It’s important to take care of the relationships with your close ones. When you notice the good and say it aloud, you strengthen and deepen the relationship at the same time. You are most welcome to a little workshop where you and your friend, partner, or other close one can take time and focus on the strengths in your relationship! The workshop is for LGBTQIA+ people and their close ones.

• The workshop consists of an introduction to the topic, and exercises that will be done together with the close one. We will also have a coffee break 🙂
• Free of charge.
• This workshop will be in English. (There will be two workshops happening at the same time: one in Finnish and the other in English.)
• Guidelines for the safer space will be followed (see below).

Please note that you need to register in the event! WELCOME!

Time: Thursday 29th June 2023 at 5.30-8.30pm

Place: The space of Family Relations Centre and Rainbow Families Finland. Address: Haapaniemenkatu 7-9C, 2. krs, Helsinki (Merihaka). We will send instructions by email to all the participants how to arrive at the space. Accessibility information below.

Organiser: Family Relations Centre

Facilitators: The workshop will be facilitated by trained volunteers of Family Relations Centre.

Registration: Registrate you and your close one via this link.

More info: Sanna Metsäpuu, info@perhesuhdekeskus.fi.

Location and Accessibility

The main entrance to the premises of Family Relations Centre and Rainbow Families Finland is located on the yard deck (pedestrian and bicycle traffic only) and it is not fully accessible (e.g. too narrow for twin pushchairs and wide wheelchairs). The door unlocks when the doorbell is pressed, but it has to be pulled open and the entrance has a low threshold.

An accessible entrance (an automatic door and ramps without handrails) is located one floor down in the parking facility. If you arrive in Merihaka along cycling or pedestrian routes, you must take the public lift between Meritorni’s C and B staircases to the street level to access the accessible entrance. From the lift, turn left and then right after a couple of metres.

The green double doors are easy to spot and the entrance is marked with the text ‘7–9 C’. The area in front of the doors has space for taxis and other transport vehicles.

The doors open to a spacious corridor with the lift located on the left. The spacious lift has automatic doors. Our premises are located on the second floor. From the lift, you come to a tight vestibule with locked doors, which we will open. The access routes are spacious.

The premises house an accessible toilet. There is no inductive loop on the premises.

A more detailed description of accessibility is available on our website. If you have any questions about our premises, contact us by email at info@perhesuhdekeskus.fi.

Principles For a Safer Space

It is important that everyone taking part in any activities by Family Relations Centre has the opportunity to feel comfortable and welcomed as themselves. The responsibility for the creation of a safer space falls on everyone collectively. This is why we have developed the following principles to be followed at all moments of coming together.

Act with sensitivity.

There are many kinds of people, families, and relationships. Don’t assume the gender of another participant, or their family member, based on their appearance or name. Make a choice to not call children boys or girls, and don’t try to guess what a parent wants to be called. Don’t make assumptions or generalisations about the sexual orientation, family and love relationships, parenthood, bodies, or backgrounds of others. Respect everyone’s right to self-determination and indeterminacy, meaning the right to decide and share with others who and what they are.

Be trustworthy.

Everything that is shared in a meeting is absolutely confidential. It is also confidential who is in a meeting at a certain moment. Don’t take or publish photos without the permission of everyone visible in the picture.

Listen.

Give everyone an equal chance to use their voice, or to remain in the background if they choose to. Everyone can only ever speak for themselves. We learn from one another by truly listening.

You can participate according to your own needs.

Feel free to share as much or as little about things important to you as you wish. You do not need to share anything. Remember to take your own wellbeing into account.

Be respectful and friendly.

Show respect to others and to their experiences. Value the borders set by others. Please don’t touch another person without their consent, for example.

Give and receive feedback.

Some individuals may have practised sensitive ways of talking and actions for quite some time, while others are only at the beginning of this journey. Attitude is key, along with a desire to learn to act sensitively. If someone uses a term that is offensive, or which misrepresents a certain situation, correct it matter-of-factly. When making a mistake, take in the feedback. You can say, for instance: “Sorry. Thank you for correcting me.”

Get involved.

We do not tolerate harassment, racism, or discrimination. If you notice some form of harassment or other inappropriate conduct taking place, don’t remain a silent bystander. Go to the person experiencing the harassment for support, and inform the harasser of the reason: “What you just did is not ok”, for example. If you are unable to intervene in the situation yourself, please inform the event organisers immediately.

If you experience or witness harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behaviour, please inform the event organisers. If you want to get in touch about a situation later, please get in touch with Sanna Metsäpuu who works at Family Relations Centre. You can reach them via email info@perhesuhdekeskus.fi.