WORK CAMPS IN FINLAND SUMMER 2008 CAMP NAME LOCATION DATES TYPE VOLS ALLI01 Piispala Kannonkoski 15.-28.6 ENVI 20 vols; 17 + yrs ALLI02 Do to Learn Ylikiiminki 29.6.-13.7 CULT 10 vols ALLI03 Nummijarvi Kauhajoki 29.6.-13.7 ENVI 10 vols ALLI04 Youth Power Oulainen 29.6.-12.7 CULT/ ENVI 15 vols;16-18 yrs ALLI05 Jami Fly In Jamijarvi 6.-19.7. CONS/FEST 10 vols ALLI06 Benkku Bengtsar 2/8-10/8 ENVI/RENO 10vols; 16-18 yrs ALLI07 Isoranta Sysma 10.-23.8. RENO/ENVI 15 vols ALLI08 Aukusti Jalasjarvi 10.-24.8 FEST/CONS 10 vols ALLI09 Apaja Nurmes 17.-30.8. ENVI/CULT 10 vols ALLI10 Metsakartano Rautavaara 31.8.-14.9 ENVI/CULT 6 vols ALLI02 ALLI04 ALLI01 ALLI09 ALLI08 ALLI03 ALLI10 ALLI03 ALLI04 ALLI05 A ALLI07 ALLI07 ALLI06 Allianssi Youth Exchanges Asemapaallikonkatu 1, FI- 00520 HELSINKI, email : vaihto@alli.fi tel. +358 20 755 2603 fax. +358 20 7552627 www.nuorisovaihto.fi 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) LIST OF WORK CAMPS 2008 ALLI01 Piispala Kannonkoski 15.-28.6. ENVI 17+ 20 vols W: Piispala is the biggest youth centre of Finland. The work will include cleaning up the environment, freshening up the yard, planting flowers and doing general gardening around Piispala area. Previous work camps have started the landscaping project and because of the good results the youth centre would like to host volunteers this year as well. A+F: Hostel-style accommodation and/or in tents, all meals provided. LO: Kannonkoski is located in central Finland about 100km north from the city of Jyvaskyla. Piispala Youth Centre is located by a beautiful lake and there are various facilities and equipment the volunteers can use, more information www.piispala.fi T: Kannonkoski. You can take a train or a bus to Jyvaskyla (300 km from Helsinki) and continue about 100km by a bus to Kannonkoski. The nearest airport is in Jyvaskyla. ALLI02 Do to Learn Ylikiiminki 29.6.-13.7. CULT 18+ 10 vols W: The work camp is held in the same period of 2 weeks that Ylikiiminki has the traditional Tarpit festival so most of the work is related to that festival. Work is going to be painting, traditional paint making, wood work, wooden slice roof making and preparing of the festival area. During free time volunteers can go fishing, sightseeing around the area (the host will provide bicycles or other transportation), swimming, playing various games inside and outside. Volunteers can experience Finnish local culture, tradition, people and nature. A+F: In a school with mattresses. Self-catering, there is kitchen, toilets, showers and sauna provided. LO: Ylikiiminki is a small countryside village with cattle: reindeer and elks. It is located in northern Finland about 40km west of Oulu ; see www.ylikiiminki.fi. T: Oulu. There’s an airport in Oulu, but you can also take a train from Helsinki to Oulu (600km). From Oulu you can continue to Ylikiiminki by a local bus. Special remarks: There are excellent possibilities to explore the local nature, trekking in the forest etc. ALLI03 Nummijarvi Kauhajoki 29.6.-13.7. ENVI/CONS 18+ 15 vols W: The work consists of environmental work like raking, cutting bushes and gardening as well as constructing work like painting, making signs for nature paths. The volunteers will also take part in some social activities with the locals. The aim of the camp arranged by the local village association is to promote intercultural understanding and get the local youth and other people more involved in the village activities. The work will help local villages to develop further their services and activities. There will also be other program such as excursions to local nature and cultural sights. A+F: first week accommodation in tents, mattresses provided. Second week in a well equipped holiday centre by a lake. Excellent possibilities for sauna and swimming. Most meals are served, some meals are prepared by the volunteers. LO: Nummijarvi (approximately 500 inhabitants) is situated by the lake of Nummijarvi, in the western parts of Finland, 360km from Helsinki and 70km from Seinäjoki. The nearest bigger town is Kauhajoki www.kauhajoki.fi. T: Railway station in Seinajoki from where there is a bus connection to Kauhajoki. Transportation from Kauhajoki to Nummijarvi will be organised. Nearest airports are in Vaasa (100km) and Seinajoki (70km) Special remarks: The volunteers must know how to ride a bike! During the camp the volunteers will be using bicycles as their means of transport with a daily passage of 10-15km. Please note that the volunteers have to take a travel insurance for the whole stay, the camp host does not have any insurance. ALLI04 Youth power Oulainen 29.6.-12.7. CULT/ENVI 16-18 15 vols W: The work will be to assist in organising a local event called Old engines day. The volunteers will assist in practical tasks, which will vary from practically arranging the event, e.g. arranging a café, selling refreshments, tidying up the area afterwards and other miscellaneous work. The volunteers must be prepared to do different kind of work in various weather conditions. The aim of the camp is to give the volunteers a chance to experience Finnish nature and culture and enable the local youngsters to meet young people from other countries. A+F: Family stay with local families. The meals are eaten usually in the families, but during the working day the meals may be served in some other places as well. LO: Oulainen is situated in western Finland, about 550km north from Helsinki and 100km south from Oulu. More information: www.oulainen.fi T: Railway station or bus terminal in Oulainen. The nearest airport is in Oulu. ALLI05 Jami Fly In Jamijarvi 6.