I’m Elisa. I’m from a small country called Belgium. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to move, discover, learn, travel. So when I heard about the European Solidarity Corps, it was a revelation to me. I could go, in a northern country, those countries that make me dream so much, meet people from other cultures, learn and discover their cultures. A dream that was about to come true. So when I saw the announcement to volunteer in Hyvärilä, I jumped at the opportunity. All of whom I dreamed were gathered.
Graduated in Graphic Industry and Web design, my studies will be useful during this stay. And I will be able to learn so much. I never really traveled and I felt this need to go away, for a long time to discover myself by learning more about the world but also about myself. Passionate about history, art and music I look forward to learning more about the rest of the world.

I am Olga and I am coming from Germany. Being interested in politics, nature, cultures, languages and youth work I decided to come to Hyvärilä for new adventures. As I am very motivated to make changes especially on a small scale, I am looking forward to being part of the community of Nurmes to bring in more sunshine and cultural exchange. I experienced intercultural exchange to be most efficient when it comes to globalisation and human interaction as well as understanding each other.
I have been in touch with youth work for many years, giving workshops at schools and
training young people to do the same, doing mentoring and working on youth participation when it comes to political decision making. I am looking forward to applying my knowledge and experiences as well as learning new things.

I am Angela or you can call me Angie as my friends do. I will be volunteering in Hyvärilä between May 2019 and February 2020, in the project “Discover Finland- discover yourself”. At the moment, my two biggest preoccupations are meeting new people and learning enough Finnish to be able to have a conversation. Margarida and I will be writing about our experiences in this wonderful place.

My name is Margarida, I´m from Portugal and I graduated in chemical engineering. I enjoy being around Nature and to go hiking, photography and sports. I came to Finland because I wanted to do something different regarding my background, to have international experience, meet a new culture, to network and discover more of myself. I like to keep broaden the mind, try new things and learn new ways. As part of the DIGI-Woods project, I help with digital youth work and media, promoting both Hyvärilä and Metsäkartano youth centres, supporting their activities. I also get to explore the Finnish rural areas, and share my experience on social media. What inspires me the most is to see young people being curious and risk-takers, trusting life and breaking stereotypes.