Crisis is a reality for many and seen as a threat for even more. On the one hand, recent funding cuts to global institutions like USAID and WHO endanger the most vulnerable. On the other, these very institutions have long reinforced systemic inequalities. At the same time, an ageing and increasingly unwell society raises a pressing question: who will care for you in the years to come? It also revives the long-standing issue of exploiting labour from colonies and modern forms of slavery. And what about young people—children who struggle to conform at school, and families facing barriers to integration? How do processes of conformity and integration themselves create exclusion and marginalisation? And then, of course, the planet itself. This event moves beyond the usual headlines of decline, offering fresh perspectives, research, and practical insights that allow for rethinking, reimagining, and readdressing these challenges. What is possible? Let’s find out.
The event and each of its sessions are open for everyone and welcome people from all backgrounds.
This event brings together four international guests to Helsinki to engage in a knowledge exchange and dialogue with local scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders across the sectors of healthcare, humanitarianism, education, and climate action. Each of these guests has encountered systemic injustices within these fields and has responded by committing to democratizing, decolonizing, unionizing, and organizing these sectors. Drawing on their respective expertise as development economist (Valentine Guruuswa), medical doctor (Hassaan Zahid), psychologist (Chris Bagley), and environmental anthropologist (Pauline von Hellermann), they have worked to address these injustices.
The event showcases stories of unionizing cross-border healthcare workers, democratizing schools, decolonizing humanitarian practices, and organizing climate councils. These narratives will be brought into conversation with Finnish scholars and practitioners who have similarly worked on these critical issues. The goal is to exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and collaboratively explore what is possible, while simultaneously developing new insights and theoretical frameworks. This transdisciplinary event welcomes a diverse audience, including practitioners, artists, activists, policymakers, and academic scholars, who are engaged in the fields of healthcare, humanitarianism, education, and climate action.
This overall event is constituted of multiple standalone sessions. There is an opening panel, four talks and discussions, and a closing panel with a live concert and refreshments. These are all standalone sessions you can attend without having to attend the rest, or you can attend all of them or some of them. You can find out more about each session below. Please register at the bottom of these so we can get an idea of numbers. There is no fee.
The event is organised by Khalil Avi Betz-Heinemann in coordination with Tuukka Saari, Guido Caniglia and Meri Kulmala. Video performance by Mandira Halder.
9:30-11:00 Opening panel / Changing the World in 90 mins, Think Corner Stage / Live stream.
13:30-15:30 Chris Bagley / Democratizing Schools & Education, University of Helsinki Main Building, room U3039
16:00-18:00 Valentine Guruuswa / Unionizing Healthcare Workers, University of Helsinki Main Building, room U3039
10:00-12:00 Pauline von Hellermann / Organizing Climate Councils, University of Helsinki Main Building, room F3010
13:30-15:30 Hassaan Zahid / Decolonizing Medicine & Humanitarianism, Soc&Kom, Festsal
16:00-19:00 What Is Possible in Finland: Plenary & Concert, Soc&Kom, Festsal
Please register for all sessions using the form above. Registration for the plenary and concert is closed to estimate the amount of food and drinks, but other sessions are still open. There is no registration fee.