UNAREC - Finlande

ALLIANSSI : Allianssi Youth Exchanges promotes intercultural learning and global understanding. Our aim is to give young people a chance to do concrete work with others from different backgrounds and ethnic origins. Allianssi Youth Exchanges is owned by the Finnish Youth Co-operation Allianssi which is the umbrella organisation of Finnish youth organisations with about 100 nationwide member organisations.

CAMPS : In 2008 we offer 10 work camps in different parts of Finland . Most camps take place in small municipalities around Finland .

VOLUNTEERS : Usually most volunteers in our camps are 18-25 years old even though there is no upper age limit. The volunteers come mainly through our European partner organisations, but in every camp there is usually representation from other parts of the world as well. This year we have two camps for younger volunteers with the minimum age of 16 years.

WORK : Our camps take place between June and September and usually last about two weeks. The work is very often manual like painting or gardening; but one of the main aims of the camps is to encourage and increase intercultural learning between the volunteers and the hosting community. No special skills are required. The working hours are about 30-40 hours per week.

CAMP LEADER : An Allianssi camp leader is present in each camp. (S)he is either a volunteer with work camp experience or a student of youth work.

ACTIVITIES : There is plenty of opportunities to visit local places of interest and enjoy Finnish countryside, lakes and forests. And Finnish sauna, of course! Most of our camp hosts are municipal youth offices and there will also be local young people taking part in the work.

HEALTH ISSUES : In some camps the volunteers are insured against accident, sickness and third party liability. In some camps the insurance covers only accidents and there are some camps (at least Kauhajoki, Jamijarvi and Nurmes) where the volunteers are not insured at all. Since the travel to the work camp and theft of personal property are also not insured, we expect all the volunteers to take their own travel insurance. In addition, we advice all volunteers from EU countries to take the Europan health insurance card with them. No drugs are allowed at Allianssi camps under any circumstances. The use of alcohol might be restricted.

LANGUAGE : The language on all our camps is English and all volunteers are expected to be able to communicate in English. It is quite widely spoken, so you will manage in English almost everywhere in Finland .

WHAT TO TAKE WITH : Since the work is usually practical/manual we recommend that the volunteers bring with them sturdy shoes (+ rubber boots) and working clothes which can get dirty. Bring enough warm clothes for cool evenings. Swimming gear is important to bring with since there are plenty of opportunities for sauna and swimming in a lake. A sleeping bag is a must for most camps. Some music; cooking recipes and photos from the home country are always worth taking with; especially for the international evenings!

FINLAND : Finland; Suomi in Finnish, is situated between Sweden to the west, the tip of Norway in the north, a long border with Russia to the east, and Estonia to the south, across the Gulf of Finland. Finland is the northernmost country in the world after Iceland . But the climate is not as freezing as that might suggest, partly because of the warming influence of the Gulf Stream . During summer sunbathing is even possible as temperatures range from 16°C to 25°C . There may be some rainy and chilly days, and therefore the volunteers should have proper outfit for working outdoors. The short but spectacular spring and autumn seasons help to counterbalance the effect of the winter. Finland has a long coastline. The archipelago to the south and south west of the country contains around 30,000 islands. Finland is also the land of lakes, almost 200,000 at the last count. Two thirds of the country is covered by forest. In terms of land area, Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe while the population is only about five million. Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. The currency unit in Finland is the Euro.

USEFUL LINK http://virtual.finland.fi/ (General information about Finland )

W: Volunteers will help in renovation and decoration of the youth hostel building of Hyvarila Holiday and Youth Centre www.hyvarila.com. The work can be also creative, for example designing and painting wall paintings or graffiti to the interior walls of the youth hostel. Volunteers will also help in renovation of Youth Workshop Apaja’s old wooden floors. The volunteers will to get to know the work done in Apaja, as well as interact with the local, unemployed youth.

A+F:: Accommodation will be in little wooden cabins in the camping area of Hyvarila Centre. The cabins are for 4 persons each, and they have bunk beds, table and chairs. Kitchen and bathroom facilities are located in a separate building in the camping area.

Meals: The volunteers will prepare their own breakfast and lunch in the kitchen area of the camping place. Buffet dinner will be served daily in the canteen of Hyvarila Centre.

LO: Nurmes is an idyllic little town of 6000 inhabitants in the region of North Karelia in Finland . Nuorten Apaja is a workshop for unemployed youth, located in the centre of Nurmes. The workshop is part of Hyvarila Holiday and Youth Centre, which is a specially equipped and furnished centre of youth work and travel. Hyvarila is located about 4 km from Nuorten Apaja, bus/train station and the centre of Nurmes.

T: Nurmes has good bus and train connections from Joensuu, which is the closest town with an airport. From Joensuu to Nurmes there are about 130 km . It is possible to come by train all the way from Helsinki to Nurmes, the journey takes about 7-8 hours.

Special remarks: Please note that the volunteers have to take a travel insurance for the whole stay, the camp host does not have any insurance.

W: The volunteer camp takes places in amazing environment in the north-east of Finland , in Metsakartano Youth and Wilderness Centre. Volunteers will help in several tasks of the youth centre, for example in the kitchen and in cleaning the youth centre premises or cutting the grass. However, the most important part of the work will be to help to arrange a youth event in Metsakartano. The youth event will be for all the 15-20 years old youth from the nearby municipalities. The youth event will include workshops in eg. youth democracy, youth project work, intercultural dialogue, youth circus, and much more. During this event, the youth can also take part to the activity programmes of Metsakartano. The volunteers can also make their own activity for the youth event, for example a theatre play, concert etc.

A+F: Accommodation will be in a wooden cottage, which has its own kitchen, bathroom, and sauna. Rooms have bunk beds for 4 persons. Meals will be served in the canteen of Metsakartano. The food is mainly ecological food made by local products, and the food is served buffet-style.

LO: Metsakartano youth and wilderness centre is an all-year-around holiday, training and youth camp resort. It is a perfect location for people seeking for peace, clean air and genuine nature surroundings. It is surrounded by hilly forests, lakes and rivers. The exact location is nearby the Tiilikkajarvi national park within Kainuu and northern Carelia in the county of northern Savo about 500 kilometres from Helsinki , the journey from Helsinki takes 7-8 hours by train. It lies in wilderness with silent and beautiful surroundings, more information www.metsakartano.com

T: The closest train station is in Nurmes, about 38 km away. Closest airports are Joensuu and Kuopio , about 135 km away. We will arrange a transfer from/to Nurmes bus/train station.