Promoting Cultural Dialogue
The project has received funding from the Nordplus program.
The intensive course Promoting Cultural Dialogue through Co-design brought together students and teachers from Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to explore cultural dialogue through craft, co-design and collaborative making. Hosted by the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu, the course focused on how cultural heritage can be shared, reinterpreted and combined through hands-on creative processes.
During the intensive week, participants worked in international teams, shared personal and national craft traditions, and experimented with traditional textile techniques alongside contemporary design tools, including AI-supported image mixing. Through co-design and making together, students explored cultural identity, negotiated differences, and discovered shared meanings embedded in symbols, materials and practices.
The course highlighted craft as a powerful medium for cultural dialogue and learning, demonstrating how collaboration, creativity and mutual respect can strengthen intercultural understanding and generate meaningful, shared outcomes.
Partner institutions:
– Tallinn University (EE)
– University of Latvia, Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology (LV)
– Vytautas Magnus University (LT)