Author: minna

Do you question whether international volunteering still carries the weight of a long history of exploitation and perpetuates colonial behaviours? If so, then join the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) Day Online Dialogues.

In the framework of the EU funded Erasmus+ KA2 project “Decolonise IVS”, we want to seek to understand how international volunteering is still influenced by colonial structures and what is needed to address these issues, in order to move towards a more inclusive and representative IVS.

Two online dialogues will take place:

• Online dialogue 7.9.2022 at 14.15 (will be held in English)
• Online dialogue 22.9.2022 at 22.00 (will be held in Spanish – and in Portuquese if requested)

What are we going to discuss? 

We have selected the following topics:

Decolonisation ,Power & Privilege, Volunteering/IVS, Neo Colonialism, Intersectionality, Global Justice, Diversity and Culture – Cultural Appropriation/Cultural Humility

Together we want to discuss: What do we understand by these terms and how are they related to international volunteering?

This is what we want to learn from and discuss with you!

Who can join? 

We invite all workers, co-works and former volunteers who are interested in the topic and want to share their thoughts and opinion

When is it going to happen? 

One online dialogue will last for 1 hour, max 1,5 hours. We will have plenary sessions and break out room discussions.

How can I register? 

Please, register through this link: https://forms.gle/bhttbv7Snh5wHvz36.

The online dialogues are a part of the EU-funded Erasmus+ KA2 project “Decolonise! Building Equitative, Diverse and  Environmentally Sustainable Long Term International Voluntary Service projects” to which Maailmanvaihto participates.

Interested in volunteering in Europe or further away? You are welcome to join the info events of Kansainvälisen Vapaaehtoistyön Verkosto KaVa (the Network of International Volunteering)! During the events, you will gain information on the possibilities to head abroad via the network’s members and hear about the experiences of volunteers.

The event will take place on Thursday 8th of September 2022 in Zoom.
Sign up for the event: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJIldO2orT8oGdeqb1wRinCUWicr3jkvr32I
After signing up, you will automatically receive a link to the Zoom meeting. The accessibility information of Zoom is available at zoom.us/accessibility.

The events are open for all. The events will be held, at least mainly, in Finnish. The participants commit to building for their part an atmosphere in which all are respected.

The members of the network are Allianssi Youth Exchanges, Kansainvälinen vapaaehtoistyö ry (KVT), and Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland.
The Network of International Volunteering advances quality and responsible volunteering.

– The members of the network send volunteers abroad to local grass-root level projects and receive volunteers to Finland.
– The volunteering periods last from a few weeks up to a year.
– An aim and a purpose have been thought for the volunteering, and the activities of the members of the network are non-for-profit.
– The goal of volunteering is intercultural learning as well as advancing global responsibility and active citizenship.
– In Finland, one can join in gaining international experiences in the voluntary activities of the network.

Welcome!

Get to know the other organizations:
– https://www.nuorisovaihto.fi
– https://www.kvtfinland.org

Welcome to follow our accounts! #KaVaDays
– IG: @nuorisovaihto, @kvtfinland, @maailmanvaihto
– FB: @nuorisovaihto, @kansainvalinenvapaaehtoistyo, @maailmanvaihto

Hello participant of Maailmanvaihto’s activities! Have you acted as a trainer or team leader at Maailmanvaihto’s camps or trainings or elsewhere in the youth work field? Are you living in Finland and want to learn more about anti-racism education? Our partner organization ICJA will host a training about this topic during 16.10.–21.10.2022 in Berlin, Germany. Join in, we can send two participants!

Training on racism- and discrimination sensitive education for youth workers, educators and youth leaders

• Location: Seminarhaus Spreeinsel in Berlin, Germany
• Dates: 16.10.–21.10.2022
• Age: 18+
• Language: English
• Hosting organization: ICJA
• Places available for Maailmanvaihto’s participants: 2
• Participation fee: You will need to pay a participation fee of 60 €. Maailmanvaihto will pay the participation fee back to you if after the training you will make use of the things you learnt in your activities at Maailmanvaihto – which is, of course, something we wish for!
• Acommodation and food will be organized by the host organization.
• Travel expenses from Finland will be reimbursed up to 275  € or up to 320 € if green travel is used, according to real costs

The aim of the training is to raise awareness for trainers and team leaders engaged in political education work on the topics of anti-racism and anti-discrimination. By applying different methods of the anti-bias and diversity approach, reflection and awareness of one’s own or attributed social positioning and the associated social advantage or disadvantage is triggered. In this way, the multipliers acquire important knowledge and master skills in order to be able to work sensitively with various groups on these topics in the future. Theoretical input is made tangible through interactive methods. The participants of the training will develop concrete strategies on the topics of discrimination and racism as well as the ways of framing them in order to implement in their educational work and/or in their organizations.

