Tips for Promoting Diversity in Volunteering

Create pathways into volunteering

• Group activities can provide participants with clear pathways into volunteering. New volunteers can gradually be given more responsibility as they gain experience.
  
  For example, participants in Helpers' Clubs are encouraged to become volunteers themselves in future club seasons or to take part in other volunteer activities.

Offer activities in English or other languages

• Consider whether some of your branch's activities could be offered in English or in a bilingual format. In the Helsinki metropolitan area, Helping Hands brings together information about English-language volunteer opportunities.
  
  Activities can also be organised in languages other than Finnish, Swedish or English. For example, the Porvoo Branch has actively invited people who have arrived from Ukraine to become volunteers and help organise activities in Ukrainian.

Make use of volunteers' language skills

• The diverse language skills of volunteers are a valuable resource that can strengthen your activities.
  
  For example, participants in the Töölö Branch's reception centre groups can be supported in several different languages thanks to its diverse volunteer team.

Take a flexible approach to language requirements

• Not all volunteer roles require strong Finnish or Swedish language skills. Volunteering can also provide opportunities to practise a language. By assessing language requirements flexibly, branches can attract new volunteers and valuable skills.
  
  For example, the preparedness-themed young adults' group in the Porvoo Branch welcomes people who are learning Finnish. A safe and encouraging atmosphere helps participants find ways to communicate and build mutual understanding.

Invest in community and shared experiences

• For many people who have recently moved to Finland, volunteering offers not only an opportunity to help others but also a chance to meet new people. A sense of community and the enjoyment of doing things together help strengthen long-term engagement.
  
  In addition to their regular meetings, members of the Herttoniemi Helpers' Club have organised social activities such as Independence Day celebrations and the Amazing Race Helsinki event.

Build local partnerships with communities that include people with migrant backgrounds

• People with migrant backgrounds can be actively invited to participate in activities and help plan them through local educational institutions, language and integration training programmes, and associations established by migrants.
  
  For example, the International Coffee Celebration during Week Against Racism in Northern and Central Helsinki was organised in cooperation with associations founded by people with migrant backgrounds. As a result, the event brought together volunteers and participants from a wide range of backgrounds.

If you have questions or would like to discuss how to increase diversity in your volunteer activities, please contact the district's migration work specialist.