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1/21/12
Used baby clothes for shelter home mothers in Cairo
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4/6/11 6:09 PM
Being so privileged and fortunate in life
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Kulttuurikameleontit ry
Blog posts
The key members of Kulttuurikameleontit ryThe board of the association is chaired by Päivi Arvonen, the vice-chairperson is Ulla Lehtonen and the third member of the board is Anita Mäntynen-Hakem. Aino Vesanen co-ordinates the development co-operation project in Cairo (from January 2012 on) and Senni Jyrkiäinen is responsible for the Toisella katsomalla global education project. Kulttuurikameleontit ry. has its beginning in its founding members' experiences of multiculturalism in Finland. The founding members have lived and worked abroad and their educational and work experience represent a wide-ranging expertise in culture, religions, education, development co-operation work, travel and youth work.
Chairwoman Päivi Arvonen holds a major in Comparative Religion (MTheol, University of Helsinki, Finland) and is a professional teacher of Psychology, Philosophy, Religious Education and Ethics. She worked as a teacher for twelve years in comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools in Finland. She currently works both in Finland and in Egypt as a freelance journalist, photographer, consultant and trainer her fields of expertise being cultures, religions, development co-operation, human rights, education and travel. She has worked in, e.g., India, Italy, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Sultanate of Oman, Libya, Yemen, Montenegro, Egypt, Sweden and Romania. Languages: Finnish, English, Swedish (working languages), French and Arabic (good), German and Italian (preliminary conversational skills). For further information, see www.timantti-idea.net
Since 1990, she has been specializing in multicultural issues as a researcher and educator in Finland, Sweden, England and Italy: project manager for the Programme on International and Ecumenical Affairs (KETKO) in 1990-1995, organized by the Youth Section of the Finnish Ecumenical Council; tutor in the JACARI-programme for ethnic minority children at Oxford University in England 1998-1999; educator at the UNESCO Intercultural Education conferences in Jyväskylä, Finland, in 1999 and 2003; group mentor for refugees and asylum seekers at the Joel Nafuma refugee daycentre in Rome 1999-2000; teacher of Multicultural Studies at the University of Helsinki and Open University in Helsinki 2000-2002; teacher in the Media Studies Programme at the Swedish-speaking Polytechnic ARCADA in Helsinki in 2005; lecturer in the global.me global education programme by AIESEC Finland 2007-2008. Languages: Finnish, English and Swedish (working languages), Italian and German (good), French (preliminary conversational skills), Arabic and Chinese (beginner's level).
Anita Mäntynen-Hakem is a teacher of humananities and pedagogy. She is also a Bachelor of Civic Activities and Youth Work and Cultural Producer. Currently, she is studying in the Master's Programme of Youth Work and Youth Research at the University of Tampere. She has been teaching in several organisations and schools and been in charge of various projects in the cultural and youth sector. In the previous years, she has been working as a freelancer journalist and trainer. In July 2010, she was elected the Managing Director of the Finnish Youth Circus Association. Egypt is her second home country and she has visited the centres of Hope Village Society several times. Languages: Finnish, English and Swedish (working languages), German (preliminary conversational skills).
Aino Vesanen will graduate soon as an MA from Helsinki University, Her majors are Arabic language and Islamic studies and her minors general linguistics, translation studies, interpretation and turkology. She has also completed a one-year wilderness-guide course. At the moment, she's busy writing her Master's thesis on Egyptian Arabic plant names and acquiring translation and interpretation proficiency in Arabic. In addition to dance and languages, Aino's hobbies are cooking and gardening.
Senni Jyrkiäinen holds a Master of Social Sciences degree in social and cultural anthropology. Jyrkiäinen specialized in the Middle East and she has written her Master's thesis about the mobility of women in Upper Egypt. While living in Egypt in 2008, she also did volunteer work in the Defying Violence against Women project by the Italian NGO Movimento per l'Autosviluppo, l'Interscambio e la Solidarietà. In 2009, Jyrkiäinen made educational material on the Cairo street children and children's rights for school children in a global education project by Kulttuurikameleontit ry. Jyrkiäinen also belongs to the team of anthropologists who have just finished the Toisten Suomi co-operation project between Kulttuurikameleontit ry and the Finnish Antropolological Society. In her free time, Jyrkiäinen focuses on her singing hobby and activities related to international affairs. Languages: Finnish, English and German (working languages), Swedish (good), French (preliminary conversational skills), Italian and Arabic (beginner's level).
Project co-ordinator (May 2010 - August 2011) Frida Issakainen is a Bachelor of Social Sciences. In Finland, she worked many years as a pre-school teacher and also in the child protection sector. She became familiar with organizational issues while she was working as a secretary general in her student union. Frida has been interested in multicultural matters ever since she was young. She wrote her final thesis on the topic "Life beyond the veil, why do Finnish women convert to Islam?" Before going to Egypt, Frida got experience of working with street children and AIDS orphans also from Uganda and Kenya. She lived in Egypt for five years and worked for example as a teacher and tour leader. Languages: Finnish, English, Swedish and spoken Arabic (working languages).
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Vice chair Ulla Lehtonen has studied Theology and History at the Universities of Helsinki (Finland) and Oxford (U.K.). She is currently teaching IB History at the Tikkurila IB School and history, social studies and RE at the Tikkurila Upper Secondary School.
