Intergroup relations and local encounters – Immigrant and Finnish young people’s perceptions of each other, their lives and future in multicultural Savo

Presentation of the project at the Settlement Days in June 2024

Project leader Jari Martikainen presented the research project at the National Settlement Days in Kuopio in June 2024. The National Settlement Day theme was Appreciative Encounter: The Deepest Essence of Settlement Work. The project and the art-based working methods implemented within it attracted significant interest from the audience. It was a great pleasure to present the project at the National Settlement Days, as the project cooperated with Setlementti Puijola during the recruitment phase of the participants in the spring and summer of 2023.

Participation in the Social Psychology Conference in May 2024

The project’s researchers Jari Martikainen and Helena Rovamo presented the research project and its first preliminary results at the Social Psychology Conference in Helsinki on 16-17 May 2024. 

In his presentation, Martikainen presented the empirical and theoretical premises and objectives of the research project. Martikainen also described the project’s art-based workshops, which have served not only as a method for data collection , but also as a meeting place for young people from different backgrounds.

Rovamo’s presentation was based on the material produced in the art workshops, where young people drew and wrote about their perceptions of the encounters between Finns and immigrants. Rovamo’s presentation showed that although the young people’s descriptions of the encounter were mainly positive, they also contained conflicting feelings and uncertainty.

Project’s first virtual exhibition published in May 2024

The project will hold three separate virtual exhibitions of works created by the young participants in art workshops. The virtual workshops will be open in 2024 and 2025. The virtual exhibitions will be structured according to the themes of the workshops. The virtual exhibitions will be published on the project website: https://sites.uef.fi/ryhmienvalisia-suhteita-ja-paikallisia-kohtaamisia/virtual-exhibitions/?lang=en

The theme of the first virtual exhibition is Encounter. The virtual exhibition brings together works created by young people. The works were made both individually and in groups. In these works, the young people explore encounters between Finns and people with an immigrant background. The virtual exhibition will close in September 2024.

Internship in a research project

Marlen Nissinen, a Master’s student in Social Psychology, completed an internship as part of her Master’s studies in the research project in spring 2024. Marlen describes her experience as follows:

”During the spring of 2024, I was invited to participate in a research project funded by the Kone Foundation and led by Jari Martikainen entitled Intergroup Relations and Local Encounters – Perceptions of immigrant and Finnish youth about each other, their lives and their future in multicultural Savo during the period 13.3.–17.5.2024. Being involved in the research project enabled me to deepen my own research and scientific competence in the theoretical frameworks relevant to the research project. In addition, the internship enabled me to practice the use of art-based research methods and introduced me to the co-researcher approach to research. My tasks in the project included scientific data mining, tasks related to data management, digitisation of visual material produced in the art workshops, producing and updating the project website, organising and facilitating an art-based workshop on the practice of conducting research, translating the material into English and contributing to the scoping review. The best part of the internship was being part of a scientific community, learning about visual and art-based research methods, participating in a scoping review and learning a variety of new skills needed to conduct research. Working in an international and innovative team was rewarding and I thank both the project and research team for their excellent orientation and guidance during my internship and – above all – the wonderful young people involved in the research project.”

Research workshop in May 2024

The project organized a research workshop for young people at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on 7 May 2024. Ukrainian and Finnish youngsters participated in the workshop.

The research workshop aimed to provide young people with an example of conducting research using visual material. The workshop gave the young people an opportunity to analyze material produced as a part of the research project. In the workshop, participants conducted a content analysis in groups. Based on their results, the young people completed posters, which they presented to each other at the end of the workshop. Using the ideal of co-research, the project’s researchers also gained new insights into what places young people perceive as meaningful and why.

Mural painting event at Kuopio University Hospital 17.-18.2.2024

Local young people from Ukraine and Finland painted a mural of their design together with research project members Jari Martikainen, Katja Lötjönen, Hadi Farahan, Helena Rovamo and Henna Hietainen, art expert at Kuopio University Hospital. The mural was painted on the staircase in the D-building of Kuopio University Hospital (KUH). The young people who participated in the research project designed and produced a mural on the theme of “Encounters” through art workshop work. The visual imagery of the mural contains themes common to all young people, such as nature, animals, water, friendship, caring for others, space and the universe.

Encounters Exhibition 4.–29.10.2024

In 2024, we organized the “ENCOUNTERS – Images of Encounters between Young People from Different Cultures” exhibition at the Kuopio Museum, featuring artwork by young individuals from Ukraine, the Middle East, and Finland. As part of the University of Eastern Finland’s research project, “Intergroup Relations and Local Encounters – Immigrant and Finnish Teenagers’ Perceptions of Each Other, Their Lives, and Future in Multicultural Savo” (2023-2026), funded by the Kone Foundation, the exhibition focused on reflections of identity, cultural encounters, and future aspirations. The young participants used art-based methods, such as drawing and painting, to express their thoughts and experiences of living in multicultural Savo.

The exhibition, which ran from October 4 to October 29, 2024, also offered interactive workshops for visitors on selected days, providing opportunities to engage with the themes explored in the artwork. Public discussions were organized to present and reflect on the research findings, fostering deeper conversations about culture, identity, and belonging. This year’s activities highlighted the meaningful role of art in understanding the perspectives of young people navigating diverse cultural landscapes.

