Are refugees a death of the European Union or a possibility of new development?

In my opinion, the subject of refugees was one of the most topical subjects of seminar.  More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015. The European Commissioner for internal affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos called the events the worst crisis of migration since World War II. Syrians make no more than 25-30% in a present wave of migrants. Many of modern refugees in my opinion are seekers of the better life, or economic migrants. I know that there are among them also true sufferers running from wars. Terrorists and dangerous social elements are using a situation under the guise of refugees get into Europe. Many immigrants are natives of the countries of Asia and Africa where terrible epidemics as tuberculosis or Ebola virus and other dangerous infections.

When we talked in the small groups on emigrant's crisis in Europe, questions were more than answers. What guarantees that arrival of thousands of potential carriers of fatal viruses will not lead to epidemics in Europe exist?  Present refugees are ready extremely aggressively: they demand, but do not ask as earlier, and are ready to advocate own interests up to the end. Are we in Europe capable to integrate migrants into civilized European society? What will all these people engaged in? Will we be able to provide all with work or social benefits? Will they begin to trade in crime? To what consequences – cultural, social, political and economic – will give change of religious-national structure of the European society? Will be Europe former or will lose the shape of the keeper of Christian cultural values? Will be new immigrants live by rules of the European life, or they will have the enclave where the laws, language, etc., that is the state in the state? How we can prevent events, which have taken place in Paris and Brussels?  

Huge money allocated for the solution of problems with migrants. The reception center provides accommodation for asylum seekers, to organize the necessary social and health services, taking care of, where appropriate, subsistence, organize work and study activity and the necessary interpretation services and gives advice on obtaining legal aid.  Should spend Europe so many forces and money for adaptation of refugees?

Europe grows old and birth rate strongly falls. Aging of the population Europe annually loses 0.2% of economy. In 35 years of 28% of the population of the EU's people of pension's age will make. The question of their worthy maintenance will be actual in many countries of Europe. Over time, the situation risks to turn back full financial crisis as the countries of Europe will not be able to pay to all pensioners of pension. Refugees could become an actual solution.

The most terrible part of immigration crisis are illegal immigrants.  In Finland, just 30-40 % of current asylum seekers will receive residence permit. Many will remain here not legally. It is necessary to look for decisions urgently on an actual problem. Exclusion from society forms the greatest threat to the country's security and individuals residing in the country illegally are at particularly high risk of becoming excluded.  Many undocumented immigrants will live in absolute poverty. Immigrants who will get negative decisions to their asylum application can bring crime, illegal work and economic problems for the Scandinavian countries. Europe's countries will need more housing, temporary workplaces, school for waiting families, provided health care, food packs, better communication between organizations and more volunteers work.  Immigrants' sending back to their home countries just move the problem. It has to solve there and we should find better ways for EU to help the countries were the refugees come from. I am very happy that in Helsinki city made the great decision in 2013 to provide urgent health care for all undocumented immigrants for the same prices that Helsinki residents pay and to arrange comprehensive health care services for children and pregnant women among the undocumented population. I have been pleasantly surprised having learned that in Helsinki, Turku and Oulu works the Global Clinic organization, which gives free medical and legal help to immigrants.

Who am I?

 

Svetlana Mustafi, 33. Student of Diaconia University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Master of Degree programme in Promotion of health and wellbeing at risk of exclusion.

Literature

Jemina Heinonen, 2016.  Global Clinic. Health services for paperless immigrants. Introduction at Diak. 23.4.16.

Marja Katisko,(by Ikali Karvinen) 2016. Undocumented migration and life without rights in welfare state. Introduction at Diak 24.4.2016.

Sakari Kainulainen, 2016. Poverty in Welfare State. Introduction at Diak. 23.4.16.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21690007-economist-meets-european-commissioner-migration-home-affairs

http://www.kotouttaminen.fi/kotouttaminen/pakolaisten_vastaanotto/turvapaikanhakijat/vastaanottokeskukset

Menatl Health and Wellbeing

The lectures of the weekend were very interesting and included lots of important and valuable information. It was interesting to see the statics of Sakari Kainulainen's lecture and the differences of regional poverty in Finland.

