Talk about volunteering

The Volunteering Gives Strength seminar (Vapaaehtoistyössä on voimaa!), was held in Logomo on 20 October. It discussed how people find the time and energy for volunteering, and how volunteering creates community spirit. The seminar attracted about 90 participants.

2011 is the European Year of Volunteering. The purpose of the thematic year is to raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering, to recognise volunteering activities and to encourage more people to start volunteering.

In honour of the Year of Volunteering, the Turku 2011 Foundation, which is responsible for the implementation of the capital of culture venture, teamed up with Michael’s Parish to hold a seminar on volunteering. The theme of the seminar was coping ability – both that of volunteers and that contributed by volunteer work.

The Volunteering Gives Strength seminar presented speakers from many fields. They included the ‘Happiness Professor’ and writer Markku Ojanen, time use instructor Timo Lampikoski, and the coordinator of the Year of Volunteering, Karoliina Tikka. Entertainment during the coffee break was provided by the young singer Robin Packalen, who is just recording his first album.

Volunteers have been an important ingredient in the success of Turku’s year as Capital of Culture. The Capital of Culture volunteer programme has involved more than 400 people. Including all volunteers who have participated in the projects during the year, the total number rises to thousands.

Throughout the year, volunteers of the volunteer programme have assisted in various activities, events and marketing efforts organised by the foundation. In addition, the input of volunteers has been utilised in about 60 projects in the Capital of Culture programme. In total, there have been more than a thousand volunteer assignments, which had involved about 5,000 hours of work by the end of September 2011.

 

Programme and speaker materials (in Finnish)