Luckan: Language Cafés (external link)
See Luckans list of language cafés in the capital region.
Language cafés are organised by many different organisations and associations. The idea of a language café is that you get to chat about all kinds of things in Swedish. It is also an opportunity to meet new people. You can go to a language café even if you don’t speak a lot of Swedish: you could start by talking about the weather or how your day is going, or just by practicing how to introduce yourself. Later, you could talk about things like current events.
In many cities, language cafés are organised by the Finnish Red Cross as well as many other organisations and municipalities. If you want to go to a language café, you can look for information by searching for local language cafés (e.g. Vasa + language café / språkcafé).
Another good idea is having a language café at your workplace, for example once a week during the workday! Anyone can take the initiative to organise a workplace language café: a supervisor or employee, a person learning Swedish or a native speaker of Swedish.
The association Luckan curates a list of Swedish language cafés in the capital region: Language cafés and other resources - Luckan integration.
See Luckans list of language cafés in the capital region.
Many higher education institutions organise tandem courses or Each One Teach One courses. These courses will match you with a Swedish person who is interested in learning your native language or about the culture of your country. Your match will guide you through Swedish language and culture. When you complete pre-agreed assignments, you could also get study credits for your efforts. Check what your higher education institution offers! You should also check out this UniTandem learning option.
You can look for a Finland-Swedish friend from many places.
Here you can find different tips on how to learn Swedish during your free time and how to create a rutin that supports your learning goals.
P.S. Reading is the best way to enrich your vocabulary.
Do you have time for a new hobby? Or do you have an old hobby that you could take up again? Many hobbies allow you to get to know new people, and most hobbies will also help you improve your language skills.
For example, if you go to a workout class, it is okay if you don’t understand everything the instructor says right away. The movements speak for themselves, and many instructions get repeated so many times that you’ll gradually learn them. Another positive thing is that you will meet people who are interested in the same things as you and you get to learn language about things that are important to you: you can learn the names of birds on a birdwatching course, food terminology in a cooking class and vocabulary about music and performing music if you join a choir. And much more of course: people at hobbies will usually talk about a wide range of everyday topics.
You can find affordable and versatile options for hobbies offered by adult education centres, for example. It is often a good idea to enrol for courses immediately (=on the same minute) when enrolment begins because many courses are very popular.
In Finland you can find several different Swedish hobbies, e.g. sports, choirs and book circles.
If you live in the capital region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen) you can easily find Swedish hobbies on the website fritid.fi.
Finland is the promised land for organizations, associations and societies. There is a association for almost everything, also in Swedish. By participating in their activities you can get new friends with same interests as you and find yourself a hobby at the same time. In addition you get to learn new things and practice your language skills. There different kinds of organizations organize events, courses, trips and other fun things. Many of them also have a member's magazine, webpages and social media channels.
Big Swedish organizations in Finland with local societies in different areas are for example Folkhälsan, Marthaförbundet, Finlands svenska folkdansring, Svenska kvinnoförbundet, Natur och miljö and Finlands svenska sång- och musikförbund. Dig in and look for the local societies - there might be some near you. Then there is the organization Svenska.fi for people who are interested in learning Swedish in Finland. Ask also your Finland-Swedish friends and acquaintances for tips on nice and interesting associations and societies!
On the website InfoFinland you can find good general information about associations in Finland and a list of national organizations for immigrants: Associations (infofinland.fi).
If you want to establish an organization of your own or if you already are an active member in one, you might find some good help and information about how to manage an organization in Finland from the webpage Föreningsresursen. The content is in Swedish and made by the association Svenska folkskolans vänner.
Volunteer work is a good way to work for things you find important. It can be to help others or to participate in some way, for example in the board or help elders with everyday tasks. Volunteer work is not the same as work or internship, volunteer work is something you only do during your free time. This means that you do not get paid for volunteer work. This experience can be helpful though when you apply for paid work or an internship.
If you receive unemployment benefits, find out from your Employment and Economic Development Office whether volunteer work has an impact on your benefits. In some cases volunteer work can be a part of your integration plan. Read more on InfoFinland's website. To participate in an association's events is not volunteer work.
You can find volunteer work from example vapaaehtoistyö.fi.