FINLAND

Culture as a means for supporting psychological resilience in Kuopio and Helsinki

Images: Hilma Salonen

Image: Hilma Salonen

While psychological resilience is operationalised in many ways throughout Finnish society, this report considers the role of the arts and cultural education. To do so, we explore two different examples: arts initiatives in Kuopio (which closely follow the institutionalised aims for psychological resilience) and a community art plus local library initiative in Helsinki (which has emerged through self-organised efforts over several years. Examined side by side, they illustrate possibilities related to arts and culture as channels of resilience, as well as the challenges faced by actors in these fields.

In both cases, interviewees discussed resilience in terms of psychological resilience (henkinen kriisinsietokyky). As highlighted in the previous section, the term is well-established in Finland following strategic work and public discourse over the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the practical implications of the term as well. Since then, discourse around preparedness following the war in Ukraine has brought the concept of polycrisis to the table (Keinänen et al. 2025). Despite this, the Finnish actors interviewed for this report expressed or even emphasised the need to consider (psychological) resilience through everyday actions and intersectional experiences of security, instead of homing in on building resilience towards one particular risk.

Arts initiatives in Kuopio

The City of Kuopio and Savonia University of Applied Sciences have made several initiatives around arts and cultural education. The background for the work in Kuopio can be traced directly to Finland’s national strategy and its vital functions (Table 1 of this report). Finland’s Centre of Excellence for Comprehensive Security (Kokonaisturvallisuuden Osaamiskeskus) has interpreted these dimensions in a cross-regional and cross-sectoral manner and has already involved around 200 different actors from public, private, and civil society spheres. Currently, activities are happening under the umbrella of comprehensive security thinking; therefore, one of the main aims of the Centre of Excellence is to organise and coordinate this work (Kokonaisturvallisuudenkeskus, n.d.). The Centre of Excellence has strong regional roots as it has been developed together with Savonia University and the City of Kuopio, with funding from the Regional Council of Pohjois-Savo. (Kokonaisturvallisuudenkeskus, n.d.).

Through a committee established by the Centre of Excellence, the City of Kuopio and Savonia University made several arts and cultural initiatives under the presumption that trust and social cohesion can emerge as a byproduct when investments are made in spaces that allow for self-expression, social connection, and exploration of the human condition.

In several instances, the actors worked directly with the concept of psychological resilience. For example, in the Kuopio Dance Festival, the concept was discussed in student workshops where attendees explored the role of music as an empowering force in different life stages. In addition to these discussions, the festival included the production of an art wall for the Kuopio art museum which explored a related theme. The role of art for developing psychological resilience will also be considered in a possible critical shelter-use situation.

Psychological resilience has been the theme of several artwork design courses at Savonia University for two years in a row. The presupposition is that art has a unique ability to mirror our own actions back to us, and the deeper understanding of ourselves that emerges from this experience allows us to better withstand crises. Students taking part in the course have designed an array of artworks on the theme, ranging from interactive installations to workshops, paintings, and murals. They include deeply personal themes as well as approaches reaching out to the surrounding community or specific social groups. For example, one student worked with the topical issue of misinformation and organised a session for young people to play with words, create nonsensical content, and then consider it through a critical lens.

Community art and the local library in Helsinki’s suburb of Kontula

The case of Helsinki features one of the city’s suburbs which faces issues of low-quality urban infrastructure and social problems related to substance abuse. These challenges have led to some negative perceptions of the neighbourhood. At the same time, the area is well-known for its cultural scene, strong local identity, and active entrepreneurs that keep the place vibrant. The stakeholders interviewed worked with two partially interlinked projects: continuous community art activities and a cultural project conducted under the protection of the local library.

The community art activities began in 2019 and focus on the suburb’s traditional open-sky mall (ostari). Since its commencement, 18 community art pieces have been produced, mainly consisting of large murals. Funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Kone Foundation, the project relies completely on voluntary action and has included both adult and youth groups from the start. During COVID-19, the activities transformed to include more direct engagement in the streets. Following the activist principle of reaching out to people who have the least resources, the project targets those who deal with substance abuse or are vulnerable to it. Because COVID-19 and the related social distancing policies heightened many troubles in individual lives, the support network formed through the community art activities became a lifeline for many. Several community members involved in the activities commemorated the experience with a painting on the wall of the local library. The piece includes a question about how people carry on and survive in the COVID era, with interview fragments from people waiting in a food-aid queue.

In addition to the art activities, the library of Helsinki’s Kontula suburb coordinates a project funded from the City’s participatory budgeting scheme for cultural work. Building upon a tradition of cultural movements in the area, the goal of the project is to encourage people to create activities and events that reflect themselves and to maintain the unique sense of place cherished by many of the suburb’s residents. The library was the only local actor willing to take on the large task of coordinating this project, including hiring one employee specifically for this work. Between October 2024 and February 2026, 120 events took place, involving around 11,000 participants. The project has succeeded in engaging groups and actors whose voices were previously unheard and is working to establish a new, non-commercial community space that provides continuity of different types of activities. These bottom-up activities address relevant local needs when it comes to meeting spaces, points of discussion, and strengthening community resilience. Thus, the activities slowly build trust and allow people to discover ways to withstand and transform the negative reputation of the suburb.

