Activities

School visits

One of Hej Åland’s most common activities on the Åland Islands is school visits. In the past years the organisation visited different schools to discuss with children about cultural diversity and the ‘other side of Africa’ – the one hardly shown in the western world. Some of the schools visited were; Strandnäs Skola (http://www.mariehamn.ax/Strandnas_skola), Yrkesskola (http://www.ay.ax/), Ytternäs Skola (http://www.mariehamn.ax/Ytternas_skola)....

Partnering with other organisations

Hej Åland is not working in isolation - partnering is always necessary in tackling widespread problems like prejudice, stereotype and discrimination. In 2009 we were involved in the project – Mångfald på Åland (http://peace.ax/mangfald). This project was sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of Education with the main objective of promoting cultural tolerance on the Åland Islands.

Public Awareness

Given the low level of awareness on the Åland Islands when it comes to integration and cultural diversity matters, Hej Åland decided to use the media to reach out to the local people. Coordinator Alieu Khan started writing articles on the Ålandstidningen but after two publications he decided to quit (read about that in the new edition of his book Within a Year). Some of his recent articles were published in the newspaper –Nya Åland (in Swedish).

Social Gatherings

Social activities can help a lot in bridging barriers. Hej Åland is the creator of the Åland Sommar Jam. An evening of reggae and hip hop music that attracts both locals and foreigners.

Reaching out to the politicians

Hej Åland once wrote an open letter to the speaker of the Åland parliament (lagting) challenging him and his fellow politicians to show some interest in integration and cultural diversity. Migration is already a permanent part of Åland, so there is an increasing need for the politicians to get involved! During the SaFest-Åland, the guest speaker was a politician and a local minister called Roger Eriksson.