Meet Lapinlahti people: Inka-Aletta

How long have you been a volunteer, and how did you end up volunteering?

I’ve been a volunteer at Café Lähde for almost two years. Before this, I did a six-month work trial there. I fell in love with customer service, and my coworkers have always been very friendly and supported me with work. I heard about Lapinlahden Lähde through Vamos Helsinki. At that time, I was in Vamos’s Startti-group, where they helped young adults get ahead in life.

What kind of jobs have you done?

Before this, I always thought I would feel anxious in customer service works. However, after doing it in Café Lähde, I saw it was my thing. This has certainly also been influenced by the fact that the customers at Lähde are mostly friendly and the work is not extremely hectic. I’ve been working mostly at the Café Lähde cash register. Sometimes, though, I’ve also filled the sandwiches at the café and prepare coffee and tea. When I was at the cash register, I also occasionally put away dishes. These tasks have also been meaningful.

What do you think is the best thing in volunteer work?

I think the best thing in volunteer work is being able to feel like I belong in a community. So volunteering serves as an important social contact for me. Doing volunteer work has also given me a lot of experiences of success. Like I said, it surprised me how much I enjoyed customer service and other social situations at Lapinlahden Lähde. I get quite nervous in social situations sometimes.

What is your favourite product at the café?

I think Café Lähde has a lot of delicious products. For example, I love savoury pies and sweet pastries. The soups in the café have also been really delicious. But in the end, the absolute best product at Café Lähde are the handmade cinnamon buns.

What do you do on your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy writing at the Nuoren Voiman Liitto. But self-criticism makes writing challenging sometimes. I hope I would get past that at some point. I also enjoy going for a run. On the jogging trail you can easily clear your mind. Listening to music works similarly for me as well. When I was younger, I did printmaking and acting at Annantalo.