LOHJA MULTI-PURPOSE CENTRE
welcomes everyone as they are
TEXT ELINA LAINE PHOTOGRAPHS LOHJAN MONITOIMIKESKUS
Lively chatting in different languages, excursions, a language café, an international football group, help and assistance for integration, getting to know Lohja and learning about the essence of being Finnish. Small yet active Lohja multi-purpose centre offers this and much more.
Learn Finnish group: student Leena and volunteer Anja practise Finnish together.
Football tournament Ball Cup 2019 at Harju football ground, with a total of 80 players.
”We are proud of the operation of the multi-purpose centre. With its warm, welcoming and safe atmosphere, it offers a venue where everybody can come as they are, says Jana Riisalo, working life coordinator of Lohja multi-purpose centre. Active The multi-purpose centre operates very actively. Multi-cultural groups are run by instructor together with the association’s volunteers. There are 12 groups to choose from, whether interested in learning Finnish or playing football in a multi-cultural team. The centre’s activities reach approximately 200 people a year, with more than 3,000 visits. ”People who visit us represent 35 nationalities. Most of them have moved to Finland because they have a Finnish spouse. We have noticed that our visitors definitely want to participate in our activities,” Riisalo says. ”In the summers of 2017-2019, we organised a multi-cultural Ball Cup football tournament, with six teams from Lohja, Vihti, Karkkila, Helsinki and Tampere. It was a fine experience for young people from Afghanistan who were living in a group family home in Lohja. Our activities were boosted by the multi-cultural Lohja event that we arranged at the local museum in 2017 to celebrate Finland’s 100th anniversary. As a result, we received many new, interested visitors.”
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Learn Finnish and Language Café groups on an excursion at Mustio Manor in 2019.
Help in coping with the rules of working life According to Riisalo, Lohja multi-purpose centre is a reputable, well-known and appreciated regional actor. Among others, it cooperates with the city of Lohja’s immigration team, Nuori Lohja youth services as well as the workers of Ohjaamo. ”Since January 2021, we have been able to focus on working life activities, the purpose of which is to improve immigrants’ working life skills,” says Riisalo about her new job description. ”Many of them need help in dealing with the rules of working life or finding a place to study or a job. They are extremely motivated to integrate, become part of Finnish society, find a job and learn Finnish.” ”Some of the immigrants have integrated well, they have local friends and they can cope independently. However, some come from difficult conditions and may not have education, and therefore need more support.” Lohja surprises! The Learn Finnish language café has been part of the association’s range of activities since the beginning. The association faced a new situation last spring when group gatherings had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus. According to Riisalo, the multi-purpose centre has been the only place for many of the immigrants for receiving peer support, so new ways of contact had to be found. ”We have a live broadcast via Facebook and Instagram once
