“Communities, connections, and action”

Study group 1/2024, Helsinki 
6 sessions

Our first study circle took place from February to May, meeting every other week. This circle focused on radical friendship, communities, and the significance of community as a foundation for change. These themes were explored through gatherings filled with discussions, questions, shared experiences, and ideas. A cornerstone of our study circle was the book We Belong to Each Other – Letters and Writings on the Politics of Friendship.

We Belong to Each Other – Letters and Writings on the Politics of Friendship is a book by Mikael Brunila, Vilja Saarinen, and Valter Sandell, based on their correspondence and addressing friendship and sharing on both personal and theoretical levels. It was published in 2023 by the Finnish independent publisher Khaos Publishing. We warmly thank Khaos Publishing for their support in making the study circles possible! The book guided us into discussions that became catalysts for the formation of community, the development of trust and a sense of belonging, and countless eye-opening conversations!

The Action weekend, May 3-5

Elävän Kulttuurin Koroinen, Turku

The project’s first action weekend took place at Elävän Kulttuurin Koroinen in Turku from May 3–5, coinciding with the awakening of spring in southern Finland.

The weekend was organized in collaboration with Elävän Kulttuurin Koroinen, Koroisten Maailmanpyörä, and artists who curated a human rights-themed art exhibition called Seeds Are Sprouting as part of the event. We had planned a comprehensive program to explore the diverse intersections of activism in a multifaceted way. Various organizations contributed to making this possible, including Somor Sur, Elokapina, and Amnesty Finland.

The entire weekend unfolded in the stunning surroundings of the Koroinen farm, blending workshops with rest and recovery, sauna sessions, and communal meals. Meals, dishwashing, and maintaining order were handled collectively, allowing everyone to contribute according to their abilities. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the organizations and individuals who helped make this incredible weekend a reality—this would not have been possible without you!

A total of 16 young participants attended the action weekend. Participants stayed actively connected after the event, and based on feedback, it seems the weekend was a resounding success. From the organizers’ perspective, this was the first time we held a larger event outside Helsinki, and it was incredibly rewarding to see the weekend’s content spark discussions and encourage participants to view issues from new perspectives.This first action weekend also gave us renewed inspiration to explore additional ways to bring people together and create communal, unifying spaces.

“Liminal Spaces”

Study group 2/2024, Helsinki
7 sessions

A liminal space is something whose existence and function are not entirely clear. A too-small entryway without room to dress or store shoes is a good, everyday example of a physical liminal space—something in between that rarely captures attention. The concept of liminal spaces is abstract and open to interpretation, representing areas not tied to clear functions. These are also spaces where creativity and renewal often reside. This fall, the study circles focused on examining these spaces and experimenting with creativity and the experience of liberation.

The guiding principle for this Fall’s study circle was to act as a facilitator for action, offering new and even unexpected approaches, and exploring spaces where creativity and agency intersect. A liminal space is something whose existence and function are not entirely clear. A too-small entryway without room to dress or store shoes is a good, everyday example of a physical liminal space—something in between that rarely captures attention.

We wanted to bring in fresh perspectives and held an open call, which attracted a wide range of contributors to the project. One of the application questions was: “What do liminal spaces mean to you?” The responses and interpretations of this concept were surprising and diverse. Beyond physical spaces, liminal spaces were also identified as time (the present moment) and as emotional or embodied spaces emerging from social dynamics.

Ultimately, we developed a seven-session study circle series, partly based on proposals from the open call and partly by inviting collaborators familiar to Dodo. Throughout the Fall, liminal spaces, creativity, action, and agency were explored from various perspectives using diverse tools. Each workshop was held in a different location across Helsinki, chosen by the session facilitator.

The Action weekend,
October 27-29

Three locations in Pispala, Tampere

The autumn Action weekend was held in Tampere, Pispala. The weekend was organised in cooperation with Hirvitalo and Pethaus -among others- and a large part of the activities took place at these locations. Some of the workshops and other activities took place outdoors, in the beautiful scenery of Pispala. In contrast to the spring activities weekend, all activities this time were spread out over the Pispala ridge, in several different locations. This created a dynamic all of its own – allowing several activities to take place at the same time, but also creating a sense of fragmentation and complexity to the weekend. The first two Action Weekends of the project ended up being very different from each other.

