Miina Sillanpää and Civil Society Day – the role of organizations in integration

Today we celebrate Miina Sillanpää and Civil Society Day. It is a moment to pause and recognize how civic actors strengthen wellbeing, participation, and integration in Finland.

Miina Sillanpää once fought for the rights of the poor, women, and the working class. That same legacy continues in the work of organizations today: the courage to highlight injustices and to build an equal society.

Integration is not only about services provided by authorities. Communities and organizations enable everyday support, peer relations, and connection with the surrounding society. They help newcomers find housing, education, healthcare, and work, but equally important, they create spaces for participation and community.

Every hour given by a volunteer saves public funds and prevents problems that would otherwise lead to large costs. Successful integration is also an economic issue: every case of prevented marginalization means significant savings for the future.

The RefuFin project of House of Helsinki ry is a strong example. Its work has extended from crisis relief to long-term integration support. When, in the early phase of the war, thousands of Ukrainians needed safety, volunteers coordinated safe travel for more than three thousand people from Poland to Finland.

Since then, support has been provided on many levels: almost nine thousand pieces of advice and guidance have been offered online, and more than three thousand four hundred people have received face-to-face assistance. This demonstrates not only the need but also the significant impact organizations have on people’s daily lives.

Through RefuFin, volunteers have been trained to support newcomers both in digital channels and when dealing with authorities. In cooperation with other organizations, group activities and discussion support have also been arranged for those who are not yet able to access municipal integration services.

The project shows that the flexibility and quick response of organizations are vital in times of crisis, while at the same time building permanent structures to support integration.

Miina Sillanpää’s legacy reminds us that a just society is built on community and participation.

Organizations like House of Helsinki and the RefuFin project carry this legacy forward – not only by helping in times of need, but also by strengthening the economic and social sustainability of society. The work of organizations is more important today than ever. Would you like to support us today?

It is easy to do here: houseofhelsinki.fi/fi/support