Wanted: camp coordinators for voluntary work camps in Finland

Hanna Rask on 11.4.2024

vapaaehtoiset tikkaiden kanssa maalaamassa taloa

Would you like to gain experience of working with an international group, enhance your leadership skills, perhaps get to know new places and local communities in Finland, while contributing to building a world of peace and understanding? Join our 2024 work camps as a voluntary coordinator!

KVT’s work camps are organized in different parts of Finland, in collaboration with a local community or non-profit organization acting as a camp host that organizes the work for the volunteers and provides them with food and accommodation in return. Participants in our camps are international volunteers of diverse backgrounds, either joining the camp from abroad through the network of our international umbrella organization SCI or already living in Finland.

We are searching 1-2 coordinators for each of the following camps (please consult our volunteer and exchange coordinator at for latest updates):

River Restoration and Village Celebration 8.7. – 22.7.2024, Tavastkenkä village, Northern Ostrobothnia region

Lakeside Summer Camp; Building Community in a Historic Location 19.8. – 27.8.2024, Tampere

Natural Living and Aging With Wisdom 18.8. – 30.8.2024, Jyväskylä

Autumn Harvest & Human and Animal Well-being 2.9. – 16.9.2024, Jokioinen

Please check out a more comprehensive list of our work camps for detailed descriptions.

Before the camp, camp coordinators participate KVT’s training and write an info sheet for the participants of their camp, with help from the camp host and KVT. During the camp, main tasks of the camp coordinator are to help build group spirit among the volunteers, to help the host with coordination of the daily life of the camp, and to facilitate communication between the international volunteer group, KVT and the local camp host.

Open and active attitude are the most important features for a camp coordinator. You will also need English skills sufficient for everyday communication (some Finnish might be helpful too but not a requirement). Having some previous experience of voluntary work or group activities is also an advantage.

Camp coordinators don’t get paid, but trips to the camp coordinator training and to the camp are reimbursed and food and accommodation provided during the camp. Camp coordinators receive a certificate of their work after the camp. If you are a student, you can ask your own educational institution if camp coordination could earn you credits. As a camp coordinator, you will also need to be KVT’s member.

This year we will organize two camp coordinator trainings in Helsinki: on May 18-19 and June 8-9. Each camp coordinator should attend one of these. The training includes information and workshops on various topics, including the role and tasks of the camp leader, group dynamics, intercultural encounters, and how to deal with possible problem situations during the camp. In addition, the training provides information on the history, ideology and activities of KVT and our international umbrella organization SCI.

Got interested? Great! Please drop us a message at and tell us 1) who you are and your contact information, 2) which camp you would like to be a camp leader in (one or three options are good to have), and 3) why you want to be a camp leader. You can also tell us if you have previous experience of voluntary workcamps, other similar group activities, or if you have some other useful skills or experience.

Feel free to be in touch also if you have any questions about a particular camp or would like to learn more about camp coordinator’s tasks in general!

Volunteer opportunities in Finland outside the camp season: join KVT’s working groups!

Hanna Rask on 2.10.2023

Ryhmä ihmisiä istuu ringissä. Yksi ihminen seisoo ja puhuu ryhmälle.

Working groups have an important role in keeping KVT’s core activities going, for example by coordinating long-term volunteering exchanges and workcamp activities in Finland. Working groups are also a great opportunity to learn more about KVT’s work outside the workcamp season and about the field of international voluntary work in general. At the moment we are looking for new members to two active working groups:

Koordis

Ihmisiä pöydän ääressä. Pöydällä paperilappuja, joissa tekstiä.

Koordis is the coordination group for KVT’s international voluntary workcamps in Finland. Koordis searches and keeps up contact with our local camp hosts, recruits and trains camp coordinators, visits the camps during summer time and evaluates the camp season. In Koordis you get a chance to have your impact on what kind of camps KVT organizes and to participate in shaping the camp experience of our volunteers and camp hosts. If you got interested or would like to know more, please contact our volunteer and exchange coordinator Gweal Monykuany:

Pave

Pave is the coordination group for KVT’s long-term volunteer exchange (in Finnish ‘pitkäaikaisvapaaehtoisvaihto’, hence the name). Pave group consists entirely of volunteers and its tasks include processing applications for long-term volunteering projects, interviewing and training our outgoing volunteers, collecting feedback from returning volunteers and keeping up contact with our partner organizations abroad. If you have some existing experience or knowledge of long-term volunteering and are interested in joining the group, feel free to reach out to Anni Lamponen ().

Social media and working group for equity issues

In addition to these two working groups, we are looking for new volunteers with at least some existing knowledge of KVT’s work to join our social media group. Volunteers in the group take care of updating content on KVT’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) in one-week shifts according to predefined themes. For more information, please contact Hanna Rask: . Also: if you have a new idea that you would like to make become reality in KVT’s communications, we are more than happy to hear about that!

KVT has also had a separate working group for advancing equity in our work and improving accessibility of our activities to volunteers of diverse backgrounds. In the past the equity working group has, among other things, helped with communicating about KVT’s workcamp opportunities in Finland to asylum seekers and immigrants. The group has been inactive for a while, but we hope to restart it in the near future – if you would like to be part of that, feel free to contact Hanna (see email above) for more information!

Join KVT’s board for 2024!

Hanna Rask on 1.10.2023

Would you like to get to know how a small NGO operates? Do you wish to have a greater impact on what KVT is doing? Join our board for 2024!

KVT has worked for peace through grass-root level voluntary work already for more than 70 years. On our voluntary workcamps we bring together people from different backgrounds to contribute to a common cause and to learn from each other, which we believe helps to create understanding and combat harmful stereotypes and prejudice. This grass-root level peace work is based on ideas of cooperation, equity and promoting of active citizenship.

KVT’s work is planned and coordinated by our board that consists of 10 to 12 active volunteers. As a board member, you will learn about KVT’s activities and peace work on both local and international level, get experience of how a board of a small organization operates, and get to do meaningful voluntary work in inspiring company. In addition to ‘traditional’ board activities, you will also get to participate in different events, trainings and seminars.

The board meets about once a month, either in person or online depending on the board members’ preferences. It is also possible to attend the in-person meetings online if needed.

The board is open to people with all levels of NGO experience; whether you have years of experience in different NGOs or are just beginning to learn about the field, you are welcome as you are. Tasks are divided among board members according to everybody’s own interests, and you don’t need to know everything beforehand. The most important that you are interested in having your impact on KVT’s work, share our values and are ready to commit to be an active part of the board.

If you are interested or would like to know more, please contact the chair person Hanna Rask () to provide a short introduction of yourself, of how well you know KVT and why you would like to join the board. The new board members will be elected in our annual meeting on Tuesday, November 28th.

Are you already familiar with KVT and board work, and into broadening your experience of both?

We are also looking for a chair person and two vice chairs for 2024! Some of the tasks of the chairs are chairing of board meetings, preparing the meetings together with the executive director, representing the board as an employer, coordination of the annual plan of action and annual report, and closer follow-up of KVT’s finances together with the executive director. The chair person will be elected in the same annual meeting on November 28th, and the new board will select the vice chairs at the beginning of the year. Contact Hanna for more details!