European Solidarity Corps – International Youth Houses in Pori, Finland
On this page you can find more information about our International Youth Houses -project. We have tried to gather all the practical info to answer the most frequently asked questions. But if you still have something to ask, you can find our contact information on the bottom of this page.
How to apply
Before applying we kindly ask you to read the information below carefully and consider if this project is really for you.
Notice that you have to apply in two ways.
1) Fill in the google forms application https://forms.gle/UjfGPv4aEzJ534JB8.
2) Apply in the Youth Portal https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/placement/30822_en
Application period ends on 25.6.2023.
Organisation
Our organization, the Department of Youth Affairs of Pori city, organizes a variety of services for youth in Pori. We aim to positively impact youngsters through youth work. We work on improving their living conditions, developing their coping skills, and empowering them to take action when it comes to social issues. We implement our values by offering equal chances, to all the youngsters, to take part in the activities we offer.
The majority of our work takes place in open youth houses. We also arrange diverse events including discos, special youth work (small group activities, individual guidance, street patrolling), web youth work, projects, youth club activities, youth council, and international youth work.
During school holidays we offer camps and trekking. Almost all of our activities for youngsters are for free or with really small entrance fees.
We are applying for our 10th volunteer project as a hosting organization. The previous projects and training sessions related to ERASMUS+ and European Solidarity Corps programs have taught us greatly of practical arrangements as well as the principles and beliefs of the EVS and ESC programs.
Our organization is an experienced government-regulated organization responsible for youth work services for the city of Pori. Our staff has 16 professional youth workers providing quality youth work and we want to have international volunteers as part of our everyday activities.
About the project
International Youth Houses lasts 12 months, starting from November 2023. We will be hosting two international volunteers and one local volunteer for this project. Our project aims to find and maintain a positive international atmosphere in all the activities provided by the hosting organization. We want our youngsters and workers to have an open mind and positive attitude towards other cultures and international people coming to Pori.
We wish our international volunteers to lead the way and help us achieve our aims. As a result both Finnish and immigrant youngsters and our workers feel more comfortable and can learn a lot from each other during our everyday interactions. We hope that your presence inspires our youngsters to travel and experience other countries and cultures as well.
We want to offer young adults from other parts of Europe/world the possibility to get valuable work experience here in Finland. Volunteers can get to know the profession of Finnish youth work and our versatile working methods. From experience we know that the volunteers also give us new perspectives and ideas to our work.
We would like our volunteers to plan and execute activities of their own, according to their strengths and interests.
Transportation
The hosting organization and the volunteers will discuss together what is the best way to get the flight tickets and keep track of the traveling budget of the project. The easiest way to get here is to fly to Helsinki and take a train from the Helsinki airport to Pori. The hosting organization will help with the tickets and give instructions all the way.
Monthly allowance
Volunteers will receive pocket money (170€) and money for food (300€) paid once per month to a bank account. With this volunteers will get by, it is just enough for food and necessities. Considering the price rates in Finland, this won’t cover traveling, shopping, or partying.
The food here is very expensive compared to, for example, southern European countries. Remember this when you make your plans for applying. Your skills in managing your economy will very likely improve during the volunteering period.
Accommodation & other practicalities
The hosting organization has rented an apartment for the two volunteers that do their volunteering period at the same time. Volunteers have separate bedrooms but will share the kitchen, living room and bathroom. Apartment is furnished by previous volunteers and has most necessities and is quite roomy. Volunteers will take care of the apartment’s cleaning and keeping it in good shape.
The apartment is in a story building which means there are a lot of neighbors. In Finland, it is a regular rule in every storey building that after 22:00 there should not be any extensive noise in the apartments, like music or loud voices. The walls are really thin and the neighbors will call the police if the rules are not respected. After some complaints the owner of the apartment can give an eviction notice.
The apartment of volunteers is close to the city center. It’s about a 2,8km walk or ride with a bike. Host organization will provide bicycles for volunteers. Volunteers will get an access card for the public transport inside Pori. Some of the youth houses where volunteers will be working are quite far and during winter the weather conditions are difficult.
Volunteers get a Finnish mobile phone number with internet connection paid by the hosting organization. Phones are not included.The communication with colleagues will be mainly via WhatsApp and Signal. The flat also has a wifi connection.
Volunteer profile
Eligibility
This project is open to individuals aged 18 to 30 who are legally resident in the EU Member States or the following Partner Countries:
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Russian Federation.
Preferred Skill Set
- We are looking for a people person. Someone who will be comfortable sharing an apartment with another volunteer (possibly opposite sex) from a different background.
- We hope you’ll feel confident and motivated interacting with youngsters 13-19 -year-old.
- Work mainly requires the ability to take responsibility and initiative in making contact with the youth despite the language barrier.
- We need someone who is independent, energetic and has good organizational skills in order to come up with different ideas, carry out the activity and is flexible enough to deal with negative feedback or rejection from youngsters.
- Remember that youth houses are a safe space for young people to be comfortable spending time without being pressured into doing things.
- You will have one or two office days per week where you create weekly content for our Instagram account @nuokkakarhu and plan your own schedule.
- You can design and create posters, flyers and social media ads. We encourage volunteers to participate in updating and creating campaigns for social media channels like Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok and Youtube.
- We would also appreciate someone who has some experience or skills concerning; outdoor or indoor sports, graphic design, social work, and event planning.
Tasks of Volunteer
Volunteers will work with host organizations’ youth workers as assistant youth leaders. Volunteers have the opportunity to take part in planning and implementing a variety of activities our organization provides for youngsters in Pori. We arrange open youth house* activities, small group activities, various youth events, summer camps, trips, projects, web youth work, specialized youth work and of course international youth work.
(* This working method is quite unique to the Nordic countries and can be quite challenging. Our youth houses are mainly places where the youth can come after school [16:00-21:00] to hang out. Because of this, the number of youngsters coming to the youth house varies a great deal and you can’t predict it. Most of the time there are no organized activities, just the space and equipment for youth to spend time with each other. Our goal is to make sure that the youth house space is safe for everyone physically and mentally. Youth leaders are there for the youth to support, talk and help them if something troubles them.)
The volunteer is expected to act as a responsible and respectable adult both on and off duty. Volunteers will plan their working hours together with their colleagues and stick to them.
The volunteer will work in our youth houses and smaller youth groups together with our youth workers. Youth houses are open for all 13-18 year-olds in Pori. Smaller youth groups are directed to certain youth and ages vary between 13-29 years.
The role of the volunteer is to be a reliable adult who supervises, listens, and supports youngsters, and arranges different activities with and for the youngsters. Volunteers will take part in planning and implementing events, camps, and group activities. The youth houses are mainly open between 14:00-21:00. The small groups gather on different weekdays, each small group lasts for about 1,5 hours between 12:00 – 21:00. The small groups are about sports, cooking, crafting, internationality, online games, unemployment, and youth council work.
We hope the volunteer is teaching our youngsters their culture and language. We encourage the volunteers to use their skills they might have in music, arts, sports or other when working with our youngsters.
Daily Schedule
Volunteers will work 30 hours a week. Depending on how you plan your schedule it can be 5 or 6 days a week (with compliance) You will get two vacation days per month.
On office days, the office is open from 8 a.m till 5 p.m.
On youth-house days work is mostly evenings ( 4 p.m to 8:30 p.m ) either from Monday to Friday or from Tuesday to Saturday, but the schedule varies a lot and will be adjusted with the volunteers based also on their personal skills and motivation.
Support & Training
The On-Arrival Training for volunteers is in Youth Centre Villa Elba in Kokkola in a few months after arriving. Mentor in HO will help get the enrollment and travel tickets done.
The contact person of the hosting organization will be the mentor for volunteers to help with learning goals and how to reach them as well as ”monitoring” how things are going overall and help with any problems that might occur. During the first months they will have weekly meetings with volunteers to set up everything comfortably. After the mentor meetings will be once in two or three weeks and whenever needed.
The hosting organization will also try to provide external mentors for the volunteers, in case something comes up and the organization mentor is not reachable or if difficulties appear with the hosting organization.
For further information and help from our volunteering team, email us at esc@pori.fi!