Eero's story – as a homework club tutor

Through my school, I heard that a homework club was starting at the Red Cross Kontioniemi reception centre. I was twiddling my thumbs on my sofa at home and felt that my studies weren't taking up too much of my time. I thought that I could do something useful for a change in my spare time. I hadn't done volunteer work before, so I figured, why not. I am studying in the field of education, so I also thought this could be good work experience for the future.

The most rewarding part of the activity is learning from differences and getting to know people. As a homework club volunteer, you also learn to operate in pedagogically challenging situations. The most challenging part of the whole thing is definitely the language barrier. Even if the student understands what it is about, language difficulties are still inevitable. Another great thing about this is that the contribution I make really matters; even if a professor were to arrive in Finland, if they didn't know the language, their previous knowledge and skills would mean nothing.

- Eero Kanerva, Joensuu branch