Project Coordination: Christmas visit program for people with intellectual disabilities
Project Coordination: Christmas visit program for people with intellectual disabilities
As Project & Event Manager at Lyhty Ry in Helsinki, I led a team of 6 volunteers in organizing festive visits for almost 200 participants with intellectual disabilities across 15 housing and day program units during my European Solidarity Corps placement.
I oversaw every stage of the project — from scheduling and logistics to volunteer coordination, communication with units, and adaptive problem-solving when plans changed.
This project not only delivered meaningful holiday experiences to participants but also improved the organisation’s internal coordination and event workflow for future activities.
As Project & Event Manager at Lyhty Ry in Helsinki, I led a team of 6 volunteers in organizing festive visits for almost 200 participants with intellectual disabilities across 15 housing and day program units during my European Solidarity Corps placement.
I oversaw every stage of the project — from scheduling and logistics to volunteer coordination, communication with units, and adaptive problem-solving when plans changed.
This project not only delivered meaningful holiday experiences to participants but also improved the organisation’s internal coordination and event workflow for future activities.
Context
Context
The goal of the Christmas Visit Program was to bring festive experiences and cultural exchange to residents of Lyhty Ry — an NGO supporting people with intellectual disabilities in Helsinki.
Together with my team, we created customized visits filled with music, crafts, and shared moments of joy, while ensuring every activity respected participants’ abilities and comfort levels.
The goal of the Christmas Visit Program was to bring festive experiences and cultural exchange to residents of Lyhty Ry — an NGO supporting people with intellectual disabilities in Helsinki.
Together with my team, we created customized visits filled with music, crafts, and shared moments of joy, while ensuring every activity respected participants’ abilities and comfort levels.
Goals
Goals
• Deliver inclusive and engaging festive visits to 15 Lyhty units.
• Ensure smooth coordination of volunteers, schedules, and logistics.
• Maintain clear communication and trust with unit representatives and staff.
• Deliver inclusive and engaging festive visits to 15 Lyhty units.
• Ensure smooth coordination of volunteers, schedules, and logistics.
• Maintain clear communication and trust with unit representatives and staff.
My work
My work
• Designed and implemented a centralised planning system in Notion, giving the team and supervisors real-time visibility into schedules, resources, and progress.
• Streamlined communication between 15 units, ensuring every location had clear visit details and tailored activity plans.
• Coordinated all materials and logistics — from costumes and instruments to transport and accessibility needs — within limited resources.
• Matched volunteers with responsibilities that fit their strengths, improving team efficiency and engagement.
• Built contingency plans and managed crisis response when vehicles broke down or staff were unavailable.
• Ensured consistent feedback collection from staff after each visit to measure satisfaction and identify improvements.
• Designed and implemented a centralised planning system in Notion, giving the team and supervisors real-time visibility into schedules, resources, and progress.
• Streamlined communication between 15 units, ensuring every location had clear visit details and tailored activity plans.
• Coordinated all materials and logistics — from costumes and instruments to transport and accessibility needs — within limited resources.
• Matched volunteers with responsibilities that fit their strengths, improving team efficiency and engagement.
• Built contingency plans and managed crisis response when vehicles broke down or staff were unavailable.
• Ensured consistent feedback collection from staff after each visit to measure satisfaction and identify improvements.
Key tools & practices
Key tools & practices
• Notion – for project tracking and scheduling, database, and task assignments.
• Google Workspace – for documentation and reports.
• Email & chat tools – for daily communication and updates.
• Team retrospectives – for identifying challenges and sharing lessons learned.
• Notion – for project tracking and scheduling, database, and task assignments.
• Google Workspace – for documentation and reports.
• Email & chat tools – for daily communication and updates.
• Team retrospectives – for identifying challenges and sharing lessons learned.
Some insights
Some insights
Timetable created and managed in Notion
Notion table with all the units to keep data clear and organised
Results & impact
Results & impact
• Almost 200 participants from 15 units took part in inclusive, well-organised festive visits that were positively reviewed by both residents and staff.
• Created a replicable digital system in Notion that Lyhty Ry later reused for planning future activities, reducing administrative time.
• Improved cross-unit communication, leading to fewer scheduling conflicts and smoother collaboration between departments.
• Strengthened volunteer coordination, resulting in full attendance, timely delivery, and increased engagement among the team.
• Received highly positive feedback from staff for professionalism, clarity, and reliability during the busiest time of the year.
• Almost 200 participants from 15 units took part in inclusive, well-organised festive visits that were positively reviewed by both residents and staff.
• Created a replicable digital system in Notion that Lyhty Ry later reused for planning future activities, reducing administrative time.
• Improved cross-unit communication, leading to fewer scheduling conflicts and smoother collaboration between departments.
• Strengthened volunteer coordination, resulting in full attendance, timely delivery, and increased engagement among the team.
• Received highly positive feedback from staff for professionalism, clarity, and reliability during the busiest time of the year.
Sounds interesting?
Let’s get in touch!
Book a free 15-minute call to talk about your needs, challenges, and how I can help you solve them.
No pressure, no strings attached — just an honest conversation to see if we’re a good fit.
Sounds interesting?
Let’s get in touch!
Book a free 15-minute call to talk about your needs, challenges, and how I can help you solve them.
No pressure, no strings attached — just an honest conversation to see if we’re a good fit.
Sounds interesting?
Let’s get in touch!
Book a free 15-minute call to talk about your needs, challenges, and how I can help you solve them.
No pressure, no strings attached — just an honest conversation to see if we’re a good fit.