The Vieraasta Veljeksi mentoring program allows Finnish-speaking volunteer men to act as mentors to men who have immigrated to Finland and are looking for job opportunities. Over the six-month mentorship process, the mentor and mentee form a team, whose goal is to help the mentee find employment and integrate more fully into the Finnish culture.
The goal of the mentoring program is to grow the participants’ professional networks, introduce them to professionals from different fields, and support immigrant men in finding employment in a field corresponding with their skills. Participants are expected to have an academic degree or a degree from vocational education. This ensures that we are able to match potential mentors with mentees who have compatible professional backgrounds.
Miessakit ry has organized the Vieraasta Veljeksi mentorship program since 2016 and to this day 170 men have participated in the program. Over 70 % of mentees have either found employment or a place to study with the help of a mentor.
Schedule for 2024
Turku
Application period: 20.9.–7.10.2024
Starting date: 29.10.2024
Helsinki | Fall
Application period 2.–16.9.2024
About the mentoring program
Mentoring is a method that is used to strengthen professional competence and to promote wellbeing. It involves the transfer of tacit knowledge through open discussions and active interactions between two people. In addition, it supports personal growth, a sense of identity and self-knowledge.
In the Vieraasta Veljeksi mentoring program, professional mentoring refers to a form a mentorship that aims to develop the professional skills and competence of the mentee. At the heart of the mentoring program are the volunteer men who form a mentor-mentee relationship.
The job of the mentee is to be active and open to the professional support offered by the mentor.
The job of the mentor is to listen to the mentee and identify his professional needs. The mentor supports the mentee in finding employment with the help of his professional experience and networks.
The mentor-mentee team sets a common goal for the mentorship process. For example, the mentor may support the mentee in his job search or help him write a CV or explore study opportunities. The mentor may also help the mentee by offering his insights into the practical aspects of working in Finland.
The different mentor-mentee teams form a group and agree to meet three to four times during the six-month mentorship process. It is advised that all participants take part in these meetings. In addition, other relevant events can be organized where participation is voluntary. Such events can include excursions of various kinds, taking part in job and career coaching and other social gatherings.
In the first group meeting, the participants will learn about the Vieraaksi Veljeksi mentorship program and get to know their mentorship partner and the rest of the mentors and mentees. The mentor-mentee teams will also set their goals for the mentorship process. Moreover, they will receive useful resources that they can use in planning how they will move forward with the process.
The mentor and mentee should schedule their first meeting as soon as possible either at the first group meeting or shortly after. Their first meeting offers the mentor and mentee a chance to get to know each other, find a common ground and decide what they will focus on during the mentorship process.
The mentorship program is designed to last six months and participants are expected to commit to the program for its entire duration.
