A record number of people in Finland choose volunteering as a way to help others during the coronavirus crisis, according to the results of an online volunteer service survey Volunteering.
For example, the mental health organization Mieli said it would get hundreds of contacts from those interested in volunteering during the spring.
Demand for places rose so high that the organization tried to accommodate all willing volunteers.
"Our work is demanding, so we need to provide solid training for it. We were in an awkward situation in the spring in the sense that, although we had willing volunteers, training could not be organized in the same way as before the pandemic," Mind the leader Sinikka Kaakkuriniemi told Yle.
During the spring, however, it was possible to train, mostly remotely, about 20 new volunteers to become crisis phone operators, Kaakkuriniemi said. For the rest of the year, the association’s local departments hope to train about 60 volunteers through a combination of combination classes and distance learning.
The coronavirus crisis has led to a huge increase in the number of people who contact crisis centers.
“Willingness to help others”
Noora FrantziThe sociology student from the south-east of Taipalsaari was one of 20 volunteers who trained the volunteer work of the crisis phone line at the Saimaa Crisis Center in Lappeenranta.
"I was left without a summer job and noticed that volunteers were being sought. I thought it would be good to do at least something. Behind it, of course, is the desire to help others," Frantzi said.
He added that the most rewarding part of the volunteer experience for him is when he hears from the caller that their concerns have diminished or even resolved.
"The most important thing is the caller that I am available and willing to listen and to support. On the line, you can really hear a wide variety of life stories and different worries. Volunteering has made it very clear to me how important it is for someone to listen," Frantzi said.
Volunteering The study also found that about 80 percent of people who started volunteering during a coronavirus pandemic want to continue after the crisis, including Noora Frantzi.
"You can do this flexibly and according to your own perseverance, which is great," he added.
Source: The Nordic Page