Become a Buddy for a young volunteer from abroad

Are you looking for meaningful voluntary activities? Is there room in your life for a new friend? Participate in the Buddy activities of Maailmanvaihto.

 

• You’ll be a friend and source of support for a young person spending 6–12 months doing volunteer work in Finland
• You’ll make a new friend from abroad and get to practice your language skills
• Volunteers come from all over Finland, as a remote Buddy, you can serve from anywhere in the country

Meet them in your neighborhood – become a Buddy! As a Buddy, you’ll be a local friend to a young person coming to Finland from abroad to do volunteer work, supporting them in their free time and helping them build a network.

Every year, about thirty young adults come to Finland through our program to do volunteer work. Usually, they don’t have any social networks here at first.

As a Buddy, you’ll help a young volunteer get to know local life and adjust to their new surroundings. At the same time, you’ll get to learn about the volunteer’s cultural background and language. As a Buddy, you might also see your own neighborhood in a whole new light.

What do Buddies do?

First and foremost you spend time with the volunteer. You are the volunteer’s friend and someone who the volunteer can contact easily. You’ll ask how the volunteer is doing and you’ll help the volunteer to find hobbies. Occasionally you’ll also spend time with the volunteer – for example by going for a walk or for coffee together.

As a Buddy you are an important part the volunteer’s support network, which includes also the voluntary workplace, possible host family, and the office staff of Maailmanvaihto.

Who can become a Buddy?

Buddy activities are suitable for all those who are interested in getting to know a new person and supporting them. We are looking for people who are at least 18 years of age. We require the Buddies to commit to the task for the whole volunteering period (6–12 months).

The values of Maailmanvaihto are global responsibility, intercultural learning and equality. Important principles in our activities are caring and inclusivity, reliability and responsibility, and transparency. Buddy activities are suitable for all those who want to commit to the value base and operating principles of Maailmanvaihto. Read more about the values and operating principles of Maailmanvaihto. 

Training and support

As a Buddy you’ll receive a guidebook for the Buddy activities. In addition, we’ll organize a meeting remotely for Buddies and the volunteers at the beginning of the volunteering season. During the volunteering season, you can also contact the office of Maailmanvaihto whenever you have any questions.

When and how to join?

We are looking for Buddies for these volunteers of the season 2026–2027:

Tampere: Manoëlle is an 18-year-old volunteer from Belgium who will be volunteering at Aitoo Vocational College from August 2026 to June 2027. She wants a female buddy.

Orimattila: Mariam is a 21-year-old volunteer from Egypt who will be volunteering at Tapola Camphill Village Community from August 2026 to August 2027. She would love to have a Buddy who is friendly, kind, open-minded, and easy to talk to and comfortable communicating in English.

Orimattila: Furkan is a 26-year-old volunteer from Turkey who will be volunteering at Tapola Camphill Village Community from August 2026 to August 2027. She enjoys films, especially The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, visiting museums and historical sites, as well as camping and hiking in nature.

Orimattila: Cynthia is a 24-year-old volunteer from Kenya who will be volunteering in a family home community.

Lehtimäki: Hanae is a 21-year-old volunteer from Belgium who will be volunteering in a Folk High School from August 2026 to August 2027.

Lehtimäki: Emma is an 18-year-old volunteer from Germany who will be volunteering in a Folk High School from August 2026 to June 2027.

Mikkeli: Zeynep is a 27-year-old volunteer from Turkey who will be volunteering at an adult education centre from August 2026 to June 2027. She would prefer a female buddy, and it would be great if she has an interest in art.

If you are interested in becoming a Buddy,  do this:

1. Fill out the contact form for Buddy activities.
2. After we’ve received your form, we’ll contact you to set up a short interview, where we can get to know each other better and settle the details of the possible co-operation.
3. When we have agreed on co-operation, we’ll send you a participation form of the Buddy activities that you need to fill out. After we’ve received this form, we’ll send you the contact information of the volunteer whom you’ll become a Buddy for, and we’ll share your contact information with the volunteer too.

Additional information:

If you have any questions about the Buddy activities, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re happy to tell you more: buddies@maailmanvaihto.fi

“I encourage you to get involved! The volunteers coming to Finland are probably more nervous than you are. Being a Buddy is a great way to meet new people, see different perspectives, and broaden your worldview.” – Buddy Marco