The training will consist of the following modules:

• Nonviolent Communication – Insights into the concept of Nonviolent Communication. How does this approach help us to work together in an appreciative and peaceful way on the topic of anti-racism in political education?
• Reflection on one’s own and externally attributed social positioning – The participants reflect on their own positioning in society and the associated social privileges and disadvantages along different forms of discrimination. For this purpose, methods of the anti-bias approach are carried out and presented, which the participants can use themselves in their educational work in the future. Please find here some examples of methods we will work with.
• Criticism of racism, Intersectionality and Diversity – Here we ask ourselves the following questions: How does racism and other forms of discrimination work? What is behind the approaches “Intersectionality” and “Diversity”? The approaches and the methods are applicable and can be adopted by the participants in their later educational work.
• Discrimination-sensitive educational work – In this module, the participants develop ideas and strategies together on how they can design their own educational work in a way that is sensitive to discrimination. What do we need for creating a peaceful environment? What must be considered?
• Specific project work – Here the participants develop their own action plan, which they intend to implement in their own work and/or organization over the next few months.

Become part of the international community that works for peace and a world without discrimination!

Requirements for participation:

• You have initial working experience as a trainer or team leader in youth or non-formal political education work
• You have first experiences with the topics of anti-discrimination and anti-racism
• You are already involved or you would like to get involved in anti-racist and anti-discrimination educational work in the future
• You have already dealt with your own experiences of discrimination and feel stable enough to talk about different forms of discrimination in a diverse group.
• You are ready to leave your safe space and work in a diverse group on these topics with people who have had very different experiences than you.
• You are willing to deal with your own discriminatory behavior in a self-critical manner
• You are willing to empathize with the experiences of other people and to deal with them in an appreciative and sensitive manner

The training is structured in such a way that you can also integrate modules, experiences and results in your own work.

Other information

• Participation fee: the organizer has tried to adjust the fee to the purchasing power in the different countries
  Fee for participants from Germany West and North European countries: 60,-€
  Fee for participants from South and East European countries: 30,-€
• Besides from Finland, the training welcomes participants from organizations in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, 1–2 participants per organisation
• The hosting organization will organise the accommodation and cover the costs for accommodation and food.
• The participants will get reimbursement of the travel expenses. The reimburesement will be calculated according to the flat rate of the ERASMUS + programme. Also possible visa costs will be reimbursed.
• The dates of 16.10.2022 and 21.10.2022 are allocated for travel days.

Accessibility information

If you would like to get accessibility information, please contact ICJA at youthexchange@icja.de.

How to apply

To apply, please download and fill in the application form (docx) and send it to us at Maailmanvaihto to maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi on Sunday 28th August at the latest. If you wish to gain further information, please write us to the mentioned e-mail address. We will select the participants soon after the application deadline.

Interested in volunteering in Europe or further away? You are welcome to join the info events of Kansainvälisen Vapaaehtoistyön Verkosto KaVa (the Network of International Volunteering)! During the events, you will gain information on the possibilities to head abroad via the network’s members and hear about the experiences of volunteers.

The time of the event is Tuesday 6th September 2022 at 6–8 p.m. in Helsinki. The event will take place in Helsinki Central Library Oodi, in Maijansali hall. No registration required, you may join at any point during the event.
The events are open for all. The events will be held, at least mainly, in Finnish. The participants commit to building for their part an atmosphere in which all are respected.

The members of the network are Allianssi Youth Exchanges, Kansainvälinen vapaaehtoistyö ry (KVT), and Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland.
The Network of International Volunteering advances quality and responsible volunteering.

– The members of the network send volunteers abroad to local grass-root level projects and receive volunteers to Finland.
– The volunteering periods last from a few weeks up to a year.
– An aim and a purpose have been thought for the volunteering, and the activities of the members of the network are non-for-profit.
– The goal of volunteering is intercultural learning as well as advancing global responsibility and active citizenship.
– In Finland, one can join in gaining international experiences in the voluntary activities of the network.

Welcome!
Get to know the other organizations:
– https://www.nuorisovaihto.fi
– https://www.kvtfinland.org

Welcome to follow our accounts! #KaVaDays
– IG: @nuorisovaihto, @kvtfinland, @maailmanvaihto
– FB: @nuorisovaihto, @kansainvalinenvapaaehtoistyo, @maailmanvaihto

Would you like to participate in cultural exchange in the place you live in? Join in the online info event of the youth exchange organization Maailmanvaihto to learn about the possibilities to become a host family for a young volunteer from abroad! You will also get information on becoming a support person or a support family for a volunteer.

🗓️ Tue 3rd May 2022 at 16.30–18.00
📍 In Zoom (we will send the link to those who sign up)

Young people from different sides of the world arrive through Maailmanvaihto in Finland for 6–12 months of volunteering. Besides bringing to their voluntary workplaces extra hands, they bring an international aspect to the activities. The volunteers work in common-good organizations, such as schools and workshops for people with disabilities.

Hosting a volunteer and being a friend and support for them are voluntary activities, which offer a great chance to be of help, gain international experience, strengthen language skills, and see one’s own environment from a new perspective. We coordinate volunteering periods in different parts of Finland. Most of the volunteers arrive in Finland in August.

