Villa Elba got an extension of the European Youth Centres Quality Label

The European Steering Committee on Youth (CDEJ) has decided to prologue the Council of Europe’s Quality Label for Youth Centres to Villa Elba Youth Centre for 2022-2026. The audit was conducted last spring 2023, and we have finally received confirmation of our continued recognition. Achieving the Quality Label requires meeting 15 criteria and several sub-points. […]
Elf path event 7.12.2023

Welcome to Villa Elba’s Elf Path and feel the magic of Christmas approaching The traditional Elf Path event is organized for the 11th time this year. This year, the path is open to the public on December 7th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The area is decorated in a familiar cozy manner, and along […]
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 […]