For me and my own learning I would say that the most valuable key note lecture was Päivi Rissanen's lecture. It was very touching to hear about her experiences and at the same time very eye opening to learn how the service system in Finland really works. That was clearly shown in the service map she had made of her own journey in the system. It's hard to imagine that someone may have to meet over 300 different professionals during their struggle with a mental illness. Same time it's quite paralyzing to hear that the professionals can classify you as a hopeless case. Rising from a hopeless case to be a PhD is really amazing! Päivi's lecture gave also a good point of view for us as professionals in what's important when you're working with mental health. Thank you Päivi, for sharing your story.

Study tour to Supported Housing Unit for Minor Asylum Seekers was worth of a visit. It was nice to hear about the work they do with the minor asylum seekers and how they are integrating the youth into the Finnish system. It would have been nice to get to see the housing and how the youth live but unfortunately that wasn't possible because of health reasons.

Sunday's group work sessions were a great way to get to know the international students. Discussions gave a possibility to do some comparing between the different countries and their ways of working with asylum seekers. In our group discussions it was pretty clear that Finland and Denmark were the least "open" countries to take in the asylum seekers.

The main points learned from this weekend were: HOPE, EMPOWERMENT, UNIQUENESS.

"Jokaiselle ihmisarvoinen huominen"  (=Everyone deserves a decent tomorrow)

Who am I?

Johanna Magnusson, 34 years, Masters degree student in Diaconia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki.

In Every Society We Need Each Other

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE INTENSIVE SEMINAR

Sakari Kainulainen showed us on Saturday as a part of his lecture interesting statistics and indicators about exclusion in Scandinavia. He told us that in EU every fourth people is at risk of poverty. He reminded us that as a professionals we should wake up and help our clients to fight against poverty. Our job is to find ways to help those people back to active citizens because everybody has the right to be a member of society. Passive waiting isn't the target but active doing is. Luckily we don't need to be alone. Welfare state and social transfers are helping us with that.

Already Aristotle knew that having good friends is important for us and a good way to decrease loneliness. Sakari Kainulainen reminded us about that. He told that about 9 percent of Finns are feeling themselves lonely. The truth is that nobody wants to be lonely. In every society we need each other. Loneliness is negatively linked with emotions. The best situation is when you have about five close friends. If you have over 20 friends your satisfaction is getting lower.

On Saturday I got a chance to get to know Kurvi addiction treatment center. The visit was interesting and didactic to me. In my opinion that kind of job is very important but difficult also. All steps of success with their clients are very small. The main point of my learning process there was that if you want to build confidence with excluded people you shouldn't highlight your profession. As an example in Kurvi the doctor is not wearing his white doctor jacket at all.

During this intensive course we used a lot of English. All lectures and different kind of group works were executed by English. My English skills aren't so good. I understand quite okay when I'm listening or reading English, but I'm a little bit shy to speak it. Before this weekend I was a little bit nervous how much will I understand of lectures and how can I talk with international students. Now when the intensive course is over I can say that I survived quite well. I was nervous in vain. I took part actively of chatting in Twitter. I shared and published thoughts there. That was a first time when I published something in English on Twitter. I'm so satisfied that I did it. Now the step is lower to do that again.

I think that for me getting know to Kurvi was the best part of this weekend. The second best thing was that I got a chance to learn and brush up little bit my jargon skills. I wrote down some words which I might need in the future for exam-ple in my work with clients or when I'm doing my thesis.

Who am I?

I'm Riikka Siniluoto, 33 years old student from Espoo, Finland. I'm studying in master degree programme of social and health services in Helsinki in Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. I'm working in Ohjaamo Espoo. It's a one stop guidance center for under 30 years old people with several problems in their lives. Young people can get help for different kind of problems from different kind of experts in Ohjaamo Espoo. My colleagues and I are professionals in social services and in education and employment issues.

We are helping and guiding our clients for example to get a job, a place to study or with difficulties they have with housing, health, finance, free time or relationships. The purpose of Ohjaamo Espoo is to help young people with those problems easily and quick without bouncing them in social and health services or in society system. Ohjaamo Espoo's target is to decrease social ex-clusion of young people in Espoo.

Professionals fights for the underprivileged people

I participated to the seminar called Mental health and well-being- focus on homeless and underprivileged populations (22.4.-23.4.2016)§ that was hosted by my study place Diaconia University of Applied Sciences. What an interesting weekend!

On Saturday Sakari Kainulainen held a very interesting lecture about poverty in welfare state. Poverty isn't only about one's lack of money. It's also about lack of possibilities, interaction and knowledge on services. Poverty leads to risk of exclusion and professionals and civil helpers should focus on this group of people so they could gain back their status as a full member of the community. Everybody deserves to be accepted and helped to gain their full potential to be happy in their own terms. The key word for the client and professional relationship is TRUST.