Organization of art-based workshops

The young people involved in the research project took part in the design process of a mural at Kuopio University Hospital. The theme of the mural is “Encounters”.

Presentation at the Youth Research Days 2023

Jari Martikainen gave a presentation at the Youth Studies Days on 8-9 November 2023, the theme of which was “The Diversity of Hope”. Martikainen’s presentation dealt with the potential of art-based research workshops to act as contact zones for young people with refugee or migrant backgrounds and Finnish youth. The preliminary results of the research linked to the project show that art-based activities can enable young people from immigrant and Finnish backgrounds to structure and express their thoughts and feelings and share them with each other despite the lack of a common language. It also seems that it may be possible to cross the boundaries of us versus them and language and culture through individual and collaborative arts-based activities – creating a contact space to facilitate interaction between young people and encourage new contacts. The presentation suggests that arts-based methods can therefore provide a means to facilitate contact between groups and enable a stronger sense of social cohesion and belonging.

Conference presentation at the BOMOCULT conference 2023

Jari Martikainen gave a conference presentation at the BOMOCULT conference on borders, mobility and cultural encounters on 5-6 October 2023. The presentation focused on the use of art-based research workshops as a means of creating contact zones for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and Finnish youth. Martikainen presented the contents and objectives of the three art workshops included in the study, as well as some preliminary results on the topic. The study gives indications that art-based activities can help young people from immigrant and Finnish backgrounds to map, express and share their feelings and thoughts, regardless of the lack of a common language. The potential benefits of individual and collaborative arts-based activities include the crossing of divisions between us and them, language and culture – and the creation of contact zones through which interaction can be promoted and new relationships encouraged.

Visit at the Spirit of Kannu -exhibition with research participans in 23.8.2023

Jari Martikainen, Katja Lötjönen and Helena Rovamo and the young people who participated in the research project visited the exhibition Kannun henki at the Kuopio Art Museum on 23.8.2023. The graffiti and street art exhibition, produced in cooperation between the Kuopio Art Museum and the street art association Urbaani ry, brought together a wide range of urban art, from text-based graffiti to street art and documentary material.

The research project’s third arts-based workshop in August 2023

The research project’s third arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 14th and 16th of August. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the third arts-based workshop was ’future,’ or, more precisely, how the young people position themselves in the future in relation to other people and the Savo area. In the workshop, the participants used various techniques (i.e., photography, painting, and drawing) to make self-portraits of themselves in the future. Additionally, the young people drew a narrative based on their portraits. This third workshop produced written and visual material that will be analyzed in the research project.

Summer school at the University of Bergen 5.-15.6.2023: Childhood – Nurturing care for building the future

Project researcher Hadi Farahani participated in the Bergen Summer Research School 2023, which was held under the theme “Childhood – Nurturing care for building the future”. The summer school took place at the University of Bergen from 5 to 15 June 2023. This is how Farahani describes his participation experience:

“Attending the Bergen Summer Research School 2023 was an enriching experience centered around the theme “BSRS 2023: Childhood — Nurturing care for building the future.” During the course titled “Contested Childhood in the Context of Migration,” I had the opportunity to present my research project titled “Intergroup Relations and Local Encounters – Immigrant and Finnish Teenagers’ Perceptions of Each Other, Their Lives, and Future in Multicultural Savo.” The school provided a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary discussions and collaborations, fostering an environment conducive to academic growth and innovation. The positive feedback I received for my research topic underscored its relevance and significance in addressing contemporary societal challenges. Engaging with fellow scholars and experts in the field enabled me to gain valuable insights into the complexities of intergroup relations in multicultural contexts. This experience truly reinforced the Bergen Summer Research School’s role as a profoundly constructive scientific event, equipping me with the knowledge and inspiration to advance the research agenda and contribute meaningfully to the discourse on childhood, migration, and societal integration.”

The research project’s second arts-based workshop in June 2023

The research project’s second arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 5th and 12th of June. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the second arts-based workshop was ’encounters,’ or, more precisely, intergroup relations between people with different cultural backgrounds. In the workshop, the young people drew, painted, wrote, and discussed their images of people from different cultural background and their experiences of multicultural encounters in the Savo area. The youngsters worked both independently and in multicultural groups together with other participants. The group works were recorded on video. The second workshop produced visual, written, verbal, and video material that will be analyzed in the research project.

The research project’s first arts-based workshop in May 2023

The research project’s first arts-based workshop was held at the Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland on the 23rd and 24th of May. The participants were young people living in the Savo area and youngsters who had moved to Savo from Ukraine and the Middle East.

The theme of the first arts-based workshop was ’place,’ or, more precisely, life in the multicultural Savo. In the workshop, the participants considered their images and experiences of Savo as a place of residence through arts-based methods, such as photography and collage techniques. The youngsters worked  both independently and in groups with other youngsters with similar cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the participants wrote about the produced works and discussed them in group discussions facilitated by the researchers. The first workshop produced visual, written, and verbal material that will be analyzed in the research project.