SIPPOLA RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL provides holistic rehabilitation, education and care for highly challenging youth aged between 15 and 18 years. In the school there is a place for 33 children and most of the pupils are also accommodated in Sippola. Most of the children come from families with social problems and other challenges, and also the kids have different behavioral and mental problems. Sippola Residential School has a team of 65 staff members, whose aim is to provide education and safe environment for growing for these young people with fewer opportunities. Also working with the families is very important in Sippola.
- Location: Sippola Residential School is situated in the southeast part of Finland in the village of Sippola, which is part of Kouvola commune.
- Volunteer’s role, tasks and requirements: Volunteer works as an assistant for the teachers and staff in providing the kids with education and care. Tasks vary from helping the teacher in the school classes, participating in the free-time activities with the youth, for example hobbies and household tasks like cooking. Work tasks vary according to volunteers skills, age and experience. The Volunteers should be motivated to work with young people with difficult backgrounds and to be prepared for social tasks. Good social skills and experience on youth work or social work are of a great value. Age limit minimum 20 years.
- Accommodation: Accommodation is in the project.
- Website of the organisation: www.valtionkoulukodit.fi
- Available volunteering positions: No positions are available, please check again later.
- Volunteers’ experiences
Volunteers’ Experiences
“I came from Armenia to Finland in August 2015 and worked as a volunteer for a year in Sippola residential school. I supported the youth of the school home in different kinds of tasks, such as cooking and learning Russian and also shared my cultural background with them. My volunteering period gave me much. I learned, for instance, about different languages and cultures and got much experience on social work field. After volunteering for a year, I felt myself strong because it was tough but rewarding to work among the youth of the school. Nowadays I build here in Armenia a center for disabled people. I began to dream of this project when I was in Finland and after returning, I decided to take my ideas further and make the project happen.” – Taron Margaryan
“My name is Daniela Vázquez Sánchez, I am volunteering in the Sippolan koulukoti in Finland. […] I dare to say my volunteering in Finland has been very enriching in many ways. It has been a very personal process that I needed before coming here. I had worked as a teacher for 5 years in Mexico, and I felt kind of exhausted with all the hard work with little children and adults. This was my chance to prove to myself I can actually work well with what I consider the most difficult age group of students: teenagers. It is not the first time I am working with non-formal and informal methods, but it is something not well embraced in Mexico yet.” >> Read more
”Working together with foreign volunteers has given our community courage as well as openness to meet and co-operate with people with different kinds of cultural backgrounds. We also have gained interest to get to know different cultures more deeply. On the other hand, the co-operation has deepened our understanding on people being the same in many aspects regardless of their cultural background. We all have joys and sorrows, often quite similar ones.” – Tuija Lindberg, director of Sippola Residential School
How to apply?
Unfortunately, we don’t currently have any open positions. Please, check again later!