Erasmus+ study visit hosted by Villa Elba
Thanks to Erasmus+, this autumn (10-15.10.2023) Villa Elba hosted a study visit that is the continuation of cooperation between Austrian and Finnish youth workers, coordinated together by Villa Elba and POJAT. During the visit, our colleagues from Austria got to know Finnish youth work from different angles in several places: Seinäjoki (outreach youth work, youth […]
“I love the fact that the hierarchy of the organisation does not override human rights” – Maria Maciel
Maria Maciel from Portugal is doing long-term volunteering in Villa Elba in the Nuotta Coaching project. I this blog she writes about her volunteering experience and about things she likes more in Finland when comparing with her home country Portugal. I arrived in Finland at the end of March and took the opportunity to get […]
5 things I learnt in Finland – Maria Maciel
Hello, I’m Maria Maciel from Portugal. I am doing long-term volunteering in Villa Elba in the Nuotta Coaching project. During the last 4 months living in Finland I had the opportunity to put into practice all the knowledge I acquired at university as a criminologist and to learn 5 things. These learnings are based on […]
Ella decided to go to Greece to do volunteer work
Ella from Finland participated in a volunteer work project “Remembrance Trails” in Kryoneri village, which was organized by Filoxenia. I went on trip and traveled to Greece for a month in May to do volunteer work. I wanted to challenge my self and do something different that I hadn’t done before. The month in Greece […]
Lara´s experiences of volunteering at Villa Elba
20 years old Lara Sönser from Austria recently ended her volunteering project “Greener Work in Villa Elba”. About a year ago, she decided to volunteer abroad through the European Solidarity Corps. After some time she found her place at Youth Center Villa Elba. Now she will tell about her wonderful experiences in Finland. I was […]
In May a group of youth workers from Finland went to a Study Visit to Austria
At the beginning of May, our adventurous group of outreach youth workers from Finland participated in an Erasmus+ Study Visit organized in Innsbruck by Villa Elba, CUBIC, and POJAT. It was an intensive week dedicated to familiarizing ourselves with local youth work in Tirol and presenting Finnish outreach youth work. During the visit, the participants […]
Ella chose to become a volunteer because she loves to travel and be pushed outside of her comfort zone
Last January, three volunteers from Villa Elba took part in a short-term EU solidarity corps project in Cawsand, England. The project split volunteers into three main groups; photography, sustainability, and renovation of an old boat for auction. Ella Koski was a member of the boat team. CHALLENGING BUT REWARDING She chose to join that team […]
“The end feels bittersweet; amazing but also sad” – Project Friendship!
The month-long team volunteering project, Project Friendship, has just come to an end. In the project, a team of 12 volunteers from Europe and neighboring countries planned and lead functional workshops about friendship and interaction skills at local schools. In all, they visited 8 schools and held 31 workshops for 594 students. Before the volunteers […]
Catarina Silvander was chosen to be in a expert team of Quality Label for Youth Centres in Europe
Youth Centre Villa Elba ’s CEO Catarina Silvander was chosen to be one in a 5-member expert team to evaluate Braga Youth Centre in Portugal if they could get the Quality Label for Youth Centres in Europe. The Quality Label program has been running for over 10 years now and now there are 14 centres, […]
Emil’s experiences of volunteering
Emil Smolander has just completed his last exams and projects for his studies at Keski-Pohjanmaan ammattiopisto towards becoming a youth and community instructor. With his degree in hand, he looks to what lies ahead. Unsure if he will continue his studies or start work within the youth field, what he does know is that now […]