Would you like to support adults with special needs? Does living in the countryside interest you? Welcome to Myllylähde!
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 sharing 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 agriculture products and weavery and handicrafts workshops. All work is done together with adults with special needs.
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
As a volunteer at Myllylähde, you will help with all the activities of the community according to your skills and abilities. You will socialize and co-work with the people with special needs and support them in the community’s daily functions and practical tasks like cooking and cleaning. You can also introduce your cultural background and language(s) 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
Volunteering at Myllylähde could be for you if you are motivated to live in the countryside and are interested in working with people with special needs. Interest in a communal way of living and nature is also helpful.
Accommodation, food, transportation, and days off & holidays
The meals and accommodation are provided by the Myllylähde community. The volunteers have their 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 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.
The volunteers will have 2 days off per week and will be entitled to 2 holiday days a month.
Training during the activity
The volunteers will have an on-arrival training camp and mid-term evaluation camp organised by the Finnish National Agency of the European Solidarity Corps. In addition, they will be invited to the on-arrival training camp and mid-term evaluation camp of the coordinating organisation Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland.
The volunteers will get access to the Online Language Support (OLS) tool of the European Solidarity Corps to help them learn Finnish.
Accessibility
The environment at Myllylähde unfortunately is not suitable for moving around with a wheelchair. If you need additional support due to another kind of disability, a long-term illness or other reason and would like to discuss if volunteering at Myllylähde could suit you, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information via Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland at esc@maailmanvaihto.fi. We’ll be happy to tell you more!
Voluntary workplace in the European Youth Portal & volunteers’ experiences
Myllylähde in the European Youth Portal
Activity topics
Disabilities, wellbeing, inclusion, agriculture