|
 |
|||
           |
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… Come and join to plan and carry out different kinds of activities together with other women! Participation is free and a certificate is given at the end of each workshop series.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. Next training day will be on Saturday 21st of January 2012. For registration contact project co-ordinaor.
Finnish teacher Riitta Rantaniska, familiar to students of Familia Club, and artist Jade Tamminen will together be holding “Finnish by hand” workshop from January onwards. Riitta has long been teaching Finnish to immigrants and she is quite popular among her students – for a reason. Riitta joined Koivu ja Tähti last autumn when she held “Lets move in Finnish” workshops in east Helsinki. Jade has moved to Finland from the neighboring country Estonia and has held several workshops for Kassandra over the years. What she can do and create with her hands is quite remarkable. Together they have merged handcraft and language learning under the project’s umbrella. Actress Viola Pekkanen, who has been involved with Kassandra since the very beginning, and journalist Anne Hyvönen will be holding “Fun Finnish &Joyful theatre” workshops in Perhetalo Sahrami from February onwards. Viola, having moved from Russia, has a unique talent in combining different techniques of drama in her work. Anne is a fun-loving lady who has decades of experience working with women of different backgrounds. She feeds her workshops on media and uses words as her tool. I guarantee you learning Finnish with these two ladies is going to be more than fun. KOIVU JA TÄHTI WORKSHOPS In year 2011 Koivu ja Tähti project has held 5 workshops in Turku and Helsinki region in total. More than 100 women have participated in the workshops and developed their Finnish language skills through arts. Workshops have received positive feedback and demand for spring workshops are high. There will be 4 workshops in spring 2012 and 1 intensive workshop in June. Workshops will be held in Helsinki and Vantaa and are starting from January onwards. Workshops are free of charge! And participants will receive a certificate of attendance at the end. Below you can see the details of 2 workshops, and 2 more will be announced shortly! Finnish by hand Fun Finnish & Joyful theatre Finnish by rhythym
Finnish step by step
For further information and registration contact: project co-ordinator Melis Ari Contacts Project Co-ordinator: Melis Ari koivujatahti(at)kassandra.fi , tel: 050 330 1720 Partners Familia Club |
|||
