The Belingual Family Network Steering Committee is made up of representatives of multilingual families with under school-aged children.  The committees aim is to ensure that all Belingual activities meet the needs and interests of intercultural, multilingual families in Finland. The Steering Committee meets two to four times a year to ensure that our activities are inclusive, open and accessible to all multilingual families and families are active decision makers in the development and realization of the project.

Steering Committee members 2022

• Dora Puhakka
• Juan Pinoargote
• Matthew Bowen
• Hope Nwosu
• Dora Puhakka 
• Emma Clementino
• Suvi King
• Tristan Hughes
• Danning Xu
• Tuuli Shinyella 

The very existence of this project with the structure, platform and networks that it provides, has been such an invaluable support that our family needed in response to our child’s request to learn Oshindonga. ​
                                                                                                         Dora Puhakka 

Tutustu ohajausryhmän jäseniin

Dora Puhakka
A mother of two, living in Helsinki with her Namibian-Finnish family of two children. They enjoy cycling and swimming together as well as exploring the riches that the two cultures bring together through food, music and language. She runs an Oshindonga club as a volunteer at Belingual. Dora joined the steering committee as she enjoys encounters and conversations with people from diverse backgrounds. She believes that it is through such spaces that parents can add ideas, perspectives and value to the work done by Familia through Belingual as well as learn from and support each other on the path of accompanying the children's bilingualism in intercultural families.

Tuuli Shinyella 
I’m a mother of three intercultural children. At home our family uses three languages - Finnish, Swahili and English. I have been involved in Familia as a volunteer and employee for many years in the past, hence I’m happy to continue participating as a member of the steering committee, and help to develop services for multilingual children and families in Finland! “

Danning Xu
My name is Danning, from Beijing, China. I moved to Finland in 2018 and I am now living in Rovaniemi with my English husband and our two boys. Mandarin Chinese is my mother language; I also speak fluent English and some Finnish. In 2020, I set up a consulting company providing China-Finland trade and investment consultancy services and Chinese language and culture courses for both youngsters and adults in Finland.

I joined Belingual Steering Committee because I like the project’s ideas and philosophy. I would like to play a positive role with other members in promoting Belingual events and activities for intercultural families here in Lapland.  

In my spare time, I like cooking traditional Chinese food, such as dumplings, Baozi and Chinese noodles. I am also a good ping pong player and coach a local ping pong club in Rovaniemi. I am a friendly, passionate and trustworthy person who you can always rely upon and get great ideas from.​

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Tristan Hughes

I am a father of 3 kids; twins who are 3 1/2 and an older daughter of 5 1/2. I am British and my wife is Finnish. At home we each speak our own mother tongue to our children.

I volunteered to be part of the steering committee because I wanted to learn from and to pass on my experiences to others. I am keen to hear what people think and as a professional and a foreigner who has lived in Finland for more than 15 years I have unique perspective on living and working in the Helsinki region.

​Something that is important to you in life:
My family is the most important thing in my life. But I also enjoy my work as an Architect.

Emma Luode-Clementino

We are a family of four, with four languages: Finnish, Portuguese, English and baby sign language :)
 
I am a part of the Belingual Steering Committee because I see the importance of supporting bilingualism and want to give my input for the amazing work Familia is doing! 
 
One of the most important things in life for me at the moment is good coffee. And love.