The programme of the online info event:

• Become a host family or a support person, Maailmanvaihto’s programme coordinator Mari Takalo
• Experiences of a host family, Markus and Liisa Kivistö
• Experiences of a support person, Riikka Lampola
• Questions and feedback from the audience

Warmly welcome! The online info event is open to join for all who are interested in the topic. We will hold the online info in Finnish, at least for the major part.

Sign up by emailing us at tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi. We will send you a link to the Zoom meeting.
The accessibility information of Zoom you can find at https://explore.zoom.us/en/accessibility. If you have questions or wishes about the accessibility of the event, please contact us: tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi.

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 during the online info event Maailmanvaihto’s Guidelines for Safer Spaces.

Hey you, who are participating in Maailmanvaihto’s activities! Participate the training ”Young Activists Communicating Peace” which offers skills for peace work and peace education in the field of international volunteering!

• 15.8.–22.8.2022
• In Sievershausen, Germany
• Organizer: the ICYE organization of Germany, ICJA, see https://www.icja.de
• Trainer: Christoph Pinkert, see https://christoph-pinkert.de/en-home.html

”In recent years, we have observed an increasing radicalization in public communications and an increase in hate speech on social media. News and social media are dominated by escalating and polarizing language. Nationalist, anti-democratic and racist actors are threatening social cohesion worldwide with targeted fake news. This has become increasingly clear over the past 10 years and has reached a new level since Russian troops invaded Ukraine: democracy and peace are under threat worldwide.

With this training, which is part of our long-term project ”Young Activist for Peace”, we want to remind you that we as human beings are also characterized by the ability to communicate successfully, to cooperate, to show compassion and to act in solidarity. We believe that the ability to communicate successfully is a key to greater understanding and appreciation for one another and contributes to a more peaceful society.”

Learn about the contents of the training and about other information from description of the training (pdf) and on the website of ICJA. Apply as a participant if you are involved in Maailmanvaihto’s activities and are interested in peace work and conflict resolution and would like to learn about non-violent communication and transactional analysis. Maailmanvaihto can send to the training 1 or 2 participants.

As a participant, you will be provided with accommodation and meals, and you will receive a reimbursement of the travel expenses (from Finland, 275 Euros or 320 Euros if you will use low-emission transport).

You will need to pay a participation fee of 40 €, but Maailmanvaihto will later reimburse it for you if you will make use of what you learned in the training in Maailmanvaihto’s activities.

The training is meant for people aged at least 18 years and it will be held in English. The funding decision hasn’t yet been made for the training, so it’s not yet totally sure that the training will take place. We will let those who are chosen as participants as soon as the funding decision has been made.

How to join?

Apply by sending a message to Maailmanvaihto at maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi. We will fill the positions as soon as suitable candidates are found, and we can receive applications until 30th June 2022.

Questions?

If you would like to ask about the training, we will be glad to answer! You can receive further information from Secretary General Anni Koskela: maailmanvaihto@maailmanvaihto.fi, 050 345 5660.

• Mon 4th April 2022 at 14.30–16.00 EET (13.30–15.00 CET)
• In Zoom (we will send the link to those who sign up)

The European Solidarity Corps offers inspiring volunteering opportunities for young people, but how could we advance the accessibility for all kinds of young people – including those who need additional support? What kind of knowhow, practises and co-operation would we need to become more inclusive?

You are warmly welcome to explore these questions together at the online meeting of Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland. You will get a chance to share and discuss the challenges and good practices, and to brainstorm for co-operation possibilities. The event is targeted at all organizations who send or receive European Solidarity Corps volunteers or coordinate volunteering projects, but it’s open for all interested in working on inclusion.

In the meeting, you will hear about Maailmanvaihto’s European Solidarity Corps intern Roos Freije’s recent exploration of inclusive European Solidarity Corps volunteering. Roos will share the results and good practices.

In addition, European Solidarity Corps volunteer Susanna Halme will share their expertise by experience on advancing inclusion in international volunteering. Susanna participated through Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland in the European Solidarity Corps project called “Grenzenlos without Barriers” of the youth exchange organization Grenzenlos in Austria.
The event will be held in English.

Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland works as a sending and receiving support organization for volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps, besides which we coordinate European Solidarity Corps projects in Finland.

Signing up

Sign up by sending a message to the address tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi. We will send you the link to the meeting.

Accessibility and building a safer space

The accessibility information of Zoom is available in the address https://zoom.us/accessibility. We can send the presentation slides of the meeting for the participants in advance If you have questions or wishes related to the accessibility, please don’t hesitate to contact us: tiedottaja@maailmanvaihto.fi.

We wish to build in all Maailmanvaihto’s activities an atmosphere in which everyone can feel welcome as themselves. To support this, we will follow in the event Maailmanvaihto’s Guidelines for Safer Spaces.