
The Towards Action project began at the start of 2024.
It is a two-year initiative supported by the European Union’s Youth Participation funding.
The project focuses on methods of civic engagement, as well as exploring agency and active citizenship.
The idea and core principles of the project stem from feedback provided by participants of the Growing Change project held in 2023. This initiative was centered around food systems and food activism, exploring sustainable alternatives within our food systems and opportunities for participating in change. Towards Action takes a broader perspective, examining aspects of agency and an active civil society—exploring agency, methods of influence, new approaches to action, and collective forms of activity.
During the first year of the project, we have explored two themes: activism in general (what does it mean, and what could it mean?) and art as a means of agency and action. The project has a total of four main themes, each serving as a focus for six months. In the first year, activism and art were the guiding themes for activities and initiatives.
This page brings together the events and development of the project in one place, and we hope it also serves as an example and inspiration for other unifying and activating initiatives! This page is not updated frequently — all upcoming events for the Towards Action project can be found in Dodo’s newsletter and on Instagram.
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A Brief Overview of 2024
Themes: Activism and Art
Activism (Spring)
The Towards Action project kicked off in early February with a study circle. Our plan was for each six-month theme to have its own study circle and activity weekend. The study circles would consist of multiple sessions and could take the form of reading groups, workshop series, or perhaps a hybrid of both! While we had clear guidelines and objectives, we aimed to keep the project’s activities and structure flexible so participants could influence them and become part of the project’s evolution.
Study Circle 1/24
“Communities, Connections, and Action”
Helsinki
Our first study circle took place between February and 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!
n 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 book and a letter written during one of the sessions.

When the Spring really arrived, we moved the sessions to Dodo’s greenhouse.

Page no. 103, notes, flowers.
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.

There were different workshops held over the weekend, which of one guided the participants to investigate different barriers and privileges, which could affect on one’s possibilities to be an active citizen.



Discussions, co-learning and critical reflecting of the current state of the World. And Sirius the cat, who lives in the farmhouse.
With a weekend full of planned content and various workshop opportunities, we wanted to highlight the importance of personal space and rest as part of the Weekend of Action. The setting of Koroinen was a great place to relax between workshops, hang out in the hammock and soak up the spring nature. Participants were encouraged to take their own breaks and space. The old farm setting, full of art and unusual structures (where there is still activity, much of it strongly community-based and social) was the perfect setting for the Action Weekend.

Koroinen surroundings, lovely people, tree leaves about to open.
Thank you!
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Art (Autumn)
The experience we gained in spring—bringing people together, creating communal spaces and activities, and developing inspiring, agency-focused content—served as the foundation for autumn’s planning. We wanted the project to remain dynamic and experimental, retaining some familiar elements while actively making space for the new. The essence of autumn’s content was bold experimentation and creative engagement.
For the autumn study circles, we decided to try a different approach: each session would have a different facilitator. In spring, the study circles were organized as closed groups, with the same participants throughout the series. This time, we opted for individual registration for each session, as both the organizing body and session themes varied slightly each time.
The autumn Action Weekend was held on the last weekend of October in Pispala, Tampere. We structured the weekend so that activities took place simultaneously at various locations across the Pispala ridge. During the autumn, we launched an open call for individuals with expertise in art and activism to share their knowledge during the Action Weekend. The open call received an overwhelming number of responses, from which we selected a diverse group of contributors to create a well-rounded program. This relatively organic process resulted in a weekend that featured various workshops, an art walk, and more.
Study Circle 2/24
“Liminal Space“
Helsinki
The guiding principle for this autumn’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.
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 autumn, the study circles focused on examining these spaces and experimenting with creativity and the experience of liberation.
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 six-session study circle series, partly based on proposals from the open call and partly by inviting collaborators familiar to Dodo. Throughout autumn, 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.
Below is a summary of all six sessions and their core approaches in the facilitators’ own words.
I
CONTRAST (September 11)
Pasila, Helsinki
“This is an invitation to explore the contrasts of urban spaces and the environments we inhabit. During our gathering, we will create a collective installation where the present moment, our emotions, and our relationship to the spaces that confine us will come to life.”

II
BUSHES (September 25)
Arabia, Helsinki
“In nature, biodiversity thrives most vibrantly in liminal spaces: transition zones at the edges of forests and fields, wetlands between water and land. Similarly, urban wastelands, vacant lots, and overgrown thickets provide habitats for meadow plants that cannot survive in densely grown, shaded forests.
However, it is estimated that one in nine species in Finland is at risk of extinction. The list includes the Arctic fox, three species of salmon, centipedes, and nearly half of Finland’s birds, such as the magpie. What kind of liminal space is it to exist on the brink of extinction? What does a space look like where a species has disappeared?
In our next study circle, we will explore these questions through the medium of painting, reflecting on ways to halt biodiversity loss through art.
The session includes an introduction to the topic, ample room for discussion, and an opportunity to create your own artwork. These pieces can be part of an installation or repurposed as signs for demonstrations.”



