Lina Laurent

What More Can We Do?multicultural Girl Work in Practice: Developing a Multicultural Action Plan for the Girls House, a Meeting Place for Girls and Young Women in Helsinki Lina Laurent

Girl work, which means youth work with or among girls and young women, is a quite new field in Finland. Girl work with the focus on multiculturalism is as an area that has not yet been given much attention. The main goals of this study were to define multiculturalism within the Girls House and to develop an action plan for its further development. The Girls House is a youth center open for girls and young women between 10 to 25 years. This study was made within the framework of action research, emphasizing collaboration and active participation both by the participants, staff members, and by the researcher. The research methods included participant observation and interviews. The research findings resulted in a proposal for a multicultural action plan. The action plan includes practical recommendations for developing intercultural activities at the Girls House. The action plan proposes, for example, employing staff members with immigrant backgrounds; training in intercultural issues both for the staff members and for the girls visiting the house; various channels of marketing; and continuing the multicultural girls groups.