Have you come to stay, but are not yet feeling at home?
My Place in Finland is a learning and peer-support programme designed for adult migrants who wish to understand the society and its people better, but also wish to work on their own journey towards finding a meaningful role and sense of belonging in Finland.
The programme is based on five different places: the homeplace, the meeting place, the thinking place, the story place and the forest place, including facilitated meetings, workshops and guided trips, where learning happens through discussing, doing and experiencing.
During the programme we'll be exploring interesting cultural places, folklore spots, and nature destinations. You may expect some joyful and relaxing moments in nature, self-reflection and creative action, including also several opportunities for sharing your experience and knowledge with other participants.
We’ll respect different personalities and learning styles, trying to make sure that there’s something for everyone. Come as you are, keep an open mind, and trust the process!
There will be in total nine bi-weekly meetings starting on the 20th of February and closing on the 12th of June.
Participation is free and the programme covers transport to destinations which are outside the public transport network (Lifti in Vaasa).
Besides the meetings, there will be some tasks or assignments which are done independently between the meetings.
You are expected to participate to at least 6 out of 9 meetings, but we strongly encourage to join them all!
Registration happens to the whole programme – in other words, you cannot attend just on individual meetings or trips.
There’s spots to max. 15 people in the group, so kindly remember to register on time!
Kindly note! Registration for the Spring 2025 group has been closed. There will be another option to join the programme in autumn 2025! A second edition of the programme will run from August to November, and we’ll open the registration to this programme in May/June. In case you wish to already express your interest, you may email Ivonne.
Programme
1.Homeplace
20.2.2025 @14-16 Cooperative 3E
Our journey starts and finishes at home. Therefore, the homeplace is split into two events which start and close our programme. The core idea of the homeplace is to take a moment to reflect where do we feel at home and why so?
During the first meeting we will get to know each other and focus on finding physical places here in Vaasa-Mustasaari region that have a personal meaning for us. We will be working alone and in groups, first recognizing these places and after pinning them on a physical map.
Before closing, you will be given a task to carry out through the programme.
2. Meeting Place
6.3.2025 @14-17 walk in Vaasa
20.3.2025 @14-15:30 Cooperative 3E
Civil society consists of people who are voluntarily acting for a common cause. People take part in civil society activities because they want to make a difference, participate, learn, be useful or help others − and this is what the meeting place is all about.
We will focus on reflecting the role and meaning of active people for the society as well as discuss why and how doing something meaningful together as a community, is beneficial for our well-being and sense of belonging?
We’ll be also exploring different ways and forms of local civic participation and citizen action from past to present by walking and talking through Vaasa.
You will gain information about the state of Finnish civil society, like for example how involved people are with non-profits and associations, what kind of volunteering are people doing, and what kind of rules, regulation and support are there for civic activities.
We’ll also play a small game for triggering discussion and figuring out what kind of activities would be a right fit for you. Before closing you will get an assignment that will lead us to the next place on our journey, which is the thinking place.
3. Thinking Place
3.4.2025 @14-15:30 Cooperative 3E
Thinking place focuses on meaningful stories and impactful narratives which are represented and reproduced through arts and media, like for example books, news sites, podcasts, theatre plays, social media platforms, movies, music, and magazines.
What kind of stories have had a personal impact on you? What kind of stories have had or still have a collective meaning in different cultures and societies?
During the session we’ll discuss the questions, share the assignment results and play a small game for triggering discussion about contemporary collective stories and their cultural meanings.
Before closing you will also get a task to prepare for the forest place, which is our next stop in the programme.
4. Forest Place
17.4.2025 @14-15:30 Cooperative 3E
2.5.2025 @14-18 Trip to Öjberg
Forests are an important part of the Finnish mental landscape and our most important natural resource. In other words, by exploring forest you can learn a lot about this society.
During the forest place we’ll be discussing forest as cultural heritage, forests’ importance for biodiversity, forests as an economic commodity and an object for political debate as well as forests as places of relaxation and well-being.
You will also gain information about everyone’s rights, and about the wild vegetables, berries, mushrooms and other edibles the forests offer.
And yes, we will go to forest together. The trip takes us to Öjberg outdoor area in Sundom, where we’ll explore the forest through practical assignments, roast some food together by the fire, and orientate to our next stop, which is the story place.
5. Story Place
15.5.2025 @14-15:30 Cooperative 3E
30.5.2025 @14-18 Trip to Öjen
There are several physical places, which have a story to tell.
Story places are natural objects such as rocks, cliffs, trees, wooded areas, water bodies or land, associated with traditional knowledge or folklore stories.
The story places can be used for traveling back in time, as well as for meeting the gnomes, leprechauns and other mythical creatures who lived in the forest according to Finnish mythology.
During the story place we’ll focus on exploring Finnish folklore on different natural sites and reflect the meaning of these stories for navigating today’s society.
We will hike along the nature trails of Öjen, where we can experience the story places for real while enjoying the dive into the old-growth forest located just outside the city center. We’ll stop by the rest spot to light the fire, and to enjoy some outdoor coffee, tea & snacks.
Before closing, we’ll brief you about our closing event.
6. Homeplace
12.6.2025 @14-20 Trip to Finnhamn
Our last meeting is a trip to Finnhamn, to a beautiful place with an old fishing hut, located in the end of a nature trail in Björkö.
During this second homeplace meeting we will share the results of the assignment you were given during our first meeting. We will also make and enjoy a lovely outdoor meal together while reflecting the journey we have taken and sharing the lessons learned.
This is the end and the beginning. We hope that when we depart, you feel that you are a bit closer in finding your place in Finland, and have gained a lot of new information, connections and tools for continuing the journey on your own.
Kindly note! Registration for the Spring 2025 group has been closed. There will be another option to join the programme in autumn 2025! A second edition of the programme will run from August to November, and we’ll open the registration to this programme in May/June. In case you wish to already express your interest, you may email Ivonne.