Central Finland as a Leading Province for Volunteer Tourism

Project
Implementation and Work Packages

The project
activities were divided into three work packages. These included conducting
practically applicable background studies, organising activation events as well
as informative and idea-rich encounters, and communicating—through various
channels—the findings of the voluntourism study and discussions with potential
stakeholders. In addition, the project brought together interested actors and
those interested in piloting into workshop sessions to jointly develop the next
steps for voluntourism.

Work
Package 1: Informative Activation Events and Village Meetings

In
accordance with the project plan, regional activation events were organised
together with village actors. Through these events, the prevailing attitudes
and level of interest were explored. Voluntourism as a concept was introduced
through various presentations, drawing on international research evidence and
examples of host organisations, voluntourists, and intermediary organisations.
The introductory presentations utilised material from the background study
(Work Package 3) as well as expert contributions.

The events
were implemented in cooperation with the Central Finland LEADER groups, and the
locations were allocated accordingly. The events were planned as hybrid events,
allowing both on-site and remote participation. However, due to low numbers of
on-site registrations, three out of four events were ultimately moved fully
online. Only in Istunmäki village in Konnevesi was it possible to hold an event
with physical attendance. During the activation events, participants had the
opportunity to discuss the topic together and ask questions.

The second
component of this work package consisted of village meetings carried out by the
Village Ambassador. Instead of inviting rural actors to project-organised
events, they were approached in their own environments. The Village Ambassador
attended various village events to discuss the project and conducted so-called
village meetings, which were typically one-on-one discussions at the premises
of rural actors. Some of these meetings were held by phone or online due to
COVID-19 restrictions.

A printed
leaflet was used to introduce the form of tourism and the project to regional
actors and local residents, village influencers, and representatives of
communities, as well as to recruit participants for activation events and
village meetings.

Outcome
of Work Package 1

A regional
map was produced showing:

a) where in Central Finland there are actors interested in voluntourism and
committed to piloting and experimentation, and

b) what types of actors were activated and encountered.

This
enabled the recruitment of interested actors for workshop-based work and joint
planning of follow-up measures.

The map was
implemented as a multi-layer Google Maps tool and used as a documentation and
planning instrument in subsequent work packages. However, it was not suitable
for publication and therefore remained for internal project use only.

Indicators

• 4 activation events (planned as
  hybrid)
• 8
  village meetings

In
practice, four activation events were implemented, three online and one as a
hybrid event. The Village Ambassador conducted 16 village meetings. In
addition, six other cooperation meetings were held, and the project was
presented at several events organised by third parties.

Timeline

Main focus:
May–October 2021

Village meetings: August 2021 – January 2022

Final cooperation meeting: late March 2022

All activation events: November 2021

Division of Responsibilities

• Village Ambassador (Central
  Finland Villages Association): village meetings
• Jamk: facilitation and expert
  presentations

The Village
Ambassador had primary responsibility for village meetings, while the Project
Manager and experts conducted other cooperation meetings (e.g. with
national-level actors). Responsibilities for activation events were divided so
that JAMK handled programme design, presentations, online connections, and
streaming, while the Central Finland Villages Association handled venue
bookings and most contacts with LEADER groups.

Deviations from the Project Plan

• The activation events did not
  identify implementing organisations interested in piloting, as the
  understanding of voluntourism was not yet sufficiently developed at that
  stage.
• A virtual tour, whose
  development had only just begun at the time, was not used in participant
  recruitment.
• Events were not held across
  different parts of Central Finland as originally planned; instead, three
  were held online and one as a hybrid event. However, the online
  format enabled participation from any location.

Work
Package 2: Workshops and Joint Planning of Follow-up Measures

Discussion
events bringing together different actors were organised, with themes emerging
from village meetings and cooperation discussions, such as animal care,
villages, commercial products, and cooperation. The aim was to bring together
village actors and tourism operators. The events included workshop components,
the primary goal of which was to facilitate encounters between actors around
shared interests, ideally leading to business groups or ideas for joint
products.

While this
level of outcome was not achieved, the workshops advanced thinking on
voluntourism in Finland and Central Finland, explored its forms, and generated
ideas for volunteer work content. The first three workshops were held online
due to COVID-19 restrictions. After restrictions were lifted, the final event
was intended to be held in person, but low registration numbers—caused by
pandemic fatigue and overlapping regional events—meant that it could not be
held either on-site or online.

As the
project was already nearing completion, it was not possible to organise a
replacement event. Instead, the activities were substituted with:

• an online survey on the
  relationship between voluntourism and sustainable development (originally
  planned as part of the workshop), and
• a product idea competition
  aimed at encouraging potential voluntourism actors in Central Finland to
  consider what products they could offer and with whom they could
  cooperate.

Planned
networking during the event was therefore not realised.

