In this issue:
MaailmanVaihtoa – Volunteers’ Voices 1/2021 in pdf format
4 Pääkirjoitus / Editorial
6 Kutsu kevätkokoukseen / Invitation to Spring Meeting
7 Greetings from abroad: From Finland to Austria and from Taiwan to Finland
10 Tule mukaan toimintaan
11 Vapaaehtoinen tuo arkeen yllätyksiä
12 Join our activities
13 Terveisiä maailmalta! Greetings from Abroad!
17 Working with Victims of Torture in a Bolivian NGO
35 Tapahtumakalenteri
Theme / Teema
19 Meeting Face-to-face vs. Meeting Online
22 (Etä)vapaaehtoistyön mahdollisuudet pandemian aikana
25 Maailmalle ilman älypuhelinta
28 Keeping in Touch Online after Volunteering
31 Vapaaehtoistyön digitaaliset kasvot
34 Towards More Accessibility in the Digital World
Editorial: A Year of Exceptions
A state of emergency, aerosols, infection rate, spreading phase. The year 2020 instilled a multitude of new vocabulary for everyone’s daily use. In addition to the new words, 2020 will probably be remembered by many as a year that we would rather not remember. The coronavirus pandemic turned the daily lives of people and organizations on their heads and made many everyday routines something quite other than self-evident.
As an organization, Maailmanvaihto’s strengths lie in extensive international networks as well as warm-hearted grassroots contacts. Every volunteer leaving for the world and arriving in Finland is sure to get to know the people of the office and other actives. Needless to say, due to the coronavirus situation, the organization was suddenly cramped. How can an international volunteering organization act in a situation where people have to shut themselves in their homes?
The silver lining is that the corona pandemic happened in the 2020s, when telecommunications networks are fast and IT equipment is relatively affordable in terms of both price and usability. Thanks to technology, for example, the board of Maailmanvaihto has succeeded in working remotely despite the challenging situation. The forced digital leap made the people of Maailmanvaihto also make other delightful insights: remotely organized information events and a language café, among others, have proved to be excellent solutions, which we will certainly continue to implement even after the pandemic. In anticipation of the post-pandemic period, we will do our best to pass on the warm, international and caring atmosphere of Maailmanvaihto via remote connections to everyone’s home.
Roosa Kontiokari
Chair of the Board