Neighbourhood mothers 2017 Neighborhood mothers: Community change agents | Page 10

A round-up of our events in Espoo and Vantaa NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHERS’ FOOD EVENING NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHERS’ GRADUATION We had a Neighbourhood Mothers' Food Evening on 21st November at Matinkylä, Espoo. The table groaned under weight of the lavish spread prepared by the Neighbourhood Mothers: what delicious, wonderful food! We were introduced to new foods and discussed about them. The evening was a huge success and was well- received by all - so, we decided to organize another Food Evening in Spring. The graduation party for the Neighbourhood Mothers of Vantaa was held on 26th September: 11 new, amazing Neighbourhood Mothers graduated, though some were unable to attend the graduation event. The party was at the Nicehearts ry. office at Tikkurila, Vantaa. Hannele Lautiola, the Vantaa City Representative and Jenni Selosmaa, the Neighbourhood Mothers' Project Manager spoke and congratulated the new graduates. Karima, a new Neighbourhood Mother, shared her experiences and thoughts about the process of being a Neighbourhood Mother. It was a wonderful ladies' evening, with good food and fun moments- dancing, laughing, chatting! Friends of the new Neighbourhood Mothers also joined in the celebrations. VANTAA-A CITY OF GOOD NEIGHBOURS: JOINT DISCUSSION On 30th November, a big group— representatives of Vantaa city, local organizations and residents of Vantaa— gathered together to discuss how to improve relationships between neighbours. The rationale behind the meeting was to ensure that the residents of Vantaa would each feel that the city of Vantaa was their home. The title of the event was: Vantaa – a city of good neighbors? Good, introductory speeches given at the City Council Hall inspired the rest of the early-evening discussions. The evening ended at Nicehearts, Tikkurila, with a delicious dinner prepared by Alexis' Kitchen from Startup Refugees. NEIGHBOURHOOD MOTHERS’ TRAINING The first training in Espoo for Neighbourhood Mothers was conducted at the Espoo Me-talo from 6th-7th October. The women that attended the training were really excited and motivated: two amazing days were spent with 11 inspiring ladies. These women brought with them a huge amount of know-how, ideas, and the willingness to help.