Gap Year: 6-month+ Service Learning in Finland with United Planet

Finland has held a unique global position because of its borders with Russia to the east, Norway in the north, and the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia to the south. Finland is lauded for one of the best public healthcare and education systems in the world while many other public services (think swimming halls, gyms, state-of-the-art libraries) are available to all at no or low-cost. Volunteers here find meaning through learning from Finland’s complex culture and sharing ideas.

United Planet is the US and Canadian member of the International Cultural Youth Exchange, or ICYE. As a volunteer in Finland, you will be hosted by ICYE Maailmanvaihto, ICYE’s partner organization there. Maailmanvaihto is the Finnish word for “the world exchange,” and was created in 1958 with exactly that goal: for youth from all over the world to exchange places in an effort to learn from each other.