MYLLYLÄHDE is a village community providing accommodation and work activities for adults with special needs. It is part of the international Camphill movement which was established to create participatory and inclusive communities for people with special needs, like learning disabilities.
The community members cooperate and work together to share the different tasks, such as household tasks, arts&crafts workshop activities, gardening, and ecological farming. In Camphill Communities, each person contributes according to their abilities towards the well-being of their fellows. The community is based on general Christian values and principles.
The work of Myllylähde consists of biodynamic agriculture, animal care, gardening, packing of the agriculture products and weavery and handicrafts workshops. All work is done together with adults with special needs.
Number of volunteers
2
Volunteering period
18.8.2023–17.8.2024 (12 months)
Applying deadline
Apply on 3rd April 2023 at the latest
Activity topics
Disabilities, wellbeing, inclusion, agriculture
Location
Myllylähde community is situated in Southern Finland in the village Hämeenkoski, about 30 km away from the city Lahti. Myllylähde is located in a rather remote place in the countryside. It is surrounded by beautiful nature, forests, and fields. The distance to the village center of Hämeenkoski is about 7 km.
Volunteer’s role and tasks
The volunteer will help with all the activities of the community according to their skills and abilities. The volunteer will socialize and co-work with the people with special needs and support them in the community’s daily functions and in practical tasks like cooking and cleaning. Volunteers can also introduce their own cultural background and language to the members of the community. Life in the community changes according to the seasons, and so do the tasks of the volunteer as well. From spring to autumn, there is a lot of agricultural work and in the winter, there is more work in the workshops.
Volunteer’s profile
It is important that the volunteer is motivated to live in the countryside and is interested in working with people with special needs. Interest in a communal way of living and nature is also helpful.
Accommodation, food, and transportation
The meals and accommodation are provided by the Myllylähde community. The volunteers have their own room in one of Myllylähde’s three houses. The volunteers share the kitchen and hygienic facilities with the other community members. Volunteers live and work at Myllylähde, so they don’t need to commute daily. Myllylähde is situated in the countryside, and there is no public local transport nearby – the nearest bus stop is at about 7 km distance. The volunteers will get reimbursement for one weekly return trip to the nearest city, Lahti. Also, the staff will give the volunteers a lift whenever possible.
Accessibility
The environment at Myllylähde unfortunately is not suitable for moving around with a wheelchair. In case you have another kind of physical or sensory disability, please contact Maailmanvaihto before applying to see if a volunteering period with proper support could be possible.
Voluntary workplace in the European Youth Portal & volunteers’ experiences
Myllylähde in the European Youth Portal