Duo Newsletter 05/11 (December)

Duo's passing year has seen a variety of activities. Nearly fifty mothers have participated in the popular Mother & Baby groups and another fifty people have taken part in all the other groups organised by Duo. Twenty-six volunteers have partaken of group facilitator trainings and more than one-hundred people have been participants in the training days for professionals.

Our warmest thank you goes to everyone who has been involved in our activities. We would also like to express a special thanks and credit to our active volunteers: we could not have done it without you!

We will be taking a short break during the holiday season and continue our activities in the new year. The coming year sees the start of our internet-based activities for intercultural couples and families and our "traditional", face-to-face groups continue. Two new groups - one for mothers-to-be and another one for mothers of bilingual families - start in January, and in February we organise an induction day for new Mother & Baby group facilitators. We are also pleased to announce that Ms Elina Pöllänen will start in the post of project worker in January.

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you in the coming year!

Discussion group for mothers-to-be starts in January

Discussion group for mothers-to-be (women who are planning or expecting a baby) is a place for you to meet others in a similar life situation and to talk about your thoughts, experiences and uncertainties. The group welcomes both Finnish and foreign background women and has six weekly meetings.

More information and brochure (PDF).

Discussion group for mothers of bilingual families starts in January

Discussion group for mothers of bilingual families is meant for mothers of intercultural families with preschool children. In the group you can share your experiences, thoughts and good practices as well as ask questions and get new information on how to best support a child living in a multilingual family.

More information and brochure (PDF).

Mother & Baby group facilitator training in February

• Are you yourself a mother of a baby under one year old or currently expecting?
• Would you like to meet and get to know other mothers of intercultural families?
• Interested in learning new skills and volunteering as a Mother & Baby group facilitator ?

If your answered "yes" to the questions above, we invite you to take part in the popular Mother & Baby groups.

Mother & Baby discussion groups are facilitated in pairs and we can help you to find a pair if you do not have a friend to start your own Mother & Baby group with. You do not have to be an experienced facilitator either: an open mind and positive approach is all you need. We will offer training, material and support for our volunteers and help in finding a suitable place for the meetings.

The next Mother & Baby group facilitator training is organised on Tuesday, 7 February 2012 (10.00-13.00) in Helsinki. The training is in English.

More information and brochure (PDF).

Duo´s guide booklet for parents of intercultural families

The "Love and Parenthood in an Intercultural Family" guide booklet is intended for all intercultural families that are planning to have a child, expecting a baby or that already have small children. Professionals (such as nurses, kindergarten teachers and school teachers) can also benefit from the booklet.

The booklet is available in English, Finnish, French, Russian and Thai.

Read more from our website or download the brochure (PDF).

Order the "Love and Parenthood" booklet

You can order the "Love and Parenthood" booklet by sending us an email to duo@familiaclub.fi. The cost of one booklet is 5 euros (cost price including postage in Finland).

Other news and information

Familia Club's new activity calendar will be published on 16 December

For more information on next year's activities visit Familia Club's website or download the activity calendar (PDF).

Interview partners wanted for a Master's thesis study

The "Migration decisions of European families living in Finland" master´s thesis study focuses on the reasons, factors and motives that have influenced the migration decision-making process in the families. More information about the study and the interview invitation:

• in Finnish (PDF)
• in English (PDF)

You can find an up-to-date summary of Duo's activities from the Activity calendar (PDF).

Please remember to visit the the 'Thematic articles and information' section of Duo's website, where you will find thematic articles and statistics related to intercultural couples and families. You can also join Duo's Facebook Group to be a part of the Duo's community and to learn about Duo's activities

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