Five multilingual instructors serve families speaking different languages in five Helsinki districts: Mellunkylä–Vuosaari, Myllypuro–Vartiokylä, Munkkiniemi–Haaga, Kaarela and Malmi–Latokartano.
Multilingual instructors guide, advise and support immigrant Helsinki residents who speak different languages. At playgrounds, they work not only with children but also their parents.
– Our work with guardians focuses on service, advisory and guidance work. We help families get access to different services. Some families might not know how to apply for a place in an after-school club for a child, for example – or that the clubs even exist, says Sahro Ibrahim, the multilingual instructor of playgrounds in Malmi-Latokartano.
The instructors support the integration of families in various ways. They can help families apply for a place in daycare, fill in a housing application or pay overdue bills. In other words, they guide families on how to get things moving.
It is important to me not to do things on behalf of customers.
Iman Weli, who works at the playgrounds in the Kaarela district, says that last week she helped a family apply for a place in daycare for their small child and a place in pre-primary education for their 6-year-old.
– We filled in the applications together in the Asti online service. In August, at the start of the school year, I helped many families activate their Wilma accounts and advised them on how to use Wilma.
According to Weli, many immigrant families need help with digital services. Some of the families have just recently arrived in Finland and cannot speak any Finnish yet.
Weli has also sought Kotiva courses for many parents. These courses teach Finnish efficiently and even free of charge: the instruction is provided by a teacher from the Helsinki Finnish Adult Education Centre Työväenopisto, and participating parents can leave their children at the playground where they attend a Kotiva club for the duration of lessons.
– For me, the most important goal is for families to integrate and learn to do things by themselves. It is important to me not to do things on behalf of customers, says Emran Ahmad, who works at the playgrounds in the Mellunkylä–Vuosaari district.
Ahmad recently helped a customer client fill in an application. The woman recorded a video of the situation so she could do it herself later. Ahmad emphasises that immigrants are willing to integrate and put an effort in it.
With children, the multilingual instructors engage in both group and individual work at playgrounds. They can help children find hobbies that interest them, for example. Not all families might be aware of the recreational opportunities available in their residential areas or of fee reductions.
- Things like this come up in discussions. One child was enthusiastic about playing football but told me that their family could not afford any hobbies. I contacted the parents and told them about opportunities available. As a result, the family received support from SOS Children's Villages Finland, and the child got to start the hobby, Ibrahim says, delighted.
Iman Weli mentions that she has also told families about swimming halls and corrected misconceptions about them.
The multilingual instructors working at playgrounds speak Finnish, English, Somali, Arabic, Russian, Sorani Kurdish and Turkmen. However, all the instructors serve all families with immigrant backgrounds, not just their own language group. They can also order an interpreter, where necessary.
Each multilingual instructor works at 5 to 6 different playgrounds in their area, shuttling between them. However, their services are available to all playgrounds in Helsinki upon request. Ahmad and Weli often visit each other's playgrounds because there are customer belonging to their language groups in both areas.
- Some people with immigrant backgrounds in Helsinki might have been living in Finland for a long time, yet still be unaware of playgrounds and the free-of-charge services that they offer. These include summer activities, playgrounds’ free summer meals or baby morning sessions. Playgrounds are safe places for children of all ages to play, Weli says.
Everyone is entitled to succeed and thrive in society – challenges with language or different cultural backgrounds should not be obstacles to this.
Multilingual instructors also work in their areas’ networks and cooperate with maternity and child health clinics and schools, for example. In addition to this, they share their know-how in interacting with people speaking different languages and with different cultural backgrounds within their working community. Ibrahim, Weli and Ahmad all have different educational and work backgrounds that complement each other well.
The multilingual instructors started their work in 2024, with the most recent additions starting in October. The activities are financed with an appropriation from the Kotivanhempien kotoutumisen tuki (‘Integration Support for Stay-at-home Parents’) project until the end of 2025.
– However, the aim is to make activities supporting the integration of stay-at-home parents and proven practices – such as the multilingual instructors at playgrounds – into permanent services, says Project Coordinator Sofia Hildén.
Helsinki's playgrounds also offer other activities for stay-at-home parents, such as weekly clubs for learning Finnish together. The responsibilities of municipalities for the integration of immigrants increased at the beginning of 2025 with the new Integration Act.
The City of Helsinki Education Division employs a total of 32 multilingual instructors. Eight of them work at daycare centres, five at playgrounds, 11 at comprehensive schools, four at general upper secondary schools, two at adult education centres and two in Swedish service areas.
– The best thing about my job is meeting families. Instances of being able to help families who have really been struggling are especially rewarding, Sahro Ibrahim says.
Iman Weli agrees that supporting families is the spice of the work.
– It is good to find solutions – first they are so worried and then so happy! I have helped families fill in Finnish Immigration Services forms, update residence permits and apply for passports, Weli lists.
She also enjoys organising activities for children in their mother tongue. As an example, she mentions holding an Arabic-language storytime session for children and read Mimmi the Cow book to the children in Finnish and Arabic.
– We also organise small mother tongue groups, which provide children with opportunities to sing songs in their mother tongue, for example, Ibrahim adds.
The multilingual instructors have received a great deal of positive feedback and praise from families. The other staff members at playgrounds have also welcomed them with open arms. The work of multilingual instructors is important because an increasing number of Helsinki residents were born outside Finland. This increases the need for cultural interpreters, which multilingual instructors most definitely are.
– Everyone is entitled to succeed and thrive in society – challenges with language or different cultural backgrounds should not be obstacles to this. Since we possess linguistic and cultural skills and we come from immigrant backgrounds ourselves, we are able to reflect on situations. We can think about how we would like to be helped, Ibrahim says, summarising the core of the work of the multilingual instructors.
Text: Nina Dale
