Finland Cares campaign highlights role of volunteer work in coping with crises

NordenBladet — Finland Cares, a joint campaign of the Prime Minister’s Office and a group of organisations, will kick off on 16 August. The campaign will draw attention to how essential volunteer work is for the welfare state’s safety net and will highlight the contributions of organisations and their volunteers during the prolonged COVID-19 crisis.We are supported by a network that is not always visible because it is made of intangible caring and humanity. That network is made up of people who voluntarily put themselves on the line to create a better world. The Finland Cares campaign will highlight the stories of volunteers from around fifty organisations. One important objective is to encourage people to get involved in the organisations’ activities.“The COVID-19 era has brought changes to the volunteer work done by organisations, and new practices are constantly emerging in areas such as training and communications. The contribution of volunteers and new kinds of solutions are especially important, because the consequences of COVID-19 will impact people’s lives for a long time to come,” says Kristiina Kumpula, Secretary-General of the Finnish Red Cross.Organisations play a key role in dealing with crises and in preparing for them. There has been considerable demand for the special expertise that organisations and their volunteers have to offer during the COVID-19 crisis, and demand for crisis care services has been particularly high.
 
“With this campaign, we want to improve the visibility of volunteering and highlight its role in times of crisis and in coping with crises and difficult situations. I hope the campaign’s volunteer stories will inspire more and more people to care and get involved in a way that suits them,” says Head of Communications Päivi Tampere, who heads up the Finland Forward team at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The Finland Cares campaign is part of the Finland Forward project coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office, which aims to support the ability of people and society to cope with crises and to strengthen psychological resilience through communication. The Finland Forward project works in close cooperation with a variety of organisations and other partners.The four-week campaign will be open to all organisations, and new participants are still welcome to join. The campaign will be visible on the social media channels of the Finland Forward project and the organisations involved. You can also check out the volunteers’ stories and learn more about their organisations on the campaign website at suomitoimii.fi/suomivälittää.
 
Social media hashtags: #SuomiVälittää #FinlandBryrSigFind voluntary tasks in Finland: vapaaehtoistyo.fi/en/  
 
 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi