Tag Archives: Finland

Integration through Cultural Education

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Colorful multi-cultural integration concept tree set. Vector file layered for easy manipulation and custom coloring.

 

An individual’s social background is compounded partly by education and social interaction. Especially, cultural education is crucial in regards to integration into the society. Various programs, such as diverse arts and cultural workshops, within education have its importance in not only expanding the mind but also educating and supporting children and teenager.

Studies show that students who have attended workshops are three times more likely to graduate than those who do not. Workshops give children and teenager somehow to express themselves, if they do not have the support to do so at home. Also, it gets them to think creatively and inventively, and expanding their views and ways of thinking. Educating children with and without a migrant background is beneficial, since they learn more about other cultures, religions and lifestyles. Most importantly, it also helps fight discrimination and promotes awareness. Additionally, it is beneficial for children with migrant background to integrate fully into the society.

Due to the migration wave and the current refugee crisis in Europe, more cultural and educational programs are need to support the newcomers coming to Finland. However, also more workshops, dialogues and discussions are needed to educate Finnish citizens on the different lifestyles of the migrants and refugees. By enabling constructive communication between those two entities successful integration can be guaranteed.

PS: If a company or a person has caught your attention, click on their names and their LinkedIn profile or web-page will pop-up! 🙂

Place of Traineeship: International Organization for Migration (IOM) Helsinki

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ICE Student: Mariam Tokmazishvili

Place of Traineeship: International Organization for Migration (IOM) Helsinki

“I will assist in implementation of activities related Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) projects from Sweden and Finland. Under the supervision, I will support the project team in preparing voluntary returns and planning the reintegration of returnees, including coordination and communication with authority counterparts.

Tasks include:

  • To assist in all phase of the AVRR process, from application registration to return logistics;
  • Assist in compiling statistics for internal and external use;
  • Prepare background papers and analytical texts for internal and external use on topics related to AVRR\CT;
  • Communicate effectively and clearly and with cultural sensitivity with colleagues, clients and third parties;
  • Assist in project communications and outreach to migrants and return stakeholders in Finland or Sweden;
  • Assist in organizing project meetings and etc.

International organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. It counts 155 member states and each IOM office employs staff from various nationalities. Consequently, multicultural environment is an integral part of execution of IOM mandates. IOM Finland is just an example where majority of staff members are from different countries of origin. The core principles of IOM are based on effective communication, raising intercultural competence and sensitivity. Under the section of IOM standards of conduct, core values and guiding principles put emphasis on “promotion and practice of tolerance, understanding and respect for all, without distinction as to race, gender, religion, color, national, marital status, sexual orientation, age, physical disability or political conviction”. IOM names its employees international civil servants. Coming from that, one of fundamental requirements to be met by international civil servants is an international outlook.

IOM largely deals with migrants and work on everything related to this broader phenomenon that logically implies communication with people coming from all over the world. Being part of IOM team automatically equips with intercultural sensitivity, and teaches the best possible ways to get along with the people with diverse backgrounds.

Internship period at IOM will be a practical experience, namely specializing on migrants who are willing to return voluntarily to their homelands. IOM Finland currently implements four projects, thus I will be concerned how the on-going project-related activities are carried out. Furthermore, the central direction of IOM Finland`s mission is more project-oriented. For instance, making project proposals, creating project budget, scheduling project activities for the long term period, searching relevant donor organizations, promoting and successfully providing service whenever it is requested, broaden communication networks with governmental counterparts and elsewhere. All in all, I will carefully follow the steps related to designing project from very beginning (e.g. having a project idea) to more advance level (e.g. developing an idea and implementation phase).”

 

Management Events

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What are the challenges to work in an international work environment? Additionally, what are the benefits to work with people from all over the world? What is it like to work in a professional field, such as international business? Those were the questions that I asked myself, since I will start my internship in an international company called Management Events in Helsinki. Thus, to get answers to my questions and learn more about this field and the working environment, I decided to interview my future employer Wouter Goedkoop.

Wouter Goedkoop is currently a Dutch team leader delegate operations service center and project manager for Management Events. At first, Wouter studied Hospitality Management in the Netherlands and later came to Helsinki 4 years ago for private as well as educational reasons. Currently, he works for Management Events, where he started off as an intern and continued after his internship, which he described as a fun learning experience, hard-work but also rewarding. During the internship as a research intern for the Dutch market Wouter learned a lot about customer services, events management, communication and gained cultural knowledge. Wouter did not only want to develop himself as a person, but by working in a highly international work environment he also gained a lot of cultural knowledge and people’s skills. For the future, he wishes to continue to develop himself as a person rather than develop his career. Also, he wishes to return to his initial field hospitality and dreams of having a small restaurant somewhere warmer like Australia.

Wouter described the work life in Management Events as “Americanized”, it is very social, where everybody talks to each other. However, it is also very target driven and fast paced. Working with diverse people is fun, he developed a lot of cultural knowledge and he joked that German and Finns are similar in a way. However, he also faced some cultural difficulties by working with Philippines, where the work ethics are different compared to the Western ethics.

Management Events started around 25 years ago as a convention service office with the former CEO Olli Muurainen. Later, the events started to be more invitations based only. Through the growth of the company more tasks and division have developed, and also the company expended in Finland, then Nordic countries, Europe and then also Singapore. It still plans on expending globally such as Japan and Dubai.

The interview with Wouter was definitely fun and engaging, and I am really looking forward to the coming internship! 🙂

Visit: Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture

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Ministry-of-Education-and-Culture-of-Finland-logo

The second visit regarding our interest in integration through cultural education was to the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. There we met Maija Lummepuro who is a Counselor for Cultural Affairs of the Department for Art and Cultural Policy, and Ulla-Jill Karlsson who works as a Special Government Adviser for the Department for Vocational Education and Training. The two representatives informed us about their work at their respective departments, and explained how the work on the political level contributes and changes the aspects on integration in Finland.

First of all, the work on a political level, unlike the non-profit one such as Interkult Kassandra, is completely different. It is more about cooperation between various ministries, and also between departments within the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The stimulating discussion was revolving mostly around internal factors (including financial resources) that affect the way the ministry functions as well as outside factors (politicians, circumstances in Europe and Finland outside the political sphere). Also, the recent budget cuts of the universities and of the ministry itself were mentioned. Due to this, the question of integration, especially among students coming from the outside of the EU, is critical as well as problematic. Non-EU students will not be able to come to Finland for their studies because of the lack of finances to provide their studies and also because of the unrealistically high tuition fees.

On a more positive note, the ministry’s fields in education, culture, sport and youth work hard on integrating asylum seekers and immigrants, especially nowadays despite the immense migration wave and economic crisis. Various educational programs will be provided not only for children but also for adults, so that they would be able to find training, employment and learn Finnish as well as Swedish.

For more information click here! 🙂