P4 Skilled and socially inclusive region
4.1. More people benefiting from stronger Central Baltic communities
Southern Finland - Estonia
01.09.2015 - 31.08.2017
€252 250
€194 765
The project REGI supports Estonian migrant families divided between Estonia and Finland due to work-related reasons. As migration from Estonia to Finland has grown in the last 5-10 years it has brought along a variety of social issues, for example unhealthy or broken families. The project builds stronger and healthier communities and societies both in Finland and in Estonia.
During the project social work professionals together with the families will develop solutions best suitable for supporting families from Estonia and ways to solve the related problems. The activities focus on training the social work professionals and volunteers to notice challenges related to work migration before they grow to be problems. This is a multi-directional process in which family-members not only receive support, but act as supporters in group activities. The activities include sharing first-hand information and skills on how to develop effective support methods.
As a result of the project the wellbeing of families and their members improves and wholesomeness increases on the community level. Successful implementation of project activities increases the number of communities with improvements as the piloted methods and practices are disseminated and adopted throughout Estonia and Finland. The developed methods are universal and transferable and can be used also in other countries.
Turun ammattikorkeakoulu Oy
Country: FI
Partner budget: 117.718 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 88.288 EUR ERDF
Tallinna Ülikooli Rakvere Kolledž
Country: EE
Partner budget: 55.781 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 47.414 EUR ERDF
Varsinais-Suomen Viro-keskus ry
Country: FI
Partner budget: 63.697 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 47.772 EUR ERDF
Itämeren alueen Terveet Kaupungit ry
Country: FI
Partner budget: 15.054 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 11.291 EUR ERDF
Achieved results
REGI Support for Estonian families living in Finland
Work-based migration from Estonia to Finland has been growing in the last decade. As a result family members might be separated by the distance and suffer because of that. Project REGI was implemented to support Estonian families affected by this issue.
The project approached this challenge by developing ad hoc solutions such as information events for Estonians, peer support group activities as well as events for families and their children. Professionals dealing with migration-related issues — social workers and health care workers — as well as students, were also instructed on the matter. They received information about the kind of challenges Estonian workers in Finland and their family members may face, whether in the new homeland or at home and what kinds of information they need to experience a smoother transition in case they decide to move to a new home country, in this case, Finland. The project also produced short videos aimed at describing the supportive group method used by the project as well as a book aimed at improving Estonian children's perception of their new life situation.
Altogether 566 Estonians both in Finland (Turku region) and Estonia (Rakvere region), 189 professionals working with them as well as volunteers, were involved in these activities.
- Support for Estonian families with connections to Finland
- More than 500 Estonian families involved
- A children book for families living abroad
