Belongingness bringing us together
On the 25th of August a group of 115 eager and awaiting people gathered on the idyllic island of Mustasaari, in front of Helsinki. Both former and current Maailmanvaihto people from volunteers to the office personnel came together to celebrate the 60-year-old journey of their association. The day was filled with laughter, meeting of old friends and making new ones.
I had the honour to be part of the group organising the event. The preparation process symbolized everything that inspires me in Maailmanvaihto so much. I have been involved in Maailmanvaihto since 2014. During these years, I have had the opportunity to grow as a human being many times more than initially expected. The Maailmanvaihto community is a perfect combination of teamwork and trust in my own, independent decisions. In the celebration preparations, I had the freedom to carry out my own ideas from choosing balloons to sparkling wine brands. On the other hand, gluing the program cards, finding people for the speeches and overcoming the last-minute panic would have been impossible without my wonderful team.
Even with the high expectations I had, the celebration surprised me positively. The warmth, joy and feeling of togetherness experienced in the party, reminded me of the time when I sat in a training camp with two dozens of other volunteers, all soon to leave for the world. Now, a few years later, I have learned to better recognize that feeling. It is the feeling of belonging. At the anniversary party, the same feeling was the force that united people with decades of time difference in their active years, as one big Maailmanvaihto community. This feeling of belonging organised the party. And the same feeling created the magazine that you are reading just now.
No matter if you are an active Maailmanvaihto person, an alumni or an occasional actor, I believe that you can recognise this feeling too. And if you are not a Maailmanvaihto actor yet, you are most warmly welcome to join us. From the pages of this magazine, you may get a little glimpse of what the belonging is all about, now on our 60th anniversary year.
Anna Lemström
Member of the Board, Anniversary Celebration matters
MaailmanVaihtoa 2/2018
2 Pääkirjoitus / editorial
6 Kutsu syyskokoukseen
7 Ajankohtaiset uutiset
10 Tule mukaan toimintaan
11 Terveisiä Costa Ricasta: Ensifiiliksiä ja salsaa
12 Intercultural learning in after-school activities
14 Volunteering souvenirs
16 Terveisiä maailmalta! Greetings from abroad!
18 Kohdemaahan ja sen kulttuuriin kannattaa tutustua ennalta – viisaasti
20 Uusia taitoja taidekäsityön äärellä
35 Tapahtumakalenteri
TEEMA
22 Vaihtokokemus kantaa vuosien päähän
28 Vapaaehtoinen voi rikkoa stereotypioita omalla olemisellaan
32 Valmennuksista viisautta, vastuullisuutta ja verkostoja