Chagga

Ok so. Work rehabilitation program is just my crappy translation of the all of the different programs/courses offered by the Finnish government that are meant to help folks with employment shit. I don't know how similar services work in other countries (I barely understand how it works here lol).

I used the word "rehabilitation" for it because the program's Finnish term was "kuntoutus", which is just rehabilitation in Finnish. I know that in English the word rehabilitation brings to mind drug rehabilitation stuff but that association isn't as strong in Finnish. Kuntoutus here is more like "an action that helps someone's wellbeing (mentally or physically) so that they can live/do something with less difficulties... Which I guess is also what the English word rehabilitation means. Anyway. I think rehabilitation sounds more like "you were shit™ before, let's now make you good™" while the Finnish kuntoutus sounds like "we're gonna help your health/wellbeing/whatever issue get better".

I can't explain shit. Let me just describe the program I went to:

- my group had younger people who've never had a job and struggled finding one because they were overwhelmed by the whole thing, didn't know how to apply for jobs, were completely lost on what to even pursue, struggled mentally and just needed support getting employed/finding their path etc. there were also older people who lost their jobs and didnt know how to slide back into the modern work world or who were injured physically and needed help finding a new job that works for them. The program leaders catered the plan to help all of us.

-Our schedule was like this: 3 weeks of group meetings, four months of a temporary unpaid job (we got some government money for the entire program's duration) and then 1 last week of group meetings to help us along.

- the program leaders then taught us a fuck ton of work-life skills, helped us make CVs, job applications, helped us search for temporary work-study styled jobs to further help us learn how to deal with all that, helped us learn how to survive job interviews, etc. oh, and we learnt a shit ton about the Finnish job laws and what employers are allowed to do and what not.

-A big thing we discussed was how to maintain mental, social and physical health while employed. That led to us talking about how badly some people get burnt out from work. Aaaand this is where I first heard the concept of "do 60% effort at work to actually enjoy life".

And there you have it. A work rehabilitation program aka työvoimakoulutus.

The really ironic part is that the company doing my particular program was shut down because the government won't pay for it anymore and so the people who were teaching us how to get jobs also got to join us in the losing battle it is finding a job in Finland lmao.

Heyheyhey look at Lady Apsalar! She's perfect and she loves you and would lick you if you offered her your hand :D