III
KAISLA (October 9)
Rastila, Helsinki
“The increasing complexity and the intertwined web of escalating crises show that the path of control and domination has reached its end. In the KAISLA workshop, we will explore how to coexist with living systems without the need to control them.
We will remember that creativity and play reside within us. We have the ability to take risks, to feel, and to make mistakes. We are part of the nature that holds the wisdom to stand grounded yet bend gracefully in the wind—like reeds.”

IV
STITCHES (November 6)
Metsälä, Helsinki
“Ton and Masha share their experiences with protest through textiles, clothing, and direct action. The themes of their work include students, women, workers, LGBTQI+ rights, ecological issues, and anti-war activism.They will discuss their projects, including those they co-founded: the sewing cooperative Shvemy (a Ukrainian-Russian art collective), the sewing cooperative Resew (an experimental economic and community project), as well as their experiences with creative work in collaboration with communities.”
V
THE SURROUNDING BODY (November 11)
Itäkeskus, Helsinki
“Why do I feel alone in a crowd? How can we be so close to each other yet remain unreachable? Is there care to be found in shopping malls or metro stations? How can I shake up my environment? How can I tap into the adventure and magic around me? How can I hide in public space?
In Finland, the culture of following rules and maintaining the status quo is a deeply ingrained, socially esteemed norm. A good example of this is the social and infrastructural spaces of urban areas, which shape our bodily movements, focus, and emotions—while much of this supports the goals of a homogeneous white identity. Our movement is directed by the rules of privatization and capitalist consumption. Could we find more room for connection and play than what is currently allowed?”

VI
STORM (November 20)
Kalasatama, Helsinki
“In the middle of Kalasatama’s planned urban environment lies a forgotten place. It might be called a liminal space, wasteland, leftover area, or surplus. But what is the role of the place itself? How do we interact with it?
Now, a yarn storm arrives in Kalasatama. In this study circle, we will crochet a temporary artwork in a place that was once the sea and now awaits something yet to come. While crocheting, we will reflect on the different layers of the space and the significance of art as a creator of place.”



We gathered at Kalasataman Vapaakaupunki to discuss, do some preparations and to get to know each other before heading out to one of the last bits of waste land in Verkkosaari, Helsinki.



Storm details in daylight.
The artwork was disassembled and collected two days afterwards. The yarn used will be reused in an upcoming workshop (more info about this on IG and in the newsletter!)
The Action weekend (October 25-27)
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. In addition, we had a third indoor space where accommodation and meals were mainly provided. 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.
In fact, the Action Weekend in Tampere was even a bit like a festival, with things happening in different places at the same time. Some of the workshops and other content were found through an open call campaign earlier in the autumn, others through contacts already made by Dodo. We wanted to provide opportunities to showcase our own practice and build a workshop concept around our own work and approach. The workshop facilitators had a fairly free hand to build something that they felt was workable and inviting. The nine workshops and art activities that were organised came together in a fun way, and the participants were able to see what they were doing.


The handout guide of the event.
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.
Belonging/Roots
In this beginner friendly somatic workshop we will explore the nature of embodied emotions and the feelings of interconnectedness. How do emotions invite one to be, to move and to respond to the outer world as well as to one’s inner world? The instructions are in English and Finnish. The workshop is held mainly outdoors and is facilitated by Anthoni Levonsaari, Drama Instructor (BA in Performing Arts), who specializes in Dance and Somatics.
Zine Practice in Activism
Come and learn about the transformative power of the grass-root practice of zines that transcend censorship and carry information heart to heart. Comic artist Elvira Kim, an author of “My friends from Russia are disappearing” will share their experience and encourage you to create a zine about things you were forced to be silent about.