-19.7. CONS/FEST 18+ 10 vols W: Jami Fly In is the biggest annual aviation event in Finland www.jamiflyin.com. The event is organised by the local voluntary activists of the Finnish Aeronautical Association (FAA). FAA is the national organization of sport aviation in Finland. The sphere of activity of FAA includes many different air sport disciplines: powered flying, gliding, experimental flying, ultralight flying, hang gliding, paragliding, parachuting, ballooning etc, This major event of about 10 00 visitors and 120 aircrafts takes place in a small community and they need extra hands in various preparation work before the event and also in cleaning and dismantling afterwards. During the event the volunteer will assist where needed. The volunteers should be ready to physical work outdoors in all weather conditions. There will be some free time activities arranged, such as a visit to nearby town, canoeing, swimming etc. A+F: accommodation in a wooden cottage in a forest 7 km from the work place. The volunteers will use bicycles to go to work. There is sauna in the cottage and a river nearby. Self-catering; there are kitchen facilities in the cottage. LO: Jamijarvi is a small community in western Finland about 300 km from Helsinki. T: Ikaalinen. The volunteers should travel to Ikaalinen (3-4 hours from Helsinki by train and/or bus). The camp host will arrange transportation from Ikaalinen to Jamijarvi (25 km). Special remarks: The volunteer will have to be able to ride bicycle because it is the main means of transportation. The volunteers will have to have a travel insurance for the duration of their stay. ALLI06 Benkku Bengtsar 2.-10.8. RENO/ENVI 16-18 10 vols W: The camp will be organized by Helsinki City Youth Department as a part of their international youth work and there will professional youth workers on charge. You can read more about the organisation from the webpage www.nk.hel.fi . The work will be the camp island´s renovation for example painting, grass cutting and easy carpentry work. Part of the island is nature protection area. That’s why all the work will be done in nature friendly methods. Please be prepared to work outside in all weathers. There will be 10 Finnish young people in the camp in addition to 10 international vols. The international volunteers should be prepared to explain about their home countries in an international evening. A+F: Accommodation will be in tents on one of the island’s camping area. The tents are for 3-4 persons and there are wooden floors. In the camp site there will be cooking place and the meals are partly self-catering, partly in the dining hall. The camping areas have no electricity or water pipes – the water has to be carried from the well and it has to be heated by wood in water tanks. Sauna will be warm everyday and there are also showers. In the sauna and main house there is electricity. In the evenings you can do lot of different activities on the island. It is possible to swim in the sea, row a boat, fish, paddle, use adventure track, have a camping fire, make some handcrafts or just relax in the nature. LO: The camp will start in Helsinki and also end there, the first and last nights are in Helsinki. Our working place is in Bengtsar island which is located in south-west of Finland about 100km from Helsinki. T: Helsinki. Airport: Helsinki Special remarks: Alcohol is not allowed even after working hours. ALLI07 Isoranta Lahti 10.-23.8 ENVI 18+ 15vols W:. The camp host is the Lahti City Youth Services. The idea of the camp is to fix and clean the area and buildings of Isoranta camping area which is located by Paijanne ,the 2nd biggest lake in Finland. The volunteers will be among the first ones to experience the recreational opportunities Isoranta and the surrounding nature can offer for the young, and we wish to get lots of ideas on how the area should be developed for the future use as a youth camp base. In addition to the international volunteers there will also be some local young people participating the camp activities. A+F: Volunteers will be accommodated in well equipped cottages of 2-4 people. The cottages are by the lake, there are sauna and shower facilities in a separate building. Two daily meals are served, the breakfast will be prepared by the volunteers in the cottages. LO: Isoranta is located in Sysma, in the proximaty of Paijanne national park. The area has unique landscape and offers great possibilities for canoeing, sailing, biking, swimming etc. in nature. Sysma is a small community about 70 km from Lahti T: Lahti, located about 100 km north-east from Helsinki. There is a direct bus from Helsinki –Vantaa airport to Lahti. From Lahti the camp host will arrange transportation to Sysma free of charge. ALLI08 Aukusti Jalasjarvi 10.-24.8. FEST/CONS 18+ 10 vols W: Mukula is a local association which aims to improve the local cultural life for the children and the youth. Aukusti festival is its main focus every August, the event is now organised for the 9th time. Aukusti is an event which binds together several different cultural factions and artists to offer the local people a weekend of music, theatre, dance and even sports. International volunteers will take part in organising this event. The working hours will be long during the actual festival days. However, to replace these days we will organise free time for you during the week, so that you will be able to take trips to the nearby places. The work is mostly building the festival area (putting up fences and tents), cleaning and decorating, catering, building roadside signs and spreading poster, etc. And of course by the end of the festival weekend we have to tear everything down. It means that the work is physically hard. A+F: Accommodation will be in a local youth centre. There are cooking facilities, showers and mattresses. The meals will be served. LO: Jalasjärvi is a small municipality of 9 000 people near the town of Seinajoki. It is about 300 km from Helsinki.,www.jalasjarvi.fi T: Jalasjarvi can be reached by a bus from Seinajoki. Seinajoki can be reached by train from Helsinki. Special remarks: The work will be physically very hard! ALLI09 Apaja Nurmes 17.-30.8. 18+ 10 vols 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. ALLI10 Metsakartano Rautavaara 31.8.-14.9. 18+ 6 vols 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.