PhD Päivi Rissanen gave a memorable presentation of her doctoral thesis that was about her own recovery path from severe mental illness towards happy and fulfilled life. Social and health professionals need to hear people to tell their stories and experiences in order to learn and develop new means to do their work and encounter people. Rissanen showed a map about the professional helper networks during her 27 years of mental illness. The map was very complicated and showed clearly how complex and fragmented the service network is in Finland and how much it takes of a person to cope in that bureaucratic system. The most important lesson about Rissanen's lecture to me was that it takes lots of patience, a functional professional network combined with peer groups and hope and dreams for rehabilitee to be able to recovery.

On Sunday we heard about the situation of refugees and made couple group works with the international students. It was a challenge to try to interact with a foreign language! It made me think that it would be useful to take a discussion course in English to improve ability to talk in with other students and professionals and especially with clients.

All in all the seminar was extremely interesting, useful and fun!

Who am I?  

Sanna Väisänen, age 44, works in municipal social office full time, studies the master's degree (The promotion of health and well-being at risk of exclusion) Diaconia University of Applied Sciences.

New Knowledge and Rewarding Discussion

During the weekend I received new information on poverty in Finland, got to know the homeless services and got to talk in English with international participants.

In Saturday morning Sakari Kainulainen told us updated information on poverty in Finland. Something what he told us I remember in particular. At first a large proportion of Finnish going pretty well, but there is 10-15 % of us which does not go well. In my opinion number of unemployment, social assistance and drop out youngsters specially in Kymenlaakso and Pohjois-Karjala did not look good.  What happening in these provinces when there are youth in risk of social exclusion?

Also in Saturday we have possibility to visit round-the clock housing service named Lehmustupa. Lehmustupa provide supported housing for examble long –term homelessness. They have house for 21 person mostly those who are enrolled in Helsinki. The main principle is housing first so for examble their client can be under the influence of intoxicants at apartment. I think that the workers make a valuable and meaningful work at the unit.

In Sunday Jouko Porkka taught us a nice song, singing and in sign language J Also I do not have before Mass at the Swedish, new experience was pleasant.  But  specially in Sunday was the most comfortable conversation with foreign guests in English. I can warmly recommend it to others this kind of training days!

Who am I?

Sirpa Tuomisto
Diak Helsinki
Master degree programme in helth promotion

In Every Society – We Need Each Other

I participated to this very interesting intensive course in Helsinki.  First day started with a morning coffee and music by Ganthy band. After that we had three lessons of poverty in welfare state. Afternoon we had a study tour and I got to know more about Global clinic. That was very interesting and everything was new for me. They are helping undocumented migrants.

Most interesting speaker at first day was Päivi Rissanen. She told as her own story, when she was ill for seven years. She had over 40 inpatient treatment on the mental hospitals. She was chronic ward as hopeless and a difficult case. Over 300 nurses took care of her and how this one nurse asked her "Do you what to stay here in hospital rest of your life Päivi?" and how that changed her life. She found an own way to rehabilitate. Now she has written a book and is telling her story to professions. She wants to tell professionals that discussion, connection between two real persons, trust, mutual respect, concern and understanding are the most important things in human interaction and helping people.

I started the Sunday enjoying morning devotion and silent moment at chapel. After that we did mostly group works. That was very interesting and a little bit exiting too. Day ended with summery and a little feedback for what we had learned at this intensive weekend.

This weekend I learned the importance of human interaction. That is the most important thing for us professionals, how to get people from shadow to light!

 Who am I?

My name is Johanna Jokinen and I am studying Applied Sciences in Helsinki as master's degree programs, named the promotion of health and wellbeing at risk of exclusion. I will graduate December of this year, 2016.

Thoughts on the seminar

For me was surprise that the biggest reason to get early pension are mental problems (Koponen 2016). After longterm unemployment is always more difficult to get back to work.  Usually you should have a medical diagnosi for having a rehabilitation. There may be problems with daily routines or lack of social skilss where you may need rehabilitation after long unemployment.

However the most important learning experience for me was that  safety and encouraging atmosphere helps you to survive even from the challenging situation (say it in English).

Who am I?

My name is Asta Eskelinen. I am 53 years old social counciler in city of Espoo. My job is to support my clients to figure out their issues involving longterm unemployment and health. I am studing in Diak Helsinki, on master level.