Left: Elvira’s zine workshop
Right: ReSew cooperative presenting ways to creatively use textile as a form of activism.
Resewing capitalism to queer-fem-anarchism
Ton/Tonya Melnyk and Masha Ravlyk are artists and activists from Kyiv (Ukraine), participants of Shvemy and Resew sewing cooperatives, queer people and refugees. They will make a presentation about their experience in making protests through textile, clothes, and direct action. After that (or at the same time) they will conduct an embroidery workshop. The threads and pieces of textile will be provided, but feel free to bring yours if you wish.
Trashcape
Trashscape is an experimental excavation of the Anthropocene, wherein fly-tipping* sites become archaeological digs, museums, and art exhibits. The project serves not only as a platform from which to interrogate and critique human-kind’s consumerist nature; but also from which to playfully investigate language, to imagine possible futures, and to question the nature and definition of art and beauty.
Trashscape is brought to you by the art collective Translation flowers (Inkeri Jäntti (FI), Nancy Dewhurst (UK) and Sunčica Pasuljević Kandić (RS)). Initially the project will focus primarily on sites in Oulu, Finland. However, ultimately the trio plan to expand the project into Berlin, Novi Sad, and worldwide!

Polaroids taken during TRASHCAPE workshop (picture: Inkeri Jäntti)

(picture: Inkeri Jäntti)
Rage crochet and Yarn Storming (a two-part workshop)
Learn to crochet in stream-of-consciousness style and unravel your thoughts and feelings into the knots of yarn! In this workshop, you will learn the basics of crochet. The workshop is also suitable for experienced crocheters as a new technique to explore. The creations made in the workshop can be used in the second part of it in the evening, or you can choose to participate in just one of the workshops. There are no pressures or goals in this crochet workshop; you decide what you’ll make and how to do it, and the instructor will assist you.
As evening falls, we will direct our crocheting into a chosen location in the public space at Tampere.Yarn Storming is a form of street art where surfaces are covered with crochet or knitting, or eg. urban planning issues are highlighted by drawing attention to them through yarn.

Different surroundings of the workshops – in the old wooden houses, in the woods, on the streets.


Yarn storm, before/after (by Verna Talvi) .
Community forum
This workshop will be facilitated by someone who has been inspired by the study group of last Spring. We will gather in order to inspect the meanings of community, communal agency and friendships. Interested in rhizomatic thinking and creative approaches to community building? This forum is for you!
Pispala art walk, Pyykkipuisto gymnastics, Hirvitalo folk kitchen…
In addition to the larger workshops, participants had the opportunity to take part in body care and relaxation exercises, The Pispala art and activism history walk organised by the Hirvitalo actives, the Hirvitalo folk kitchen and other similar activities throughout the weekend.
Artivist café
On Sunday, the art exhibition took place at Pethaus as part of the Action weekend. People from different backgrounds and connections were invited to this exhibition, aiming to create a place to come together, make new acquaintances and networks, and build community. The exhibition featured artists from all over Finland, many of whom were from immigrant backgrounds and/or not from the academic art world. The exhibition focused on activism through art and meeting people. The weekend of activities gave participants the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas with the artists participating in the exhibition, to learn about different ways of doing activism through art, and to relax after a hectic weekend with a bun and coffee in the warm atmosphere of the Pethaus grass root culture center. The exhibition was open to all and we were delighted that it also attracted local visitors. This created a setting that allowed for new encounters and conversations over a free bun and coffee.

The event participants and artists participating to the exhibition had discussions and got to know each other during the exhibition. (picture: Inkeri Jäntti)
The idea behind the range and diversity of the workshops was to enable different experiences and learning new things in an intersectional way, exploring different aspects of art and following our own interests. Most of the workshops were held on Saturday and the participants were able to go from one workshop to another from morning to night, according to their own ability and mood.
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, Pethaus and Hirvitalo for letting us use their facilities, 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.
The Action weekend was really intense, but also rewarding and made us once again look at what we can and want to offer. We managed to bring together a lot of activities and forms of making that rarely come together. The weekend also provided ample opportunities for making new connections, learning about ways of working and skills, exploring creativity and creative methods as a form of action, and exploring our own agency and meaningfulness. This time there was a lot of everything: activities, places, things to do, surprises.
Phew! Thank you!
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Briefly from the year 2025
The Towards Action project is based on enabling new forms of action and coexistence.
So, as a starting point, we aim to experiment boldly with the new, to learn from these experiences and to build on them for the future. The various experiments, activities, successes and failures of the first year will guide our plans for next year: we hope to bring together new content and co-learning opportunities, spaces to pause and be in community, as well as sustainable cultural activities and activities organised within our resources.
If you are interested at this stage in the project and its future developments, please feel free to contact us! We welcome new ideas, thoughts and comments. If you are looking for meaningful activities and places to meet like-minded people, come and volunteer to organise them!
If you are interested, you can send a message directly to the project coordinator, Jonne (“name”@dodo.org).
In 2025, the themes of the project will be direct action (spring) and utopias (autumn). What do these mean and what happens under these themes? Find out more in the newsletter and on Instagram! The 2025 study circles will be held in Helsinki and the action weekends will take place in Oulu and Helsinki.
