MEET OUR BOARD MEMBERS (PART 3)

Today is Zero Discrimination Day. The United Nations and other international organisations remember this day annually on 1st of March. Most of the political and international movements in the last century or more have been in some way inspired by the idea of vanquishing a type or more of historical discrimination. 
 
I have been lucky to have met three people who have anti-discrimination on top of their list. And lucky for Familia they are part of our wonderful team of board members. 

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​Anna's priority through working in NGOs is to defend human rights and fight any type of discrimination that might be found in Finland or outside. Anna says that she wants to make an impact and so has taken social NGOs as a job and as a leisure time activity. 

​Anna joined Familia because she felt it was close to her daily life and heart. She has found that having a bilingual family brings difficulties if one is alone in it. She describes Familia as a great supporter to those families, and how people don't feel alone in their situation. Also due to her own life expertise, she finds that she could contribute and influence the affairs of intercultural families and support multilingualism through Familia in Finland.

​Anna feels that the only way to defeat all type of discrimination is through standing against them in every way. So she believes that Familia can help with that today and in future through its support for intercultural families. Anna describes Familia as a very important NGO in Finland for the years to come.

​In Tuuli's opinion that working for human rights and a diverse society is a very important thing. This young lovely person has started her steps in changing the world through volunteering. She felt she had energy and time in her hands and decided to dedicate that to doing good.

​Tuuli has decided to join Familia at first as a volunteer, and today she is a deputy member of the Board of Directors. She felt that Familia has the right objectives for supporting an intercultural and a diverse Finland, and that worked perfectly with her own vision.

​"The future generations are diverse!" explains Tuuli why Familia's work is needed in future. Tuuli believes that for a bigger multilingual and intercultural future there should be organisations that can support those people, and Familia is just the right kind of pioneer in its work to support intercultural families today and in future.

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​Animal loving, family oriented, energetic Shimy is our last (but no least) from our lovely board members. When Shimy is not working, spending time with Family or friends, nor having her long hikes with her beloved dog, you will find her trying to make a change in this world though her volunteer work. She was already been trained as a volunteer in her mother's lap, following her own mother's path in good-doing and volunteering. So as it said, "the apple never falls far from the tree", and here she is fighting for a diverse, non-discriminatory, united, equal Finland.

​Shimy joined Familia because she saw the equality it called for, no matter what is one's beliefs, background, political views or sexuality, they are all welcome to join Familia. She also speaks of how it is important to help people to integrate into new country, new society or new situation. She describes that it is as important to the new comer to Finland to integrate, so it is important to the who is surrounding the new comer to also integrate to acceptance and understanding of that person. Shimy sees that Familia is doing just that through helping new intercultural couples by consultations, and even helping immigrants through the very affordable Finnish courses.

Shimy's looks to the future and sees a diverse world, and it is impossible for Finland to resist that, and for an even bigger immigrant and multicultural society, Familia is needed for the support. "We can't fight discrimination without NGOs like Familia!" Shimy says passionately. She is truly proud to be a deputy member of the Board of Directors at Famili ry. 

We could take those three courageous people as an example for future generations. If more young people like them are around, we can have a hope of non-discriminated future to all. 

If we could just look at the person next to us and think that they are beautiful as they are, with their religion and beliefs, with their skin colour and body size, with their level of education and language capabilities, with their own sexuality and choice of diet, then we can start our "Zero Discrimination" world together.