Developer Squad
We coordinate the project Developer Squad - Expertise for Combating Stigma, Discrimination, and Poverty in the Arts and Culture sector.
In the project we train art and culture professionals to better encounter people who have experienced poverty, neurodiversity, mental health challenges, or loneliness.
The project is financed by European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and Svenska kulturfonden.
It has started in February 2026, and it will end in July 2027. The project is national, multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral.
Aims
The aim is to make arts and cultural services more accessible and safer for everyone, and that to open up new employment opportunities for arts and culture professionals also in the social and health care sector.
The aim is that:
- Arts and culture professionals are better equipped to meet people in a vulnerable position.
- Prejudices and stigma are reduced.
- Arts and culture are more strongly linked to promoting well-being.
- New opportunities for collaboration and employment are created in the sector.
What is Developer Suad?
A Developer Squad is a multidisciplinary team that includes:
- arts or culture professional
- social and health or welfare services professional
- (trained) expert by experience
The members of the squad work as an equal, salaried experts. We need to hear more the voice of the experts by experience in developing the arts and culture sector.
The Developer Squad is responsible for the implementation of the trainings and the anti-stigma action steps. The artist or arts and culture professional in the Squad facilitates the trainings.
What do we do in the project
- We organise four open training programmes in different parts of Finland.
- We train professionals in the arts and culture sector to break down prejudices and prevent discrimination.
- We develop and test a new, multi-professional Developer Squad operating model.
- We develop steps for anti-stigma and anti-discrimination work in the arts and culture sector.
- We build cooperation between the arts, culture and social and health sectors.
The participants will be provided with practical tools for their own work. In addition, each participant commits personally to carrying out at least one concrete anti-stigma or anti-discrimination action during the following year.
Training programmes
We will organise four open training programmes in cities that are part of the Kaikukortti network:
- Kokkola (Central Ostrobothnia) April 29th 2026, theme: mental health challenges. Read more in Finnish: Kehittäjäkopla: Kokkolan työpaja. Read more in Swedish: Utvecklarteamet: Karlebys verkstad.
- Kuopio (Northern Savo)
- Rovaniemi (Lapland)
- Espoo (Western Uusimaa)
The trainings are aimed primarily at arts and culture professionals. They focus on anti-stigma and anti-discrimination work within the arts and culture context.
Each training emphasizes one of the project’s themes: poverty, neurodiversity, mental health challenges, or loneliness.
The training programme includes:
- workshop
- reflection workshop 1-2 weeks after the workshop
- each participant commits personally to carrying out at least one concrete anti-stigma or anti-discrimination action.
- remote clinics for some of the participants.
Outcomes
As a result, the project will produce a nationally impactful Developer Squad operating model and concrete steps for anti-stigma and anti-discrimination work created through co-creation.
Project coordination
The project is implemented by The Culture for All Service / The Association or Culture on Equal Terms (Yhdenvertaisen kulttuurin puolesta ry).
Partners
Project partners include the wellbeing services counties of Western Uusimaa, Lapland, Central Ostrobothnia and Northern Savo; the cities of Espoo, Kuopio, Rovaniemi and Kokkola; and Autism Foundation Finland, Mielen Association, Kulttuuriyhdistys Suomen EUCREA ry (Cultural Association Finland's EUCREA, an association of disabled artists), Glims & Gloms Dance Company, EAPN-Fin – European Anti-Poverty Network Finland, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Contact us
Mira Haataja
Project Leader
mira.haataja@cultureforall.fi
tel. 040 213 6339 (Country code +358)
Outi Salonlahti
Training Coordinator
outi.salonlahti@cultureforall.fi
tel. 04039908 (Country code +358)
