Allianssi Youth Exchanges promotes intercultural learning and global understanding. Our aim is to give young people a chance to do concrete work with others from different backgrounds and ethnic origins. Allianssi Youth Exchanges is owned by the Finnish Youth Co-operation Allianssi which is the umbrella organisation of Finnish youth organisations with about 100 nationwide member organisations.

VOLUNTEERS
Usually most volunteers in our camps are 18-25 years old even though there is no upper age limit. The volunteers come mainly through our European partner organisations, but in every camp there is usually representation from other parts of the world as well. This year we have two camps for younger volunteers with the minimum age of 16 years.

WORK
The work is very often manual like painting or gardening; but one of the main aims of the camps is to encourage and increase intercultural learning between the volunteers and the hosting community. No special skills are required. The working hours are about 30-40 hours per week. Most camps are arranged in small communities.

CAMP LEADER
An Allianssi camp leader is present in each camp. (S)he is either a volunteer with work camp experience or a student of youth work.

ACTIVITIES
There is plenty of opportunities to visit local places of interest and enjoy Finnish countryside, lakes and forests. And Finnish sauna, of course!
Most of our camp hosts are municipal youth offices and there will also be local young people taking part in the work.

HEALTH ISSUES
In most camps the volunteers are insured against accident but there are many camps (e.g. Kauhajoki) where the volunteers are not insured at all. Since the travel to the work camp and theft of personal property are also not insured, we expect all the volunteers to take their own travel insurance. In addition, we advice all volunteers from EU countries to take the European health insurance card with them. No drugs are allowed at Allianssi camps under any circumstances. The use of alcohol might be restricted.

LANGUAGE
The language on all our camps is English and all volunteers are expected to be able to communicate in English. It is quite widely spoken, so you will manage in English almost everywhere in Finland.

WHAT TO BRING
Since the work is usually practical/manual we recommend that the volunteers bring with them sturdy shoes (sometimes also rubber boots) and working clothes and gloves which can get dirty. Bring enough warm clothes for cool evenings. Swimming gear is important to bring with since there are plenty of opportunities for sauna and swimming in a lake. A sleeping bag is a must for most camps. Some music; cooking recipes and photos from the home country are always worth taking with; especially for the international evenings!

FINLAND
Finland; Suomi in Finnish, is situated between Sweden to the west, the tip of Norway in the north, a long border with Russia to the east, and Estonia to the south, across the Gulf of Finland. Finland is the northernmost country in the world after Iceland. But the climate is not as freezing as that might suggest, partly because of the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. During summer sunbathing is even possible as temperatures range from 16°C to 25°C. There may be some rainy and chilly days, and therefore the volunteers should have proper outfit for working outdoors. The short but spectacular spring and autumn seasons help to counterbalance the effect of the winter.
Finland has a long coastline. The archipelago to the south and south west of the country contains around 30,000 islands. Finland is also the land of lakes, almost 200,000 at the last count. Two thirds of the country is covered by forest. In terms of land area, Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe while the population is only about five million.
Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. The currency unit in Finland is the Euro.

USEFUL LINK
http://virtual.finland.fi / (General information about Finland)
Detailed information about ALLIANSSI is available at: www.nuorisovaihto.fi

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