Jutellaan Suomeksi-Kahvit (Let's discuss in Finnish meetings)

To practice the Finnish language in the company The meetings were intended for everyone who was constantly learning or maintaining their Finnish language skills Finnish native speakers were also welcome as volunteers

The meetings started with the introduction of each participant in order to find out their Finnish language skills. Participants were able to express their expectations on what were their wishes and needs. They mentioned, that they would like to have more practice in different forms. Immigrants are having only about 3 hours of Finnish language learning organized by the Red Cross center and “Raahe Opisto” only a few of them study with Te-toimisto contracts The participants’ language skills are at the beginner level but they have a high motivation to study and later on expect to find a job.

Participants practiced oral skills and worked in pairs and groups. Different tasks encouraged them to work effectively and enrich their vocabulary. They described their favorite photos from the phones, practiced writing skills by answering questions about their dream or daily weekdays

The topics were about the Finnish tradition to drink coffee which was general for all participants to share personal thoughts about coffee traditions in their countries using their own “words bank”. The discussion was active and all participants could improve their speaking skills a lot. Other Finnish traditions like the customs of hospitality, personal family parties and etc were discussed as well.

Just before the 6th of December, when Finland celebrates its Independence Day, the topic of the meeting was to talk about Independence days in other countries

Practitioners were encouraged to use the Finnish language and try to ask if they have some concerns. The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming which created positivity and selfconfidence. A few immigrants from Siikajoki joined the meeting and there were a couple of Finnish language native speakers who were helping those in need. Also, a new local immigrant came to practice as well

Participants had a chance to check their knowledge about Finland as a country, its traditions, cuisine, and famous buildings; about Pyhäjoki, Raahe and Siikajoki regions The quizzes were informative and provided in three languages. Although, a lot of questions and answers were only in Finnish which made participants improve their Finnish language skills.

Raahe library