Participants say...

All participants 2011: Video about CIF Sweden Exchange program
Chantal Moore, Switzerland, 2009: To get inspiration, share experiences and meet interesting people
Louisa (Lou) McLennan, Australia, 2009: One of the most rewarding ventures in my personal and professional life
Pepple Shih, Australia, 2004: What an experience!
Nana Afere, Ghana, 2003: Sweden, country with good people

CIF-Sweden exchange program 2011

To get inspiration, share experiences and meet interesting people
Chantal Moore, Switzerland

The reason why I participated in the CIF program was to get new inspiration for my work, since I was in between two jobs at that moment. I wanted to get to know a different social system, to learn new methods and to meet interesting people. All these expectations were more than fulfilled. I saw Sweden not just through tourist eyes, but also though professional eyes. Seven women from three continents discovered Sweden in four weeks. We got a helpful introduction at the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, found out what happens behind the doors of Puffa and Grimma, were introduced to BBiC and Marte Meo methods and in the evening we discussed our experiences with our host families.

But there was much more than this! We practiced to sing “Bah, bah vite lamm” at the family centre and ABBA songs with our host families, we discovered where Stockholms citizens go on Sunday afternoons and Nyköpings people go shopping on Saturdays (not to systembolaget, but Brandkärrs flee market!).

We studied the Swedish language with practical exercises: We will always remember liten = small, stor = big, which is written on coffee machines and that it is important to take the right size of cups as well…or you will also learn how to clean a Swedish Cappuccino disaster! Important as well was the cultural and professional exchange between the different participants. We had so many things to tell about our work, our countries, our lives…and a lot of different sweets from all around the world to taste.

To participate in the Swedish CIF Program was a great experience! And I want to thank all the organisators, to my fantastic host families and to everybody who took the time to show us their work and provided an insight to the Swedish (social workers) life!

One of the most rewarding ventures in my personal and professional life
Louisa (Lou) McLennan, Australia

I had the privilege to be chosen to represent Australia in the 2009 exchange program in Sweden. I was overwhelmed with the generosity of the host families I stayed with in Stockholm and again in Växjö. Each of the families treated me like a family member and added to the richness and experience of the exchange. I have fond memories and I am trying to encourage these families to visit me in Australia.

I was very impressed with the professional exchange program. The Swedish branch of CIF put a great deal of effort into ensuring an informative and interesting program. Every day there was something new to learn and the other participants were fun and added to the professional exchange of ideas and culture. My field placement was fantastic and the opportunity to gain information and provide these agencies with an insight into how Australia manages emergencies and
trauma was valued by all concerned.

I was able to make and teach some of the host families how to make Australian Pavlova and also teach them how to speak "Australian"! I have made some fantastic friends and thought the entire experience was one of the most rewarding ventures in my personal and professional life.

Thank you CIF for making this possible for me.

What an experience!
Pepple Shih, Adelaide, Australia

After a long flight from Adelaide (via Singapore, Frankfurt, Budapest, and Copenhagen), I finally arrived in Sweden to join my fellow CIF participants at the youth hostel 'Ankaret' in Upplands Väsby. The hostel is situated in a quiet wooded setting with few people or cars about. Young spring shoots were barely peeking out from the bare branches...

We were warmly greeted by Carl-Henrik Guste, one of the pioneer CIPUSA participants, who shared the history of CIP and CIF-Sweden with us over dinner. The following day, a few of the executive members of CIF-Sweden introduced us to the overall program plan and gave us a taste of Swedish culture. While some of us were getting over jet lag and some were shy about speaking English, we all thawed to each other spontaneously over that weekend by taking walks together, eating together, and helping each other as needed. We sensed that we were all there to learn about social work in Sweden.

On Sunday April 18, we packed and together took the train into Stockholm to meet our guides at T-centralen. We strolled around the sights of Stockholm in the warm sunshine, marvelling at the beautiful skyline of historic buildings rising from the water. That afternoon, we were led to one of the hospitals to be collected by our host families - there was a rush of excited introductions, chatter and waving goodbye while each of us happily left with our new families.

