy some Italian culture outside our plate, too!

We welcome to the event all of you who participate in Maailmanvaihto’s activities – volunteers, Buddies, host families, and people of the voluntary workplaces, for example. The event is also open for all other interested. In the space, there’s room for thirty participants.

The event will be hosted by Nicole, the European Solidarity Corps volunteer of Maailmanvaihto’s office team. The event will be held in English and is free of charge.

Safer space and accessibility

We will follow at the event Maailmanvaihto’s guidelines for safer spaces: https://maailmanvaihto.fi/en/guidelines-for-safer-spaces

If you would like to gain information about the accessibility of the space, please don’t hesitate to contact us at intern@maailmanvaihto.fi.Registration

Registration

Please register for the event by filling in the registration form (Google Forms) on Tuesday 22nd April at the latest.

Come to join us and enjoy a great Italian evening together!

• 27.3.2025 at 17-18.30
• At Maailmanvaihto office, Oikokatu 3, Helsinki

When people from different contexts come together in international volunteering, it is an opportunity to explore and understand different realities with different notions of power, perspectives, and values. The workshop offers support to reflect on root causes and how we could build a more equal world.

In the workshop on postcolonial imagination, inspired by Eeva Mäkinen’s PhD project on political research, Eeva will give an introduction to the research, after which we will carry out a few exercises in political imagination. The aim is to reflect on different possibilities and perspectives and to practice imagining differently. The workshop is aimed at those involved in the field of international volunteering but is open to anyone interested in the topic. The workshop will be held in English and is free of charge.

The workshop will be facilitated by Eeva and hosted by Maailmanvaihto and POLIFA (see https://polifa.org), the founder and director of which Eeva is. POLIFA is an international research and advocacy organisation with a focus on freedom, democracy, and political imagination.

Registration

Register for the workshop by sending an email to tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi. In your message, let us know about any food allergies you may have – a small vegan snack will be provided at the workshop.

Safer space and accessibility

We will follow at the workshop Maailmanvaihto’s guidelines for safer spaces: https://maailmanvaihto.fi/en/guidelines-for-safer-spaces For accessibility information on Maailmanvaihto office, please visit https://maailmanvaihto.fi/contact-information. For more information, please contact tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi.