ESC: Long-term volunteer to Folk High School in Loimaa, Finland

Allianssi Youth Exchanges has worked with international mobility programs since 1994. We have organised incoming and outgoing volunteering programs for 25 years. We also work with Erasmus + VET projects and other international mobility programs in order to provide equal opportunities for youth from different backgrounds. Our aim is to empower young people through intercultural non-formal learning mobilities. We believe in learning by doing and work for enhancing the employability of young people through international experience. Allianssi Youth Exchanges provides Finnish youth with volunteering and training opportunities abroad and also coordinates placements of foreign volunteers in Finland. We coordinate short and long term volunteering with municipal youth offices, youth organisations, folk high schools and other associations working for common good. We are the Finnish members of the Alliance of the European Voluntary Service Organisations following commonly agreed guidelines. We work in close co-operation with the members and partners of the Alliance network, but also have a wide range of other foreign partnerships around the world. We promote sustainable development goals (Agenda2030) with other civil society organisations. We promote volunteering as a powerful tool for non-formal learning and community development. We want to make European Solidarity Corps programme interesting and accessible for all young people from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. We engage young people in activities which will foster their personal development and employability as well as understanding of cultural diversities. We believe that well organised activities will be beneficial for both the individual volunteers and the local community in terms of capacity building and mutual understanding. In Finland the host organisations are usually based in small communities so the volunteers will enrich the everyday life not only for the young beneficiaries around host organisations but also the local community to a greater extent. We are involved in Erasmus youth exchanges, trainings and strategic partnership projects which suit our strategic goals. We promote European values and identity through EU funded programs and raise awareness of positive impacts of intercultural learning and international experience. In addition to our international partner networks, we cooperate with a wide range of stakeholders in Finland.