"We are all small pieces into a bigger puzzle”

Familia supports intercultural families in all walks of life, celebrating the good and helping with the challenges. The core of our work is peer support and as such our volunteers also come from all walks of life: 
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•  they are a couple starting their story in Finland, sometimes is has already been a long rocky journey
• they are first time mothers looking for friends and community
• they are fathers seeking a safe space to connect
• they are parents bringing together their language communities so that their children can build a relationship to all their languages and cultures
• they are jobseekers building each other up and support each other
• they have gone through separation and come out the other side ready to help others do the same

They are the very important pieces that make up the support that Familia is able to offer intercultural families in Finland. 

This weekend we got to  spend the day with some of our volunteers at EMMA (Espoon modernin taiteen museo) as part of our Volunteer Recreation Day. Participants were asked to take a photo of a piece of art that expressed their volunteering experience with Familia.  Motivation for volunteering can be very personal,  but two themes can up across in the chosen works of art:  personal growth and unity.

Personal growth

Volunteers expressed growth and learning as one of their main takeaways from volunteering. This was strengthened by feeling that their work really does contribute to a better society. 
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This personal growth comes not just from within, but from working together or as one of our volunteers said, “blooming together with others”. It was also important to recognize that growth is an important part of overcoming the challenges in volunteering as well:

This describes my challenge volunteering. When I realized I could not please everyone in the group as people wanted different things and I had to make decisions that would please some but not all”

UNITY

Volunteers expressed a sense of belonging and appreciation for the wonderful diversity among the volunteers and the groups they work with. There was a sense of unity, that by sharing experiences, learning from each other, building friendship and having FUN, we all come out stronger! 

This photo reminds me of the beautiful diversity of our language group and how we celebrate our differences"

This describes one of my feelings facilitating the group: "I'm not crazy! There are other people who feel the same way as I do!"

“My second pic represents unity and differentiation that bring ideas into a team and integrity comes out after group work and constructive discussions."

​“My second photo represents the teamwork that goes on in the organization, but also at the top, you can see fun, friendship, and fun. You can work well and have fun at the same time.”

​“For me, this describes our work as volunteers. We are all small pieces into a bigger puzzle that results in a beautiful image = positive change for multicultural families in Finland”

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for showing up for your groups and activities, for sharing your experiences, even the tough ones and for bringing together communities. Together you provide intercultural families with the support they need, wherever they are on their journey. 

 
Read more about our volunteering opportunities here.