December Newsletter

7.12.2025

The merriest season of the year is here again and with it our last Folk it Up event of 2025! We would like to thank every single person who showed up to any of our sessions, danced with us, had fun with us, shared their culture and joined our dancing community. We've had so much fun! This project is about community and creating new connections and thanks to all of you, it has truly become a beautiful celebration of dance and culture from all over the world.

For our last Folk it Up! gathering before the Christmas holidays, we’ll take time to appreciate the dances we’ve explored so far by reviewing them together.

If you’ve joined previous sessions, this is the perfect chance to refresh your memory and let the steps and the essence of the dances sink into your body and mind. 🕺

If you’re new to Folk it Up!, this session will be a great introduction to the project!

Do you have a dance in mind that we haven’t tried yet and that you’d love to share?
No worries—Folk it Up! continues in 2026! There will be plenty of opportunities to suggest new dances, and we volunteers are already excited to hear your ideas for the upcoming year.

Here are the Folk it Up! dates for January 2026: Thursday 15th, Tuesday 27th

🧭 Practical Info

📆 Date: Tuesday, December 9th
🕕 Time: 18:00–21:00
📍 Location: Allianssi-talo, Asemapäällikönkatu 1 00520 Helsinki. Allianssi-talo is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets.
💰 Cost: Free! But registration is required—sign up below.
🌍 Language: The event is in English, but no worries if you’re not fluent—dance is universal! Plus, Finnish-speaking volunteers will be around to help.
🗣️ Tapahtuma järjestetään englanniksi, mutta pärjäät tapahtumassa myös ilman kummempaa kielitaitoa.

🌱 What is Folk it Up?

Folk it Up! is a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Solidarity Project, co-funded by the European Union. It’s free of charge, targeted to youth but open to everyone and volunteer-led. The project runs from September 2025 to March 2026, and you’re welcome to join at any time.

👉 Want to join the volunteer team? Send us an email—we’d love to hear from you!

📲 Follow us on social media or check our website for updates on locations and program details. Read more about the project here.

📝 Registration form

🎟️ The event is free, but registration is mandatory.

🌈 Folk it up is a European Solidarity Corps solidarity project, run by volunteers. The bi-monthly events bring together international and local youth to learn about balfolk. During each event we learn new folk dances originating from different countries around the world and practice previously learned ones. We socialise, connect and, of course, enjoy some vegan snacks together!
🌈 The events have become a joyful and vibrant community where everyone is welcome.
🌈 We follow safer space principles at the events and only serve vegan food. The event will have a designated safer space contact person available.

It’s tiiiiiiiime... for Christmas craftivism!

Craftivism is activism through crafting so join us for a festive solidarity crafts evening! 🎨

Our December guest organisation for Deeds of Hope is Crafts4Gaza 🇵🇸
Crafts4Gaza’s volunteers create handcrafted items and donate all profits from their sales to support Gaza.

During the event, the volunteers will introduce their work and share more about their initiatives, such as the weekly craft club Vapauden Virkkaajat.

You’re warmly welcome to join if you’re curious about the organization, want to support it, or would like to get involved.

The evening will also include a craft workshop facilitated by Crafts4Gaza volunteers!
Participants will have the chance to create items that will be donated to support the organization’s efforts.

No previous crafting experience is needed ✨ volunteers will guide you through the process.

All materials will be provided by Allianssi Youth Exchanges’ volunteers, who will also serve a free vegan meal 🥙 to all registered participants.

This event is part of the Deeds of Hope project, which will continue throughout 2026!

🧭 Practical Info

📆 Date: Wednesday, December 10th
🕕 Time: 18:00-21:00

📍 Location: Allianssi-talo, Asemapäällikönkatu 1 00520 Helsinki. Allianssi-talo is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets.
💰 Cost: Free! But registration is required—sign up below.
🌍 Language: The event is in English, but no worries if you’re not fluent. Finnish-speaking volunteers will be around to help.
🗣️ Tapahtuma järjestetään englanniksi, mutta pärjäät tapahtumassa myös ilman kummempaa kielitaitoa.

Registration form

🎟️ The event is free of charge, but registration is required for organizational purposes. Please register 1 day before the event at the latest.

Deeds of Hope 🌼 is a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) solidarity project. It’s created by youth, run by volunteers, and co-funded by the European Union.
It consists of a series of monthly events where we meet to share knowledge about activism and social engagement, explore the impact of Helsinki’s changemakers, and learn how to become part of movements for change.
We’ll get our hands dirty in practical workshops, where each month’s featured movement or organization shares hands-on skills and knowledge gained from their experience in activism.

We also offer free plant-based meals 🌱, cooked by our volunteers with primarily seasonal and locally produced ingredients.

Do you want to join our volunteer crew, too? 🤸‍♀️ Send us an email at volunteer@alli.fi to get on board!

We don’t ask for any specific requirements — just the motivation to contribute to a meaningful project, even through small acts that make a difference.

📝 Registration form

Although the event and participation are free, we require participants to register. You can find more information about the event and the registration form at this link.

The UN International Volunteer Day has been celebrated since 1985 as a way to thank all volunteers who contribute to a more just and sustainable world. The day is celebrated to make the valuable work of volunteers visible and to give them the recognition they deserve!
Thank you to all the volunteers, for your dedication. You are important! 💝

Interested in volunteering? If you live in the Helsinki metropolitan area, you can join our Solidarity Corps volunteer projects! Send us a message at volunteer@alli.fi if you are interested. We'll be happy to see you!

The whole Allianssi Youth Exchanges team would like to take a moment to express our sincerest gratitude to anyone who has supported us this year, attended any of our events, came to see us at fairs and presentations, interacted with us on social media or volunteered with us. 💖

We would like to thank all our Alli-exchangers for internationalising with us and choosing us to support them on their volunteering journeys and anyone who participated in our workcamps this summer. 💜

Special thank you to our co-workers, interns and ESC volunteers who have worked in our office during this year, we loved having you around! Thank you for helping us keep everything running smoothly. 💜

And, of course, huge thank you to the volunteers who helped organise all our solidarity events in 2025. We couldn't have done it without you! 💖

Here's a short overview of what's coming up next with Allianssi Youth Exchanges:

Folk it up! will return in 2026! Your favourite folk dancing community events will continue next year, we will see you on January 15th 2026 in Allianssi-talo! 🙌 Specific details will be published on our website and social media closer to the event.
Deeds of Hope 2026 confirmed ✔ Our activism solidarity project will also continue next year, all the important information about the January event will be published on our website and social media closer to the event! 🔔
Allianssi Youth Exchanges office will be closed for Christmas holidays from 22nd of December to January 2nd 2026. You can contact us at vaihto@alli.fi

December Newsletter

Allianssi Youth Exchanges newsletter in English