Gap Year & Voluntary Work in Finland

Allianssi Youth Exchanges
AYE mostly sends young Finns abroad but they do place about 100 international volunteers with their work camps in Finland every year. Those volunteers are recruited from partner organisations abroad.
www.alli.fi

Amnesty International Finland
Though most of the website is in Finnish, the English version of the website provides an email address for English speakers interested in volunteer work.
www.amnesty.fi

Center for International Mobility (CIMO)
CIMO administers scholarship and exchange programmes and is responsible for implementing nearly all of Finland's EU education, training, culture and youth programmes. They also promote and organise international trainee exchanges.
www.cimo.fi

CIF in Finland
An exchange programme where participants live with host families in Finland.
www.ciffinland.org

ICYE Finland
A reciprocal programme that hosts volunteers in Finland. Volunteers work in non profit organisations and communities such as social projects, environment or peace movements, women’s organisations and special cultural and developmental projects.
maailmanvaihto.fi

International Cooperative Education
American college and university students can enjoy the opportunity to experience a foreign country through a number of internships. In Finland these are mostly in IT and manufacturing.
www.icemenlo.com

Involvement Volunteers
An Australian organisation that places volunteers around the world including to Finland. Non Australians welcome to apply.
www.volunteering.org.au

Mast International
The MAST Experience Abroad programme, from the University of Minnesota, provides qualified individuals the opportunity to travel to Finland to gain practical hands on experience in agriculture, horticulture, agribusiness, forestry or related areas. This cross cultural experience living and working in another country helps young people develop a global perspective and a broader understanding of the world. Over 6000 trainees from more than 65 countries have participated in the MAST International programme. Applicants should be aged 18 to 30.
mast.cfans.umn.edu

UNA Exchange
UNA Exchange promotes and supports international understanding, cultural exchange and community development whilst at the same time enabling volunteers’ personal growth & development.
www.unaexchange.org

United Planet
UP represents the USA and Canada as part of the ICYE federation. They operate the Finland Volunteer Quest Programme, applicants for which should be US or Canadian citizens or residents. Work begins in August each year and volunteers take part in either education or social projects.
www.unitedplanet.org

Volunteer Action for Peace
A UK based charity organisation which works towards creating and preserving international peace, justice and human solidarity for people and their communities.
www.vap.org.uk

Volunteers for Peace
An American international volunteer organisation that sometimes has placements to Finland.
www.vfp.org

Youth for Understanding
YFU is a non profit NGO that offers young people around the world the chance to spend the summer, a semester or school year living in Helsinki. American students also have the possibility of participating in the seven week Finland-US Senate Youth Exchange. FUYSE students visit the Finnish parliament, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Education. Also, you will get to spend a day at the US Embassy in Helsinki, hearing presentations from the staff about what it means to represent your country abroad. Scholarships are available.
www.yfu.org

WWF Finland
WWF in Finland has been organising voluntary work camps since 1977 all around the country. Workcamps have been arranged in different types of nature conservation areas in cooperation with Metsähallitus (formerly Forest and Park Service), Forest Research Institute, local Environment Institutes and private land owners. Every summer volunteers work hard in five or six camps. Normally the length of a camp is nine days, including the days for travelling to and from the camp site. One day is spent for making excursions to nearby nature and cultural attractions. Overseas volunteers are accepted and information is available from February.
www.wwf.fi

WWOOF
There isn't a national WWOOF organisation in Finland but the country does, at the time of writing, offer 16 host farms.
www.wwoof.org

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>>Live, Work & Travel in Finland