ESC Volunteering: Available Projects

Apply for the European Solidarity Corps Volunteering periods in Finland! On this page you can find those projects coordinated by Maailmanvaihto that are currently seeking volunteers and instructions for applying.

Please note: The available European Solidarity Corps Volunteering periods can be postponed to a later date or cancelled in case needed due to the Corona virus situation (see the news from the Finnish National Agency for Education).

How to apply? Three simple steps:

1. Read carefully the project descriptions below and choose from the list the project you wish to apply to.
2. After selecting the project, download and fill in Maailmanvaihto’s pdf application form or docx application form. If you wish to apply to more than one project, please fill in a separate form for each project. Write your answers on the green blank fields. There is no length limit for your answers.
3. Send your application form as an email attachment to: evs(a)maailmanvaihto.fi Write the project name to the subject field. Attach your application to the message and send. Photos are optional.

Please note these things:

• In order to apply, you need to have a sending organization in the country you live in. In case you do not yet have a sending organization, you can look for one from this database.
• If you do not understand the content of the application form, please ask help from your sending organisation.
• Maailmanvaihto only accepts applications which have been filled into Maailmanvaihto’s application form.
• Prior to sending us an application, please read through the program information in order to get a picture on the European Solidarity Corps Volunteering.
• ESC volunteering periods are targeted especially for those young adults who otherwise have less opportunities than their peers to participate in transnational projects. If you feel you have less opportunities than other young people, please tell about this in your application. There is a separate question on it in the application form.

 

Available ESC Projects

Tapola Camphill Village Community

Tapola Camphill village community is a vibrant living and working community for adults with special needs. In Tapola live nearly 50 residents, but all together with co-workers and volunteers we are around 90 people. Tapola community consists of five houses, a bio-dynamical farm and different workshops. We have a weavery in which different crafts, e.g. rugs, are made, creamery for making dairy products, a big garden, and herb workshop. Also taking care of animals and other farm work, maintenance of the surrounding, and household tasks are offered.

We have a rich cultural life with different festivals and activities. Our aims and values are the well-being of all residents, developing a balanced community life, enabling for everyone an individual life and supporting self-determination – everyone is special and deserves acceptance, respect and love. We are also very aware of the surrounding environment and nature.

• Activity topics: Disabilities, well-being, inclusion, agriculture
• Number of volunteers: 2
• Volunteering period: 9.8.2021–8.8.2022 (12 months)
• Deadline for applying: 24.5.2021
• Volunteer’s role and tasks: Having international volunteers is a great opportunity for the community members to learn about different cultures, it brings the world to our village. Volunteers bring fresh ideas and new perspectives, making the community life more lively. Through the cooperation, our residents with special needs have international experiences in their everyday life and working with people with special needs also widens young volunteers’ perspectives on the world of disabilities. The volunteer assists in care work and guiding adults with special needs in their daily life. Providing residential services such as meal preparation, cleaning and evening activities and assisting and guiding the residents in the different workshops. Preparing the festivals and other special occasions, running a Sunday cafeteria or arranging free time activities for the residents, is also a part of the volunteer year. The volunteer’s role is to help, support and guide the residents while being involved in the whole community in different ways. By living and working alongside with the residents, the volunteer gets to experience how it is to share life with other people. Finnish lessons are provided regularly, to help to fit in the community.
• Volunteer’s profile: The volunteer is expected to have an interest in community life and joining the common gatherings. The motivation to live in a countryside community and meet everyone as an individual is important. It is also useful to have an interest in working with people with special needs, good social skills, as well as an open and curious attitude. Basic knowledge of household work, such as cleaning and cooking, and of taking care of other people are recommended. The volunteer is free to create something new and bring in their skills and abilities (music, sports, hobby groups, events), so their own initiative is appreciated.
• Location: Tapola is situated in a countryside community in Niinikoski village, Southern Finland. We are 10 km away from the nearest town Orimattila (around 16 000 inhabitants), 30 km from a bigger town Lahti and 100 km from Helsinki.
• Accommodation, food, and transportation: The volunteer lives in one of our houses, either together with residents and co-workers or in a guest room nearby. Everyone has their own room, other facilities are shared. The necessities for living are provided. The houses are like small families, the daily meals (mixed diet or lacto-ovo vegetarian) are prepared and enjoyed together or cooking can be a task of a workshop. All the houses and workshops are within walking distance from each other. The public transportation from Tapola to Orimattila is limited, but from Orimattila the connections are good (bus, train). In addition, volunteers with a driver’s license have an opportunity to use Tapola’s cars for fuel costs.
• Accessibility: Unfortunately, the physical environment of the workplace is not suitable and the staff does not have the resources to support volunteers with physical or sensory disabilities.
• Website of the organization: http://www.tapola-camphill.fi
• Tapola in the social media:
  Facebook
  Instagram: Tapolan Kyläyhteisö, Instagram: Tapolan Kyläyhteisön Maatila
  A video on Tapola in YouTube

Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland

Maailmanvaihto – ICYE Finland is a non-profit NGO working in the field of international volunteering, organising long-term volunteer work programs for young adults (18–30+ years). Maailmanvaihto is a member of the ICYE Federation (International Cultural Youth Exchange), which consists of 40 organisations worldwide. There are three full-time staff members working at the office: Secretary General, Program Coordinator and Communications Officer. Besides this, there are several voluntary coworkers organising Maailmanvaihto’s activities. Maailmanvaihto coordinates ICYE and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering activities. On a yearly basis, Maailmanvaihto sends about 20–30 Finnish young people abroad for volunteer work and receives about 30–40 volunteers to Finland. Our principles are intercultural learning, active citizenship and global responsibility.

• Activity topics: international cooperation, youth, youth work
• Number of volunteers: 1
  Volunteering period: 6.9.2021–5.9.2022 (12 months)
• Deadline for applying: 24.5.2021
• Location: Maailmanvaihto’s office is situated in the centre of the capital city Helsinki, about a 10 minutes walk away from the central railway station.
• Volunteers’ role and tasks: The aim of hosting an ESC volunteer at the Maailmanvaihto office is to offer a young volunteer the opportunity to learn about the activities of a youth exchange organisation, about media and communication work, as well as to get involved in intercultural learning. An international volunteer will enrich our organisational culture by bringing in their cultural background, new ideas and the view of a young person. Volunteer will support Maailmanvaihto office staff by informing young people about the volunteering possibilities and by supporting the staff in organising international volunteer programs. The tasks of the volunteer include:
  • Making and editing videos, taking photos, graphic design and creating social media content. There are Office programs available for the volunteer, as well as programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud.
  • Writing a newsletter for the international volunteers
  • Updating guidebooks and other material for the international volunteers
  • Reviewing and updating the English website
  • Participating in making the Maailmanvaihtoa magazine
  • Developing a project based on one’s own skills and ideas, emphasizing communication work. Such as hosting Maailmanvaihto’s Language Café, recording a podcast or making video content about international volunteering.
  • Office work related to organising volunteer programs (e-mailing with volunteers and partner organisations, promoting available placements and assisting in the selection processes and arranging travels)
  • Practical arrangements during the training of volunteers, as well as other events (e.g. kitchen work and taking photos & making videos)
• Volunteers’ profile: This volunteering project is suited for someone who is interested in communication and information work (especially social media and video communication) and would like to know more about international volunteer work and working in an international NGO. Fluent English skills are useful in this volunteer work position. In case the volunteer already knows some Finnish, these language skills are useful, too. We expect that the participant takes own initiative, is eager to learn and use their skills and brings forward new ideas. We also expect responsibility organizational skills, as well as good teamwork, communication and cooperation skills.
• Accommodation, food, and transportation: The volunteer will stay in a host family in the Helsinki area. It is essential to be flexible and motivated to interact with the family members. The lunch will be provided in the form of lunch allowance and other meals will be provided by the host family. If it is needed to use public transportation to get to work, the costs will be covered.
• Accessibility information: In case you have a disability or a long-term illness, please contact us prior to applying in order to find out if we could offer you the needed support. In Maailmanvaihto’s office it is possible to move around with a wheelchair, but the office space is unfortunately not completely wheelchair accessible: there is a doorstep at the entrance which is approximately 7 cm high, and the toilet is not big enough for a wheelchair.
• Website of the organization: maailmanvaihto.fi/en
• Maailmanvaihto in the European Youth Portal
• Maailmanvaihto’s social media:
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Kisälli-Harjulanmäki

KISÄLLI-HARJULANMÄKI has two main activities: a nursing home called “Harjulanmäki” for people with mental disabilities and a workshop called “Kisälli”, which provides art and work therapy for people with disabilities. The volunteers mainly work in the latter.

Kisälli produces in the workshop handicraft products of high quality. Kisälli collaborates with artists and designers. The scope of cooperation is varied, from artistic collaboration to artists designing products for Kisälli to produce. The fruits of the collaboration are often presented in art exhibitions and museums.

Five people with learning disabilities live in Harjulanmäki. The home has one employee per work shift. Kisälli workshop is attended by 9–10 people and it has two staff members.

• Number of volunteers: 2
• Volunteering period: 9.8.2021–8.8.2022 (12 months)
• Deadline for applying: 25.4.2021
• Activity topics: creativity and culture, disabilities, inclusion
• Location: Kisälli-Harjulanmäki is situated in Vihti, a small countryside town located about 50 kilometers away from Helsinki.
• Volunteer’s role and tasks: Volunteers support people with disabilities in their daily activities at the Kisälli arts & crafts workshop, where the main activity is weaving, and sometimes also at the Harjulanmäki home. The work includes both artistic work and practical personal assisting, for example, support with the meals and daily hygiene.
• Volunteers’ profile: It is beneficial if the volunteer has an interest in creative activities and arts&crafts, as well as motivation to work with people with special needs. Please note! The open positions are only for candidates who do not need a residence permit to Finland, due to the tight starting schedule in relation to the recent processing times for residence permits.
• Accommodation, food, and transportation: The volunteer will be accommodated in an apartment (approximately 50 m2) together with another volunteer in Vihti. The apartment is a two-room apartment: one room has own door and the other room is situated in the living room (separated for its own space with a removable corridor). The apartment also includes a kitchen and a toilet/bathroom. The volunteers will be working and living together with each other, so good cooperation skills are needed. The lunch on workdays is provided by Kisälli. Other meals are prepared by the volunteer, but the costs are covered by the hosting organization. There is no local transportation in Vihti, so the volunteer will either walk or ride a bicycle between the apartment, the Kisälli workshop, and Harjulanmäki. The distance is 2–3 km, about 20 minutes walk. The bus connections to Helsinki are rather frequent. The walk from the accommodation to the bus stop takes about 40 minutes. The volunteer will get one weekly return trip reimbursed between Vihti and Helsinki.
• Accessibility: If you are an applicant with a physical or sensory disability, please contact Maailmanvaihto to discuss more in detail if a volunteering period at Kisälli could be possible for you. No additional funding for supporting volunteers with disabilities has been applied for the currently open positions from the European Union.
• Website of the organization: kisallipaja.fi
• Organization in the European Youth Portal
• Volunteers’ experiences
• Social media:
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Lehtimäki Special Folk High School

LEHTIMÄKI SPECIAL FOLK HIGH SCHOOL (Lehtimäen opisto) is a boarding school for youth and adults with special needs. The school offers 70 places for students, and there are more than 100 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. The school builds its activities around values of respecting individuality and uniqueness of people, equality among people, participation, safety and community.

