My name is Roos, and I am a 26-year-old from the Netherlands. In October 2020, I stepped in the Maailmanvaihto office to start my volunteering year there as a program assistant. How did I end up in Finland and why did I choose to volunteer at Maailmanvaihto?
As I finished my Master in sociology at the University of Amsterdam in the summer of 2020, I didn’t feel like settling for a full-time job in the Netherlands. I felt that I wanted
to do something totally different and challenge myself. For example by doing volunteer work, exploring the Nordic countries, or maybe living in one of the Nordic countries for some time. When I found out about the European Solidarity Corps, I felt that this was the opportunity to fulfill two dreams: doing something for the common good, through volunteering, and living in a Nordic country. During that summer, I had some interviews with organizations that hosted European Solidarity Corps projects in Finland and Sweden. During those interviews, I didn’t get the “This is it” feeling yet. This was until I found a volunteering opportunity in a small NGO in Finland, called Maailmanvaihto.
The moment I went through the volunteering vacancy and the rest of the Maailmanvaihto website, I felt my enthusiasm growing. But I had to act quickly, as I found out about this volunteering opportunity on the last day on which it was possible to apply. I immediately started writing my motivation letter and subsequently I pressed the ‘send’ button. One week later, I was settled behind my laptop in Amsterdam to do the interview with Maailmanvaihto and two weeks later, on the 4th of October 2020, I stepped out of the plane at Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
I have always been a person who had everything planned out, but now I decided to move to another country, 1500 kilometres further, in a span of two weeks. I left my family, friends and my Dutch comfort zone behind to move to a country that I had never visited before. And until today, there hasn’t been a moment that I regretted this life choice.
Maailmanvaihto
From the first contact I had with Maailmanvaihto, I felt like it was a warm bath and I felt welcomed right away. I could notice that they were used to working with international young people, as I felt supported from the first moment I entered Finland.
As an European Solidarity Corps volunteer at Maailmanvaihto, I work as a program assistant. This entails supporting the program coordinator, Mari Takalo, with incoming volunteers, such as selecting and supporting volunteers, assisting in the residence permit process, co-hosting on-arrival trainings, etc. Besides this, I also support the communication officer, Minna Räisänen, with communication and media work, such as social media, writing the newsletter for our volunteers, etc. Maailmanvaihto also gave me the opportunity to use my creativity to set up my own project. I decided to create a podcast for Maailmanvaihto, called ‘Voluntary Culture Shocks’, in which I interview people who are involved in international volunteering via Maailmanvaihto,
such as previous volunteers or host families.
Fulfilling dreams
With a study and work background in sociology and the media and communication field, I feel that the volunteering position at Maailmanvaihto fits me like a glove. The work itself was also one of my motivations to start working at Maailmanvaihto, but I also wanted to work in a different environment than the Netherlands and to experience what it is to work in an international NGO.
What I like the most about my work at Maailmanvaihto, is that I feel that my work is useful and that I am assisting in helping young people fulfil their dreams and learn more about other cultures and the world in general. I believe that the world would be a better place if people would be willing to understand each other and be open to other
cultures. If people immerse themselves in another culture, by living in another country, for example, it changes their perspective on the world and they will reflect in a different way on their own lives and actions, as well as on the lives and actions of other people.
Besides helping other people to fulfill their dreams, I also fulfilled mine. I can see that I’ve grown as a person over the past year. I’ve learned more about myself and about the things that I appreciate in life: positivity, kind people, a fulfilling job with lovely colleagues, family and friends, work-life balance, nature, and spending time with myself. If you are living abroad, you will reflect on yourself and the way you’ve been raised. And you will compare this to the country you are volunteering in. Volunteering abroad is a great way of learning more about yourself and the world in general. I can recommend volunteering and living abroad to anyone. Find a project that suits you and fits your interests, and be open to new experiences and people. It may feel like a big step out of your comfort zone, but those big steps are mostly the most amazing learning experiences you will ever have.
Text: Roos
Photo: Roos’ album
The article has been pubslihed in the magazine MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices 2/2021.