For the next two weeks, I attended an extensive theoretical program. I had an excellent start at the National Board of Health and Welfare, which responds to the Government directives yet functions independently from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs to promote sound health and social welfare, and equal access for the entire population. This set the scene for visits in the following weeks to various political, social and educational institutions, and a range of social service providers including child and family welfare, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, prevention of infectious diseases, probation office, and human rights equal access for persons with disability.

A cultural evening with all participants, our host families, and the CIF-Sweden members was among the many highlights of these two weeks. We were invited to each prepare a dish from our home country - I had chosen a nouveau cuisine take on an old Aussie favourite, and had carried dried quandongs (a native fruit related to the peach) all the way from Australia to assemble my pavlova dessert. We enjoyed the flavours of each others' homelands, and brief introductions to our different cultures.

As I currently work in aged care, my field placement was organised in Växjö. Being more southern and inland than Stockholm, Växjö was enjoyably warm - the woods were full of fresh green leaves and there were tulips and flowers everywhere. I had arrived just in time to join 11,600 women in The Spring Rush, a five km run (or walk!) around the Växjö Lake.

At Växjö I was orientated to the assessment process of the Care Authority, Myndighetsadelningen, and the delivery of care in various aged and disabled residential facilities in both the city and rural areas. I observed the community night patrol nurse's role in supporting the needs of metropolitan Växjö after hours, which enabled me to compare with infrastructure in Adelaide. I also learned about social services focusing on Family Law, custody and preventative family work. The opportunity to share practice wisdom with other social workers was invaluable.

After ten days in Växjö I moved on to Karlskrona, an UNESCO World Heritage listed naval city on the southern coast. The priority of early social work intervention with children, youths and families was again reinforced. I observed foster homes for young people, a drug and alcohol rehabilitative unit, hospital social work service, a grass roots women's shelter, and accompanied social workers on night duty in preventative drug and alcohol work with youths and young adults. There appeared to be strong collaboration among law authorities, and the investigative and support /advisory teams.

For the last days, all participants were reunited in Gotland to evaluate the program, and to relate our field placement experiences to each other. Before boarding the ferry for Stockholm, I walked around the impressive medieval port of Visby, amid its rain-drenched town walls and church ruins. I reflected on the six weeks visit - what an experience!

Sweden is a caring society. The people are surrounded by a beautiful natural environment, and they exude a sense of serenity and satisfaction with life. The legislative directives of the Social Service Act and the Disability Act are consistently practised by social workers at a local level. I am left with an overwhelming feeling of inclusiveness, and that the society as a whole takes responsibility for the well-being of all people in its communities.

I am impressed by the dedication, compassion, knowledge and helpfulness of all the Swedish social workers who were involved in CIF-Sweden's excellently organised program...

I am privileged to have been warmly welcomed into the homes of my host families, who generously shared their Swedish culture and lifestyle...

I am indebted to my fellow participants who offered friendship and many cultural stories of their home countries...

And I am challenged by my own capacity to develop trust, understanding of cultural diversity, love of humanity, and to contribute to the newly formed CIF-Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia branch.

The April-May 2004 Council of International Fellowship-Sweden program included eight participants from seven different countries: Australia, Estonia, Ghana, India, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania and Turkey.

Sweden, country with good people (2003)
Nana Afere, Ghana

As a CIF member of Ghana, I had the opportunity to participate in a program hosted by Council of International Fellowship-Sweden. (exchange program for social workers & youth leaders.) I arrived on the 24th April 2003 at Arlanda terminal 2. I was met by a woman over sixty years of age, with a lot of names been mentioned to me, I am sorry to say I have forgotten the name of this wonderful lady. She met me with such a wonderful and friendly smile, which I always remember. And also met one participant from Cameroon who had arrived a day earlier.