• Number of volunteers: 2
• Volunteering period: 9.8.2021–8.6.2022 (10 months)
• Deadline for applying: 25.4.2021
• 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. Please note! The open positions are only for candidates who do not need a residence permit to Finland, due to the tight starting schedule in relation to the recent processing times for residence permits.
• 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 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 daily bus 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 of the organisation: lehtimaenopisto.fi
• Social media:
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Seurakuntaopisto – The Church Training College

SEURAKUNTAOPISTO (The Church Training College) is a private educational learning institution run by Kirkkopalvelut. Seurakuntaopisto has campus areas in Järvenpää, Pieksämäki, Lapua, Kaustinen, Nykarleby and Ruokolahti. Seurakuntaopisto is specialized in social and healthcare education, humanities and various church professions. Seurakuntaopisto also offers preparatory training and guidance and short courses for people with special needs and other groups of people.

Although being a mainstream vocational college, Seurakuntaopisto offers and develops educational services also for immigrants and people with special needs caused by learning problems, mental disability, etc. Seurakuntaopisto organizes leisure time activities for the students, because many of them stay in the dormitory during their study weeks.
Seurakuntaopisto has approximately 2 000 students annually and about 180 employees. The aim of the background organization Kirkkopalvelut is to build bridges between people, communities and the Christian church.

• Number of volunteers: 2
• Volunteering period: 9.8.2021–8.6.2022 (10 months)
• Deadline for applying: 25.4.2021
• Activity topics: education and training, disabilities, inclusion
• Location: The volunteer will mainly work at the campus in Pieksämäki. Pieksämäki is a small town in Eastern Finland. Seurakuntaopisto is located 1,5 km away from Pieksämäki town centre. Nearby is a beautiful park, lake and a small beach with beach volleyball possibilities in the summer. Depending on the volunteer’s skills and interests, some working weeks can be done in the Järvenpää unit. Järvenpää is situated in Southern Finland, 35 km north from Helsinki.
• Volunteer’s role and tasks: The role of the volunteer is to bring intercultural aspects to the everyday life of the college and students, providing them a possibility for language practice and intercultural learning. The volunteer will assist the teachers and leisure time instructors in with groups of students with special needs – either during the day in the lessons, or in the evening in leisure time activities. The volunteer will learn a lot about working with people with disabilities and about the support and possibilities they have in the Finnish society. By assisting students, the volunteer also has the possibility to learn about and share ones skills related to music, cooking, arts and handicrafts. The volunteer can also improve their communication and team working skills, social capacity, as well as English and Finnish skills.
• Volunteer’s profile: We are looking for a person with own initiative and good social skills. Some knowledge or experience about disabilities is an advantage, but more important is an open and positive attitude towards volunteering with people with special needs. Please note! The positions are only for candidates who do not need a residence permit to Finland, due to the tight starting schedule in relation to the recent processing times for residence permits.
• Accommodation, food and transportation: Accommodation is provided at the student dormitory building situated in the Seurakuntaopisto campus area. The volunteer will have a private room, but the kitchen, bathroom, sauna and laundry will be shared with other volunteers and students. All meals will be provided in the student restaurant. When the restaurant is closed during weekends or holidays, the volunteer will receive food allowance. Volunteer lives and works at the campus area, so no daily local transportation is needed.
• Accessibility: The premises of the voluntary workplace unfortunately are not suitable with volunteers with physical disabilities. If you are an applicant with a sensory disability, please contact Maailmanvaihto for discussing in more detail if a volunteering period at Seurakuntaopisto could be possible for you. No additional funding for supporting volunteers with disabilities has been applied for the currently open positions from the European Union.
• Website of the organisation: seurakuntaopisto.fi
• Social media:
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Organisation in the European Youth Portal
• Volunteers’ experiences

Myllylähde Community

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: 2.6.2021–1.6.2022 (12 months)
• Deadline for applying: 25.4.2021
• 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. Please note! The positions are only for candidates who do not need a residence permit to Finland, due to the tight starting schedule in relation to the recent processing times for residence permits.
• 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. No additional funding for supporting volunteers with disabilities has been applied for the currently open positions from the European Union.
• Myllylähde in the European Youth Portal
• Volunteers’ experiences