World Village, 18.5.-1.6.2024
Host organization
Finnish Development NGOs Fingo is the umbrella organisation of 260 Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in development cooperation,
sustainable development and global citizenship education and an expert in global development. Fingo and its Member Organisations promote sustainable development and global justice and work to make life fairer – everywhere. Fingo promotes globally just sustainable development by influencing policies, supporting civil society and providing citizens with information. More info about Fingo can be found here.
Fingo organizes yearly World Village Festival which is Finland’s leading event for global action for the whole family, an admission free cultural festival, a food carnival and a trade fair for sustainable development. World Village Festival
raises global challenges and solutions, increases people’s understanding and provides concrete ways to take action to create change. The expected number of visitors is about 50 000 during the weekend 25.-26.5.2024. During the weekend there will be dozens of program numbers: domestic and international concerts, topical discussions, documentaries, children's programs and workshops. In the festival area development organizations, friendship organizations, environmental organizations, disability organizations, trade unions, authorities, educational institutions, parties, media,
companies and other actors present their work. Hundreds of exhibitors have participated in the festival every year, about half of which are CSOs.
World Village Festival is committed to continually improving its environmental efforts. Starting from 2024, there will be only vegetarian food for sale at the festival. Festival is one of the first EcoCompass certified events in Finland. The
festival strives to minimize waste, including using long-lasting printed materials and allowing only recyclable containers. Carbon footprint measurements for the festival are conducted at regular intervals.
The festival is committed to recycling all waste associated with the event. The food utensils and dishes used at the festival are biodegradable, and the event banners are made from PVC-free and fully recyclable GeoMesh fabric. Pure
Waste, the manufacturer of the volunteers’ shirts, produces its products from cutting waste from other clothing manufacturers. More info about environmental efforts can be found here.
Volunteer tasks
The volunteers of the festival are carrying out several different tasks, the work starts on Tuesday 21.5. and on the first four days the festival area is built up. This means carrying fences and tables, setting up tents, installing signs and
banners, distributing the waste containers and helping with area decoration. During the festival days Sat and Sun many volunteers are needed in the cleaning team which keeps the festival area tidy and in the recycling team which takes care that the different types of waste end in right containers. After the festival, on Sunday evening and Mon-Tue volunteers work with take-down work carrying again fences and tables, taking down banners, signs and decorations.
Accommodation
The volunteers will be accommodated in shared cottages. The host will provide lunch during the working days and other meals the volunteers will cook by themselves in small groups. All food provided will be plant-based. The volunteers should be flexible with simple living conditions and communal living (making decisions, cleaning, and cooking together).
Location
The volunteering team will be organized in Helsinki, which is the capital of Finland. It is a beautiful and green city with over 600 000 inhabitants and it's located by the Baltic sea. You can easily travel to Helsinki either by flying to Helsinki-Vantaa airport, or arriving with the ferry from Tallinn or Stockholm.
The festival is organized in an area in Helsinki called "Suvilahti", which is an event area located 3 km from the Helsinki City center. Suvilahti is a former power plant and gaswork area that has been taken over by several cultural actors and many festivals and events are organized there every year.
More information
Project is supported by the European Solidarity Corps and open for 18-30 year old citizens and permanent residents of EU countries and Ukraine. Participation is free of charge, as well as board and lodging. Volunteers need to stay the full duration of the project in order to get pocket money (5 euros per day) and travel cost reimbursed (20-530 euros depending on the distance).
We are looking for 20 volunteers who will be chosen based on the application below. Fill in the form in English language.
Please note that we are choosing the participants based on their genuine motivation, and applications that use AI will be discarded.
Application deadline is passed.