Vaasa is the 15th largest city in Finland and the second most international city after Helsinki, the capital.
There are people from more than hundred nationalities living in the Ostrobothnia region according to the city of Vaasa which makes it special.
The key aspect of a multicultural society is the integration of people with varied backgrounds and culture. Any successful society in the past and in modern times has been the one with good integration of its people which also brings about peace, harmony and economic development.
The city of Vaasa has been taking a number of steps in this regard and has successfully done so on many occasions. One such event for the integration and networking of international people and the locals will take place on the 12th of December starting from 18:00 at the Fanny house (Kirkkopuistikko 34).
The event. The event is meant for the whole family and people can come with their families to have a good time and mingle with the international people.
– The event is going to be free. We get money from the Kulttuurikeskus and the SPR to buy the food. It will be prepared by refugees. There will be music performance by a few bands. The bands are playing to support the cause of integration and to make it a nice event, says Michael Vogt from Vaasan kaupunki.
– People can have our food for free, but they are also encouraged to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. We think if we give people the chance to share what they have then everybody can have a better time without having to make big sacrifices.
For good cause. It is said that even a small gesture of humanity makes a big difference to some people. It is truly an event for a social cause with the objective of cultural integration.
– The bands play for free and they are having a better time if people show up to listen to them. We provide food for free and the refugees like to share their local food, and locals can maybe try something they have never tried before.
The idea for the event came when there were discussions about ways to integrate people. Since music and food is something everbody enjoys, an event with the same theme was formalised.
– We are planning more events like this. The next one is going to take place on 24th of December and it’s going to be for people who don’t have a family here, but don’t want to be alone on Christmas. We will give people the chance to donate things we need to help with integration before the 24th, says Vogt.
Michael Vogt is from Germany, but has been living in Finland for the last 5 years. He is currently employed by the city to help with the integration of refugees and foreigners in general.
Rathan Kumar