Success factors for developing resilience

The active and committed engagement of a range of actors has been a key factor for success across the arts projects in both Kuopio and Helsinki. The concrete examples illustrate ways in which art brings together people from all walks of life and acts as a catalyst for resilience-supporting actions. As working with art fosters introspection, self-expression, and identity, the interviewees from the coordinating organisations consider it as essential to people of all backgrounds, social positions, and professional sectors.

Another success factor relates to the transparency, continuity, and predictability of using the library as the community’s main meeting and organisation point. Libraries offer a unique space for residents because there is a low threshold for taking part in activities. In addition, they are perceived as neutral and trusted actors in the urban space, without a commercial, political, or religious agenda. As one interviewee put it, “a library is the cornerstone of the Finnish democracy.” As such, they have significant potential to support psychological resilience.

The arts programmes also contribute to psychological resilience by enabling a community to develop trust—foundational to any society, and especially among people in vulnerable positions. Trust is a necessary condition for the success of any type of action, but it can also be a result of community-led art. Equality among people is the cornerstone of community-led art activities, and nourishing equal artistry creates trust. Another important component for creating trust-based communities is the longevity and predictability of action. This can be achieved by appointing project representatives who have a reputation of being non-judgemental yet are committed to their communities. On the other hand, the interviewees stated that institutions such as libraries often enjoy a high level of trust as a given; therefore, they can take up the role of protector and enabler of art activities while also representing continuity. Trust-building can be considered an important byproduct that emerges organically during arts-related work, leading to a sense of empowerment which helps communities withstand stressful conditions.

While arts and cultural activities seem to have an impact on building trust, measuring their success is difficult to achieve in exact terms. However, people working with community art projects, especially interactive initiatives, notice that approaching questions via creating art can make experiences around a space or a theme visible in a way that quantitative indicators do not. Art is perceived as a safe and non-exploitative medium, which allows people to interact more openly with each other. When it comes to developing indicators to measure the effects of art and culture on psychological resilience, some discussions are already occurring at the Centre of Excellence and at the national level. According to the interviewees, such efforts could demonstrate the integral role of cultural work in developing psychological resilience and thus contributing to societal security. While a single institution could coordinate this type of work, measuring such indicators would require a broad range of actors to include multiple perspectives and different stages of life.

Challenges in developing resilience

While the interviewees from the arts initiatives view their work as part of everyday resilience and understand its role in wider discussions around comprehensive security, this relationship does not materialise when it comes to budget decisions. The trust that cultural actors have towards national resilience work has weakened in recent years due to public funding cuts and generally austere economic policies. This has led to conflicting stances between the political level and local cultural actors, who perceive that culture is valued in public speeches but not prioritised when it comes to, for example, funding.

Decreasing funding on essential community activities leads the cultural actors to question whether national-level leaders understand the essence of communities and the role that continuous community activities play in supporting psychological resilience. There is a risk that the current emphasis on resilience and preparedness stays active only during periods of seeking funding, which corrodes the longevity and constancy essential for resilience-related work. Building active communities and trust can take years.

Interviewees also highlighted the fragmented state of resilience work, which strains the already limited resources available while also restricting possibilities to execute large, cross-regional or cross-organisational projects. On the other hand, when work becomes too centralised, only the largest organisations (e.g., the Red Cross or the Martha Association ) are invited, while smaller ones are excluded. Therefore, coordination and collaboration between different organisations could be more effective—minimising the risk of overlapping work while giving space for less-established organisations and initiatives to play a part.

Finally, a gap remains between the national and local levels regarding risk evaluation. Aspects related to psychological resilience have been included in an indirect manner, but decisions are still not based on a future risk evaluation which could consider resilience from an individual and community perspective and include all relevant municipal actors.

Future opportunities for resilience

While continuity and offering permanent spaces for arts activities are key to trust-building and successful projects, spontaneous and loosely organised actors and action is often taking place. Many involved in these activities do not fall under traditional definitions of voluntary workers or members, and the value of their contributions is not always recognised. Furthermore, existing public spaces such as libraries may have the capacity to take on broader coordinating tasks within the community if they have the necessary staff and monetary resources.

Crises do not affect all social groups equally. Due to existing vulnerabilities or inequalities, some social groups may not have the same capacities to prepare, respond, or recover as fellow residents, especially in times of multi-crises. Such distinctions may lead to further polarisation and potentially weaken community resilience. During these times, art is seen as having the potential to include and amplify voices in public discourse that are otherwise quiet or silent. It also makes visible the potential which all social groups (even the most marginalised) have to contribute to the common good. Similarly, places that may seem outdated or even uninviting to the unfamiliar eye (such as the open-sky mall mentioned in the case of Kuopio) may be able to foster cultural activities, community outreach, and small entrepreneurship in a way that a modern shopping centre cannot. Using art as a method may offer ways to explore how different social groups relate to resilience, and which characteristics and conditions they attach to it.

Finally, while preparation and crisis response are key to resilience, an overemphasis on these aspects risks neglecting the role of recovery. The interviewees of the arts initiatives noted that joy and celebration are also vital parts of resilience. In addition to the reflective aspects, arts and cultural activities can also provide refuge from the state of perpetual crisis and everyday crisis thinking.