LEHTIMÄKI SPECIAL FOLK HIGH SCHOOL (Lehtimäen opisto) is a boarding school for youth and adults with special needs. We offer 70–80 places for students, and there are about 40 different short-term courses for youth, adults, and elderly with disabilities and their families. The school offers rehabilitation courses, such as riding therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Some training is aimed at increasing the occupational capacities of the students, through computer literacy training, for example. Our school builds its activities around values of respecting individuality and uniqueness of people, equality among people, participation, safety, community, and lifelong learning.
Number of volunteers
2
Volunteering period
18.8.2023–18.6.2024 (10 months)
Applying deadline
Apply on 3rd April 2023 at the latest
Activity topics
education and training, disabilities, inclusion
Location
Lehtimäki Special Folk High School is situated in the Western Finland in the small village of Lehtimäki located about 60 km away from the city Seinäjoki.
Volunteer’s role and tasks
Volunteers will interact with students with special needs during their lessons and leisure time and support them in their daily activities. Helping the kitchen staff also belongs to the tasks of the volunteer. The volunteers may work at the stables, too.
Volunteer’s profile
It is important that the volunteer is motivated to work with people with special needs and has good social skills and an open attitude. The voluntary workplace is especially looking for volunteers with knowledge on horseback riding and stable work, as well as volunteers with a musical background. It is important that the volunteer is prepared to carry out different kinds of tasks and to live in a small village in the countryside.
Accommodation, food, and transportation
- The volunteers will live either in an apartment at the campus area or in a separate house about two kilometers away from the school. In case the volunteers live in the latter, they can use the bicycles of Lehtimäki Special Folk High School for their daily way to work.
- Meals are provided from the school restaurant. When the restaurant is closed during weekends and holidays, the volunteer will receive a food package. Lehtimäki is situated in the countryside.
- The only public transportation nearby is one bus during the weekends to the nearest city Seinäjoki. The volunteers will get reimbursement for one weekly return trip between Seinäjoki and Lehtimäki, and the staff might also assist with moving around in the area.
Accessibility
The voluntary workplace unfortunately cannot host volunteers with physical or sensory disabilities.
Organisation in the European Youth Portal
Website and social media channels
How to apply?
>> See the applying instructions