The program started on the 25th April with all participants been grouped in a youth hostel, it was strange when we all met at dinner. And it was as follows Nana from Ghana, Beteck & Henry from Cameroon, Nese from Turkey, Pratima & Mangala from India, Ieva from Latvia, Catriona from Scotland and finally Gulayim from Kyrgyzstan. It was very strange thing for me with different faces and ideals coming together because of our goals in life, to provide HELP AND ADVICE to individuals, groups and communities. The weekend was spent in the youth hostel in Upplands Väsby with the main aim of knowing each other. Back in Stockholm we were spread among our host families.

Theoretical program started 28th April, which was a guided tour in the city hall of Stockholm and then to Socialstyrelsen, national board of health and welfare, which we heard lectures about social work and child welfare system in Sweden. At 10:30 am the following day we were at the city mission. The mission is a voluntary body providing services for homeless people and refugees. The parliament was in the afternoon but unfortunate for us we were not able to see the Member of Parliament.

We had very educative program in the institute of family, which was about child psychiatric power of interaction. After that then came time of exchanging experiences from one's own country about social work and culture with all participants. Between 1st and 4th May was precious time for us to share with our host families and experiencing Sweden traditional celebration of Valborg. Visit to psychiatric unit for youth at the hospital and also had the opportunity to visit the summerhouse of the President of CIF-Sweden. It was very interesting to hear more about Stensunds folkhögskola education programs, after that we had a socio historical walk in the township of Trosa. 6th of May was the turn of Maria Ungdom or Maria Youth Centre which deals with youth using drugs and their treatment, also the same day we had briefing of the labour market and the trade unions.

Finally then came the visit to school of social work which we all were looking forward to. We met with the principal and some faculty members to lecture us about, how the school is run and the programs they offer. After lunch we had memorable visit to the sensory garden for children with extensive functional disabilities with facilities like white room, music room and etc. We then heard an educative program for aids preventive measures and talk about Swedish migration board.

Jönköping and Växjö were the two cities for my field placement. Jönköping was the first to visit and the first impression I had was "OH no, what a nice city" with a beautiful view of the lake Vättern which is on the eastern part of the township. Monday, which was the beginning of the field placement with, visits to the university for lecture about race, between Swedes and immigrants and also a visit to Huskvarna social welfare agency, which was different from what I knew in Ghana.

During my stay in Jönköping as part of my field placement program, I visited various places among them were treatment centre for girls with behaviour problems, (i.e. drugs abuse, crimes, not getting on well with their parents). Sofia huset or Sofia house was a perfect place to hear about family law in Sweden. Langanas school/treatment centre for unruly youth, a Christian centre namely LP hemmet, using the Bible as it base for treatment, social welfare agency was time to hear more about child protection work in the community, family problems, foster care families and then to the county administration board which operates primarily as the central government representative in the county.

My journey to the city hall to hear information about various integration projects for immigrants and also to visit project sites. I had the opportunity to visit nice flats and homes located in different parts of the city for alcoholics and drug addicts. While in Jönköping I also visited elderly people living with physical and psychiatric problems, counselling centre for youth using drugs, rehabilitation centre for persons with psychiatric problems and finally to the visually handicapped association with all top positions occupied by blind, making and taking decisions.

My next stop was Växjö for the continued of my practical field placement which lasted for seven days with a lot of activities including social services agency to hear issues of drug problems, mental and social disorders, domestic laws, paternity, family mediation and adoptions by experienced social workers working with the agency. Then again to rehabilitation centre for clients with a long time psychiatric problems been managed by case managers and also a visit to the regional psychiatric clinic. Navet was an open reception located in the centre of Växjö for people with alcohol and drugs problems to get free counselling and treatment. Family centre was situated in the local community in cooperation with midwifes, social workers and child care nurses providing support to parents and the children.

Finally, we were in Gotland for four days for reunion and evaluation of our six weeks stay in the wonderful country called Sweden.