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The city as a learning environment

Cultural education forum 

There are many artists and a lot of art and culture in Helsinki and the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Children therefore have the opportunity to experience culture and make art in a diverse way. It is important that every child and young person can experience art and culture equally. Children and young people are best reached through daycare centres and schools. 

The City of Helsinki organises a cultural education forum twice a year. This is an event where people from the fields of arts and culture meet teachers and educators. They can discuss, learn about and develop cultural education together. 

The event involves discussion of current topics and lectures by experts, as well as speeches by educators and artists. You can also network and meet new people at the event. 



Creativity in Learning Environments: Arts and Culture as Unique Spaces for Learning

Autumn 2026 Cultural education forum

Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 9:00–16:00

What unique opportunities do the arts and cultural sector offer for learning? How can educational visits enrich teaching and education as a whole? How can pedagogy be enhanced when learning is supported by educators from outside early childhood education centres, preschools or schools?

This autumn, the Cultural education forum explores a variety of learning environments. The forum will take place on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the Event Square of Helsinki City Hall and at the Helsinki City Museum (Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13, Helsinki).

The autumn forum is aimed particularly at professionals working in early childhood education, pre-primary education and primary education. The morning expert presentations will introduce the theme and provide inspiration for the day. They will be followed by a series of concise lightning talks highlighting current developments in both the arts and cultural sector and the fields of education and learning. In the afternoon, participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and explore possibilities for collaboration in small-group workshops.

Register for the Cultural education forum via the Webropol form (in Finnish/Swedish). Registration is open until 7 October at 4:00 p.m. or until all places have been filled.

Please note that teachers employed by the City of Helsinki's Education Division (KASKO) will receive separate registration instructions and a dedicated registration form.

Program

9:00 

Morning coffee and a savoury snack

9:30

Welcome

10:00  

Expert presentations

  • Tuire Colliander: Opportunities for Dance Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education

  • Päivi Venäläinen: Contemporary Art as a Learning Environment

  • Johanne Salmenkivi: Museum Objects as Builders of Learning Spaces

10:50

Break

11:00

Helsinki Literacy Programme, Kiia Hakkala and Emma-Lotta Tynkkynen

11:20

Lightning Speaches from the Education Division

These short morning presentations will highlight what teachers would particularly like the arts and cultural sector to take into account when developing learning environments.

11:40

Lunch

12:45

Lightning speaches from the Arts and Cultural Sector

These concise afternoon presentations will showcase learning-enhancing spaces, practices, pedagogical approaches and working methods developed by arts and cultural professionals. The presentations will also serve as an invitation to future collaboration.

13:30

Small-group workshops

15:00

Coffee break and a sweet treat

15:40

Afternoon performance

16:00

Closing remarks

For further information about the forum, please contact Laura Arala, special planner, at laura.arala(at)hel.fi.