THE TAKUULLA PROJECT

The Voimala and The Takuulla Projects as Renovators of Working Life and Education

VOIMALA is a network of collaboration with the aim to develop well-being services which utilise cultural possibilities, and to generate related multi-professional know-how as well as new business possibilities. VOIMALA reinforces cooperation between R&D, education, work life and businesses. The Well-being Power Plant collaborates with the municipalities of the region with the aim that the network will expand and take a permanent form in the region of Eastern Finland by the year 2020.

The preparation of The Well-being Know-how Center of Eastern Finland, The Well-being Power Plant (VOIMALA), begun in 2009 with the cooperation of the Conservatory of Kuopio, City of Kuopio and Kuopio Innovation. The letter of intent of The Well-being Power plant was signed in January 2015 by nine prominent organisations in Northern Savonia; University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Innovation, the City of Kuopio, Kuopio Conservatory, the Kuopio University Hospital District Municipal Federation, Savo Consortium for Education, Savonia University of Applied Science, University of Arts Sibelius Academy Kuopio Unit, and Doctor Matthias Ingman’s Foundation.

Experience and knowhow have been acquired by the TAKUULLA (Certainly) projects, which have introduced music and dance to maternity clinics, kindergartens, schools, hospitals, psychiatric centres, vocational schools, associations, and service centres. At present services are offered also to people of working age, seniors and asylum seekers. The activities are also being expanded to other fields of art and culture, and in connection with the pilots services distance services are being developed to enhance accessibility. At the same time active participation in national and international networking and development is taking place.

TAKUULLA work-shops are carried out with flexibility taking the cultural know-how of the personnel and the needs of the work community into consideration. Professionals with an interest in learning methods of art and culture are chosen from the personnel to be work pairs of the artists. Success depends on cooperative learning, the willingness of both to develop in their work, the social and art pedagogic orientation of the artists as well as having a customer oriented approach. The workshops last from a few months to a year so that the new know-how has enough time to be rooted at workplaces.

Working with groups of increased risk or who have already fallen ill operate in the border regions of pedagogics, community arts and therapy, and at the same time help to prepare the soil for hybrid professions of the future. The basis for all is for leadership and administration to commit to the development of new professional procedures.

The Well-being Power Plant is also about creating a totally new and innovative multi-professional culture. In the following decades work life will face major challenges, new professions will be developed and according to estimates one third of existing professions will disappear. In the future there will be a new hybrid of education and professionalism. This means i.e. that existing professions will be developed and new methods will be introduced from other professional fields.

The goal is for the Well-being Power Plant to generate innovations, to increase the utilisation of multi- professional capacities in different fields, to enhance education, and to improve the capabilities of personnel in adapting to the ever-increasing needs of work life. In addition, Well-being Power Plant will promote well-being at work, increase the attractiveness of healthcare and social fields, improve employment opportunities in the cultural sector, prolong careers and possibly create new professions in the future.

Information:

Eeva Mäkinen

PhD, Master of Music, Project Director

Takuulla projects and The Well-being Power Plant

Tel. +358 45 136 0202