From the people at the Gloria multicultural centre it is immediately obvious that "little big Jyväskylä" has become a globalized, multicultural city. Gloria's users include both young and old, children and adults alike. Some are looking for company, others for something to do, some are learning the Finnish language or even how to cook. All have different backgrounds and different reasons for living in Finland.
Mexican Evelyn Gil Villa, who is doing on-the-job training at Gloria, has lived in Finland for five years and teaches Spanish at Jyväskylä Adult Education Centre. "I left my native country seven years ago and initially lived in Canada and Britain for a couple of years before moving with my husband to Jyväskylä, when he got a job here," Gil Villa explains.
Russian-born Margarita Veijonen, who keeps house at Gloria, followed her husband to Finland six years ago. "Although my husband died three years ago, I decided to stay in Jyväskylä. I've settled in well and I like my work and life here. My daughter lives in Finland, too," Veijonen says.
The Gloria multicultural centre, which opened its doors to the public at the beginning of 2009, had been eagerly awaited for some time and has already demonstrated its necessity. Several third-sector players are behind the project while administration is taken care of by Keski-Suomen Yhteisöjen Tuki, a regional third-sector development organisation. "Gloria is home to ethnic and multicultural associations and clubs. There are also one-off events and an open meeting place - Café Gloria - each week," says Gloria's project manager Arja Seppalä.
When an individual finds something enjoyable to do, in other words, a spontaneous way of settling in, quality of life improves significantly," explains Seppälä, capturing the idea behind Gloria's activities in a nutshell.
Another involved in on-the-job training at Gloria is Momeni Ziaulhag from Afghanistan, who has done many things during his life.
"In Afghanistan I worked as an engineer in a ministry. When the Taliban came to power I moved with my family to Iran first of all and from there to Finland in 2000. In recent years I've studied a lot of Finnish, worked for the newspaper Mosaiikki, done translations and acted as chairman of the local Afghanistan association."
Gloria Lapitan-Ashtiani, originally from the Philippines, is Gloria's project worker. She has lived in Finland for 17 years already. "In the Philippines I worked for the judiciary. When I came to Finland I had no idea what kind of work I would find. Administrative experience and initiative have been an asset in a variety of projects."
Jyväskylä's peaceful atmosphere, nature and the advantages of a small town earn praise from Gloria's staff. "Jyväskylä is a city of just the right size. My own home town in the Philippines is virtually the same, it too has a lot of students. Here you can travel easily by bus or just walk everywhere. A lot of people from other countries live in Jyväskylä, so networking is simple," stresses Lapitan-Ashtiani.
"In this town it's easy to build one's own life, but occasionally integrating with the rest of the population feels like a bit of a challenge," admits Gil Villa. One of Gloria's aims is to familiarize Finns with different cultures and people from other countries, and vice versa. Lapitan-Ashtiani believes it is possible. "In this way people can get information about immigration and people's backgrounds. That reduces uncertainty and distrust," states Gil Villa.
"Gloria gets a lot of visits from groups. It's good that Finns are interested in the way our activities are set up and come to take a look at the place," ventures Gloria's volunteer worker Zad Mina Ruuska from Morocco.
Within a short time foreigners who have moved to Finland have made Gloria a place to meet, and that has made it possible to reach new people from outside the associations involved. "A lot of people come here who have never previously belonged to any kind of organisation. On the day we opened practically every foreigner in the city paid the place a visit," comments Afghan Momeni Ziaulhag on Gloria's importance.
Photo: Zad Mina Ruuska, Margarita Veijonen, Susanna Tiainen, Gloria Lapitan-Ashtiani and Arja Seppalä discuss how the Gloria multicultural centre can promote contact between cultures in Jyväskylä.
words by Nelli Korpi Photo by Petteri Kivimäki