Education
Moniheli is involved in promoting educational equality for young people with a migrant background. The OmaPolku project has come to an end for the time being, but you can still find all the project materials and guides on this page.
Objectives
- To strengthen the capacity of migrant parents to support their young person in choosing an educational path
- To strengthen the cultural sensitivity of study counsellors in their work with young people from an immigrant background and their parents
- To develop interaction and cooperation between immigrant parents and study counsellors at the stage when the young person is planning his/her educational pathway after their basic education
materials
From basic education to upper secondary studies
From basic education to upper secondary studies guidebook is aimed at foreign-language parents whose child is moving from basic to secondary education. The Little Guide explains:
- compulsory education
- secondary education options
- preparatory education and other training options before upper secondary education (TUVA, one year of apprenticeship, AIPE and TELMA); and
- how to apply for a study place.
The language versions of the guide are: Finnish, Arabic, Somali, Russian, Ukrainian, Dari, Kurdish/Sorani, English and French.
The guide will benefit professionals working with foreign language learners in primary and secondary schools, such as guidance counsellors, VALMA teachers, multilingual counsellors and teachers. It is also a useful tool for other guidance and counselling professionals working with migrant carers and young people themselves.
Culturally sensitive guidance
self-study materials
One of the activities of the OmaPolku project is a training focusing on cultural sensitive guidance. In 2022, the themes of the training were a joint application parents' evening and cooperation between home and school. OmaPolku organised the training in cooperation with Ohjausosuuskunta Ote.
Culture-sensitive guidance: tools for home-school cooperation - training material is aimed at secondary school counsellors who need support and new ideas for culture-sensitive guidance work. The self-study material was used to support training for guidance counsellors and is now available to all. The materials can be downloaded via the link below (pdf). The material is only available in Finnish.
Blog posts
read peer tutor's experiences on the project
Hope Nwosu and Samah Zahlaf, who were peer tutors in the OmaPolku project, compiled their experiences of the projects in blog posts. As peer counsellors, they led groups for foreign-language parents to discuss and learn about the Finnish education system.
You can read the texts via the links below. Samah's blog is also available in Arabic. The links will open in a new window.
Useful links
Studentum.fiprovides information about different training options and occupations, a career test, students' experiences and career paths in different sectors.
Opintopolku.fiprovides a vast amount of basic information about the Finnish education system, education options and the Joint Application.
One-Stop Guidance Centers is a place for everyone under the age of 30, where you can get help for free and support with education and career choices.
closed activities
peer groups in your own language
for immigrant parents
The OmaPolku peer activity has come to an end. The peer activities were conducted in Arabic, Dari, English, Kurdish, French, Somali and Russian.
In the peer groups, parents can discuss, for example, the Finnish education system, secondary education options, ways in which parents can support their child in choosing an educational path or profession, the importance of interaction and cooperation between home and school.
Peer activities are organised in Uusimaa, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio, Mikkeli, Oulu and Lappeenranta.
The OmaPolku project organises peer-to-peer activities together with different partners. For more information on peer-to-peer activities and cooperation opportunities, please contact the project experts.
Forms of peer activities within the project:
- Peer groups
- Pop-up briefings
- Parent - teacher meetings
- Individual peer support and advice
You can follow the OmaPolku project peer activities on the project's Facebook page.
See also the information videos and brochures on secondary education options produced by the OmaPolku project.
Cooperation Forums
helping to find solutions together
OmaPolku-program's 4th education cooperation forum took place on the day of Home and School on Fri 30.9.2022.
Cooperation forums develop cooperation between parents and guidance counsellors at the stage when a young person is planning his or her educational path after basic education. The final cooperation forum of the project approached the theme from the perspective of intercultural communication.
The panel discussion of organisational actors working with and between families and schools ignited participants to reflect on what ideas and practices of organisational actors they can bring to their own organisations and families.
The OmaPolku-programs cooperation forums brought together young people, parents, guidance counsellors, representatives of organisations and other stakeholders and experts. Representatives from different sectors looked for solutions to develop cooperation between home and school in an equal relationship.