The workshops allowed participants to explore activism and creativity: they covered topics such as embodiment and somatics, small publications and the possibilities of self-making, legacies and traces and stories, visual art and media, different materials and the possibilities they create, community-based making and communities, and how we act as part of them. Below a small introduction to the workshops, which took place during the weekend.

We were able to create a whole where aspects of art and agency were addressed in a broad and diverse way – made possible by all the artists who offered their expertise and practice in the open call, as well as the experts found through Dodo’s activities. We would like to thank separately each workshop organiser, the hosts, as well as the volunteers and workshop leaders involved – and of course each and every participant! We hope that everyone who participated left with new ideas, inspiration and some tools to explore their own agency through art.

”When dusk falls — a study group about direct action”

Study group 1/2025, Helsinki
3 sessions

“When the dusk falls, the world looks different. The eye searches for new surfaces and the environment is drawn in new perspectives.” When dusk falls was a study circle consisting of three sessions about direct action. The purpose of the study circle was to come together around the theme to reflect and explore its different dimensions. To support the discussion, the study group used extracts from the book Suoraa toimintaa – Autonomiset liikkeet Suomessa 1986-2016 by Anton Monti and Pontus Purokuru. Each session of the study circle focused on certain themes from the book and specialists, related to the current theme, joining us!

In prevailing world situations, knowledge and experience are fragmenting and conversational connections are becoming differentiated. It is critical to create spaces that invite us to come together to listen to each other and imagine the possibilities of a good life. Direct action has been and will continue to be a critical part of democracy: through it we have achieved many of our fundamental rights. In this study group we reflected on the past, present and future forms of direct action and its potential. The goal was to make room for different views, listen to each other and learn together. Our three themes (1. occupations and squats, 2. animal rights and action, 3. global justice) were based on the book, but also on topicality and reoccurence.

The Action weekend,
May 16-18

Hietalinna, Oulu

We stayed this beautiful Spring weekend at Hietalinna leisure house of the Finnish Red Cross. The place provided us a lovely setting for getting together and creating a warm and caring atmosphere.

Also this time the Action weekend’s program was composed mainly from different workshops, and it also contained a direct action-themed movie night and some other interesting opportunities to inspect direct action in different lights. A big part of this weekend was made possible by our workshop facilitators, who all are involved to civic activism and are familiar with organising and planning actions on climate, human rights and social justice related struggles. We focused on action planning, chants and shouts, people power, artivism (=activist practices by using arts) and impactfulness in communications.

“Radical rest and collective agency”

Study group 2/2025, Helsinki
3 sessions

The purpose of the study circle is to create resistance to overconsumption through collective rest and creativity. This series of gatherings challenges traditional forms of education by offering an experimental, facilitated space for being together, pausing in a shared space, asking questions, and honesty. Instead of pressures, the goal is to create space for rest, sharing, creativity, and genuine encounters, where even challenging topics are not avoided. Participants are encouraged to explore the relationships and conflicts between action and rest in their own lives.

This study group focused on building a space for new kinds of social phenomena by relying on co-facilitation and organic structures which allow dialogue and a reflective, shared facilitation. The study group was very much liked by its partipants and it turned out there is a great demand for activities like this. The plan is to answer this demand by organising something similar in the future!

The Action Weekend,
November 7-9

Rauhanasema, Helsinki

We came together for the last Action Weekend in Helsinki and stayed at the lovely Rauhanasema/Peace station. Thanks to the enriching workshops, we were able to take a shared journey into our utopia.

We dove into our imaginations, playfully stimulated our utopian thinking and strengthened our connections and agency. We altered the cityscape with art, to remindourselves that fighting for a sustainable future is also a fight for creativity, solidarity and change. We reflected on our past, our roles in our communities and created our shared story. To share a glimpse of the utopias as we pictured them, we built windows that were decorated with materials, colors and our dreams for the by-passers to see. We thought of tangable and possible solutions and alternative futures and tracked down the key actions for making these futures possible. We wrote poems and made demonstration signs out of them.

We travelled in between of the dreamy visions, today’s world and ourselves – creating new connections and focusing on finding the traces of utopia in our everyday’s surroundings. To witness the change and to become an active part of it.