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KOIVU JA TÄHTI Finnish by arts, Finnish by hearts Koivu jaTähti project, which was initiated in 2009, has been continuing from January 2011 onwards as Uusi Koivu ja Tähti (The New Birch and the Star). Uusi Koivu ja Tähti organizes workshops where learning Finnish takes place through arts. Workshops provide the possibility to interact with other immigrant women, get to know Finnish society and daily language and have fun while learning, dancing, acting, singing, painting… Since January 2011 more than 200 women have participated in Koivu ja Tähti workshops and received certificates. Before the project comes to an end we are organizing one last intensive course in co-operation with Monika Naiset ry. The summer course will take place between 4-14 June 2012, on mondays, tuesdays and thursdays at 10. Participation is free and mandatory for all those who have registered. Do your registration now!Uusi Koivu ja Tähti is a project of Kassandra ry and is funded by EU Integration Fund.
Multiple languages, multiple ways to learn Finland is a multilingual country. Apart from Finnish and Swedish languages also Same, Russian, Estonian, Somali, English, Arabic, Kurdish, Chinese, Albanian, German, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Persian and many more are spoken in Finland. According to 2010 statistics 224 388 people, whose mother tongue is not one of the official languages in Finland, reside in Finland. Many who move to Finland, at some part of their lives, study Finnish, realising that it is not the easiest language to learn as a second one. Well, Finnish is not easy to any of us. There are different ways to learn a language. Some learn better by sitting in a classroom and listening to the teacher, writing down everything he/she says, while some learn better by speaking and some others by doing. If you are an auditory person you probably prefer learning by listening. But if you are visual, you might prefer reading on your own rather than listening to someone. If you are a tactile person, it means you learn better when doing things with your hands and if you are kinetic it is not enough that you only use your hands, but you need your whole body moving while learning. The most effective method of learning within a group is by combining different methods and remembering to have fun meanwhile! “We come from foreign lands and we are looking for our home, but we do not have any other recollection of it other than a birch tree, where birds used to sing during sunrise, and a star which shined through its leaves.” (Zachris Topelius) There where the birch and the star are, is our home It is not wrong to say that language is like a mirror of culture. Language is certainly the easiest way to combine expressing one’s self, understanding the other and communicating together. It should be easy at home. Koivu and Tähti’s aim is to make life easier for immigrant women at home. This, Koivu and Tähti wants to do by the means of art and creativity. Because we, all of us, are not mere members, but artists of our society. In Koivu and Tähti’s workshops we work together, we learn together. Through different drama exercises, movements, dance, poetry, art, handcrafts, etc. we combine different methods of learning. Workshops are open to all women who want to improve their Finnish, learn new things and look in the mirror… The beginning is never easy, but it is fun as we do it together. One can and should make mistakes, one can but should not be shy and one should dare to try because it is worthy. Life is easier, when one knows… Why specifically illiterates? As we all have our own methods, we also have our own time that takes to learn. Some need more, some less… and some need more support. Koivu and Tähti workshops offer support to those who need it more. The number of illiterate adults living in Finland are estimated to be between 1200 – 1500. Of these, most live in the capital region and about half are women. In Koivu and Tähti workshops we have a laid back and inspiring environment where we speak Finnish, practice pronunciation and get further accustomed to cultural and lingual symbols like ä’s and ö's. Who guides? The workshops are built together. In each workshop we have two instructors; one is a native speaker of Finnish and the other one is not. Our instructors come from different backgrounds, different places, different professions, different age groups; among them are Finnish language teachers, dancers, actors, poets, musicians, coreographers, academics, fifty year olds, thirty year olds, Chinese speakers, Russian speakers, Turkish speakers, women from Helsinki, from Turku, Brazil, India, singles, mothers, etc. It is important for Kassandra to provide training for her instructors. Uusi Koivu and Tähti organizes training days and brainstorming sessions where instructors get together, share their ideas and experiences.
The intensive summer course instructors are theatre instructor Petra Haapio, dancers Gabriela Aldana-Kekoni and Annina Tuhkunen, music teacher Johanna Lehtinen and singer Yonca Ermutlu. Naisten Kammari -Women's Livingroom will be a fun way to start the summer! KOIVU JA TÄHTI WORKSHOPS
Naisten Kammari, Women's Livingroom
Finnish by hand - FINISHED Fun Finnish & Joyful theatre - FINISHED Finnish by rhythym
- FINISHED Finnish step by step
- FINISHED Koivu ja Tähti project's final seminar will be held on wednesday 30.5.2012. During the seminar you will have the chance to participate in demo workshops and meet people who have been involved with the project. We will have a panel discussion and our latest publication will be distributed. Save the date in your calendar and do register in advance. You can access the program here.
Contacts Project Co-ordinator: Melis Ari koivujatahti(at)kassandra.fi , tel: 050 330 1720 Partners Familia Club |
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