Welcome Home -program for families
Welcome Home is a program that has been developed to welcome and
support you and your family personally as you have decided or are
considering to make Finland your new home.
Welcome Home is provided by the Finnish Youth For Understanding
(YFU), a non-profit organization that has helped through youth
exchange thousands of young people and families to enjoy and
adjust to foreign cultures and countries in Finland and abroad,
and to develop as the global citizens of tomorrow. Youth For
Understanding is politically and religiously independent. YFU has
been operating for over 50 years and it has a worldwide network,
currently established in more than 50 countries.
Moving to an unknown country and an unfamiliar culture and living
environment is demanding – and rewarding. Welcome Home is your
support and soft landing in getting settled in Finland, finding
your social contacts and building your networks, learning to find
the things you can enjoy in Finland and overcoming the challenges
that you and your family inevitably meet in a different
culture.
Welcome Home is based on true commitment. Your host and host
family are people who understand the challenges of making a new
country your home, who have been individually matched to share
the situation in life and the interests that you have and who are
trained and supported by the knowledge and experience YFU. They
volunteer and commit to be your guides in making you feel at home
in Finland.
Welcome Home is not a training course or a relocation service
package. It is a year-long commitment to actively assist you and
your family in making Finland your home, and to be there for you,
whenever you meet peculiarities and obstacles that a local person
can help come over. The service contents will be tailored to the
needs your company and you.
Basic elements of the service are:
- Welcome Home host in Finland - a volunteer family to help you in adjusting to Finland, understanding Finnish culture and building social networks
- Welcome package - a compilation of information about your new home, tailored to your needs
- Welcome Dinner by your host family
- Arrival orientation - an introduction to Finnish culture, history and society
- Four Seasons meetings - regular meetings for getting deeper knowledge about each season
For more information, please contact Marika Antikainen (program
manager, marika.antikainen[at]yfu.fi, tel. +358 9 6226 130) or
Elina Talonen-Lintunen (national director,
elina.talonen[at]yfu.fi, tel. +358 9 6226 130)
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