I. Our presentation
Hello, my name is Emma, I’m French and I’m 18.
Having left university at the end of my last semester I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to go and do some European volunteering for the first time.
Despite my minor misgivings, such as the language barrier, being alone in an unfamiliar country and living with people I don’t know, I decided to embark on this unique adventure.
I’m very happy to have been able to do this, to get involved in the voluntary sector, to meet new people, to discover new ways of life and cultures that are different from my own. It’s enabled me to develop new skills in lots of different areas and also to refocus on myself!
If you have the opportunity to do some European volunteering, and in particular in Finland, with this great association, don’t hesitate for a second, you won’t be disappointed!
Hi, my name is Rahamatou, I’m French originally from Mayotte, and I’m 20. I have decided to participate in this project because I was looking for new adventures abroad and opportunities for self-improvement. As a passionate about foreign culture and languages, I wanted to discover more and learn about Finland, a country that attract me for its unbelievable architecture. Moreover, work with the 4H association was the best choice I could make because I had the advantage to work with kids, use our creativity and create unforgettable moment to the kids. I have learnt another way to think and another way to act in a group. This volunteering experience let me develop my mindset and me. Kiitos!
Moi! My name is Silvia I’m from Madrid (Spain) and I’m 28 years old. This is not my first time in Finland, I did my erasmus here, and I had and amazing time so I wanted to come back and continue exploring the country, since I werent in the countryside, also know more about finnish culture and do diferent things here. I’m a sociologyst and social psychologist. I love working with Kids so when I found this project i knew it was perfect for me, so I could learn about how they work here with the kids, how they involved nature in the activities and as a goal, gain skills in social intervention which I am very interested in.
II. Forest Days
Our first activity in the association was the Forest Day started on May 2024. We organised activities in forest (or nature), for different classes of a school. The concept was simple, for each Forest Day, we visited a new school and played games with the pupils of those schools, which was very interesting because with our movement, we met different people and learn different things. What’s more, we set up games like “Nature art, Human rights, Amazing race, Memory game ” etc. that kids could realize in nature.
Simple, easier and fast to do, we worked with kids for different ages from the 1st grade to the 7th grade, and we could see how according to the ages tasks were realised and how important they were made.
For the ForestDays, we ate directly at the school where we worked with, and we really enjoy their meals “healthy, delicious and hearty”.
III/ Daycamp experience
During the Daycamp we went to different camps in different places. During the two first weeks, we had Daycamp mainly in Tirilä, Jourvala and kuukaniemi. We did activities and games with the kids alongside the youth leaders.
We played with them
We cooked together “We had Spanish and French days, and so, meals for these two countries 😋“
“Torrijas” 
“Croque-Monsieur” preparation 
“Torrijas” 
Preparation 
French Crêpes
We did crafting “Spanish fan, French croissant”
We visited a cows farm with two groups of kids
And we went to the lake !!!
………We really enjoy it, play with the kids and see they excitement about the games and the activities etc. And, we also were surprised about their cooking skills and their independence.
What’s more, we were happy to work with the youth leaders and share moments together.
IV/ About Finland
During the two months spent in Finland, we discover some places in Taavetti, (Luumäki) and other places around like Laapperanta and more. We also visited some lakes, the Old Takomäki Quarry, Lepola Beach, Kahvi-Pakari, the President house, etc. In Taavetti, we could explore the village and we love to go to the beach, and see the sunset 😊.
To conclude, we love Finland with its breathtaking landscapes surrounded by the nature. We had the opportunity to observe the auroras during two nights in a field. We experienced a Sauna at Sini’s house, an unforgettable day spent with Sini and Merja. Go to the Sauna is a typical activity here in Finland and we were lucky enough to try it three times. However, we were shocked by the lightness of the country and the size of the mosquitoes, “they loved to much Silvia’s blood😅”.
Nähdään pian 😊!
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