Espoon Kipinä celebrates its 10th anniversary
Espoon Kipinä, social rehabilitation of clients aged 30–65 implemented by the Adult Social Work unit, celebrates its 10-year journey this year. In cooperation with organisations, Kipinä held its 10th-anniversary celebration on Wednesday 24 August 2022 at Espoon VPK-talo in Espoon keskus. Guests included current and former social rehabilitation clients, employees and partners.
The celebration was opened by Tapio Nieminen, Manager of Adult Social Services in Espoo, and Kirsi Aro, Senior Social Worker in charge of social rehabilitation. Both thanked employees, clients and partners for participating in Kipinä’s operations.
“Kipinä has drawn attention to social rehabilitation and enabled us to develop related services. The name Kipinä (spark) is apt because clients feel that the activities have sparked in them a new interest in life. The amount of positive feedback generated by Kipinä tells us how important the service is for clients. Our next goal is to pass this expertise on to the wellbeing services county,” said Nieminen.
Social rehabilitation through participation
Espoon Kipinä’s activities began in 2012. Social rehabilitation is an important part of life for many adults. The service offers clients individual support for everyday life and personalised solutions for coping with social situations. Clients participate in individual and group work facilitated by Espoon Kipinä’s social counsellors.
“The activities are meaningful and constantly evolving when carried out in cooperation between clients, employees and partners. The meeting place Askel, run by Kalliolan Setlementti, and Espoo’s mental health association EMY generously offered their help in organising this event, as did the entire Kipinä team. The event turned out great,” Aro praises.
The event featured all kinds of free-form activities, socialising, music, and a barbecue. The programme included a Kipinä quiz and various Kipinä-related activities. Musical entertainment was provided by the band Ratoil founded in Askel. There was also a photo exhibition depicting Kipinä’s history and current activities, such as Playback Theatre (Tarinateatteri) and Kipinä’s own allotment.
Further information
Espoon Kipinä provides social rehabilitation individually and in groups for clients aged 30–65. The aim of social rehabilitation is to support the functional capacity of clients and to strengthen their everyday resources. From the beginning of next year, the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County will be responsible for organising social rehabilitation. Read more about Espoon Kipinä’s activities and social rehabilitation on the website of the City of Espoo.
Follow Espoon Kipinä’s Facebook page(external link) to see posts about the anniversary year.
- Adult social work services