During
event registration, data were collected on participants' attitudes towards
voluntourism, perceived uncertainties, and expectations, allowing the project
to provide targeted information flexibly. Feedback was also collected,
including interest in piloting and follow-up projects. Through this, four
potential voluntourism pilot sites were identified: one cultural site, one
horse farm, and two other farms. In addition, committed partners were
identified, including associations that could recruit test customers, media
representatives (traditional and social media), and tour operators who could
commercialise the products.

As
anticipated in the project plan, interest in voluntourism increased among
non-tourism actors – particularly farms and private individuals – although no
new operations or businesses were identified at this stage. The discussions
also highlighted a second potential development path: national-level network
building. Many participants came from outside Central Finland.

Outcome

The
regional map initiated in Work Package 1 was supplemented with content related
to volunteer work and used as input for final analyses in Work Package 3.
Environmental maintenance, for example, emerged as a potential volunteer
activity suitable across Central Finland, while pilot areas could be identified
through the map. No clear regional clusters were identified.

Indicators

• 4 virtual workshops (one with
  each Central Finland LEADER group)

In
practice, three workshops were implemented. Tasks planned for the fourth
workshop were replaced by other measures (online survey and product idea
competition). Cooperation with LEADER groups began in Work Package 1 but did
not produce tangible added value in terms of increased participation or new
information. LEADER groups' participation in planning and implementation in
spring was limited due to their own schedules.

Timeline

Planned:
October 2021 – April 2022

Implemented: January – April 2022

Division of Responsibilities

• Jamk: facilitation and
  coordination of background information
• Village Ambassador:
  participation in planning and implementation

At this
stage, staff from Jamk and the Central Finland Villages Association functioned
as a unified team. Presentations, speaker recruitment, and participant
recruitment were jointly conducted. Jamk recruited a facilitation expert
specifically to support workshop planning and implementation.

Work
Package 3: Background Study Applicable to Practice Development

The project
conducted exploratory research aimed at generating knowledge applicable to
practice. An initial online survey sought to identify existing activities in
Central Finland and the potential for voluntourism. The low response rate was
unexpected, and the content did not significantly advance the study. The survey
was therefore interpreted as an indicator of the low level of awareness of
voluntourism.

Studies
were conducted on voluntourism-like activities, actors, and operational models
in Finland, and international examples were reviewed. This research supported
activation events and workshops by providing content. The goal was to identify
voluntourism target groups and types of volunteer work suitable for them.

Understanding
the nature of volunteer work required direct engagement with various actors in
Central Finland, utilising other projects, events, and partner networks. Data
from village meetings conducted by the Central Finland Villages Association
were analysed. In addition, intermediary organisations, volunteer-coordinating
organisations, potential host sites, and travellers with prior volunteer
experience were examined.

Key research questions included:

• What types of actors exist in
  Finland for voluntourism-like activities, and which actors are suitable
  for coordinating voluntourism?
• What kinds of tasks do
  voluntourists typically perform?
• What types of tasks are in
  demand?
• What types of tasks are
  available in Central Finland?
• What is the level of genuine,
  committed interest and potential in Central Finland?

International
voluntourism models were benchmarked using documentary sources, alongside
similar activities in Finland. Legal constraints were examined, and general
attitudes towards voluntourism were analysed based on material documented in
Work Packages 1 and 2. The study also addressed questions raised during those
work packages. Jamk students contributed to the research, particularly in
profiling customers and conceptualising voluntourism.

Outcome

The project
produced voluntourism customer profiles, alternative operational models, and
significantly increased awareness among Central Finland actors regarding the
opportunities and limitations of voluntourism.

Profiles were developed for:

• voluntourists
  in general,
• international
  visitors to Finland, and
• domestic
  voluntourists.

Based on
the study, over 10 blog posts, 2 conference papers, and a book published in Jamk's
publication series (12 separate articles) were produced. In addition, the
project website hosts a knowledge bank (~80 links), a video series (~30
videos), selected student works, all event presentation materials, and the
Central Finland virtual voluntourism map (AR map).

Indicators: Five Studies

1. Voluntourists as a target group
   – global, European, and Finnish perspectives
2. Volunteer tasks performed by
   voluntourists internationally
3. International voluntourism
   operational models (actors, organisations, revenue models)
4. Legal
   framework and potential constraints
5. A synthesis responding to
   questions raised during activation events and workshops

All five
themes are included in the project publication, along with additional findings.

Timeline

Planned:
May 2021 – April 2022

Implemented: September 2021 – April 2022

Division of Responsibilities

• Jamk:
  planning and implementation
• Village Ambassador:
  contribution to publications based on the studies

The
division of responsibilities followed the project plan.

Deviations from the Project Plan

• Instead of a continuously
  updated e-book hosted externally, ongoing updates were published through
  blogs, videos, and the knowledge bank on the project website. The e-book
  was finalised at the end of the project and published officially in Jamk's
  publication series to enhance visibility and impact.
• Development of a coordinated
  voluntourism operational model began at a theoretical level during the
  project and is described in the final three articles of the publication,
  providing a foundation for future piloting and development.