Embedded Files
ACTIVISM AND NEW TOOLS OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
SCREENING: ONCE UPON A TIME IN A FOREST (DOCUMENTARY)
JUNE 4, 19.45 AT CINEMA ORION (EERIKINKATU 15, 00100 HELSINKI)
To kick-off the Night of Ideas in Finland, we will organize a special screening of Once Upon a Time in a Forest, a powerful documentary by Virpi Suutari that follows the journey of young activists from Extinction Rebellion Finland. The event will feature the presence of one of the film’s protagonists, Otto Snellman, who will also lead a discussion after the screening.
The tickets to the screening are sold by Cinema Orion.
WEATHER ALERT FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 5
Update – June 5, 2025, 13.38:
The program of the Night of Ideas will continue on the Espa Stage at 14.00. Program:
14.00-14.30: Aika Huusko's Poetry Performance on Activism
14.30-16.00: Panel 2: Are new tools for citizen participation truly effective, or is activism becoming the only way to drive real change?
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding.
Last updated: 5.6.2025, 13.38
POETRY PERFORMANCE - AIKA HUUSKO
JUNE 5, 10.30-11.00 AT ESPA STAGE (ETELÄESPLANADI 1, 00130 HELSINKI)
To kick off the second day of the Night of Ideas, we welcome on stage Aika Huusko for a poetry performance on activism. Aika Huusko is a poet, an artivist and a translator, whose poetry is a mix of metaphysical and socially engaged themes. Aika has produced and performed at various spoken word events all around the world, including London, Bogotá and Helsinki. They're also a long-standing board member of Helsinki Poetry Connection.
Free admission without reservation.
PANEL 1 - WHY AND HOW DO YOU BECOME AN ACTIVIST?
JUNE 5, 11.00 - 12.30 AT ESPA STAGE (ETELÄESPLANADI 1, 00130 HELSINKI)
The perception of activism differs markedly between France and Finland.
Some contemporary, non-violent forms of protest—like painting on buildings or occupying public or private spaces—can still provoke strong reactions from the public and opinion leaders. These responses often stem from a limited understanding of activism as a legitimate form of disagreement, and of the activists themselves.
What drives activists to commit to their cause? Why choose this form of resistance? A comparison with France, where activism has deep historical roots, offers valuable insights.
Free admission without reservation.
PANEL 2 - ARE NEW TOOLS FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION TRULY EFFECTIVE, OR IS ACTIVISM BECOMING THE ONLY WAY TO DRIVE REAL CHANGE?
JUNE 5, 14.00 - 15.30 AT ESPA STAGE (ETELÄESPLANADI 1, 00130 HELSINKI)
Faced with a crisis of confidence in democratic institutions and the realization, or at least the feeling, that citizens are powerless to influence public affairs, institutions are trying to channel expressions of protest by reintegrating them into existing governance mechanisms. Hence the initiatives and experiments such as citizens‘ conventions, citizens’ referendums and so on. Can these attempts bear fruit? Under what conditions?
Free admission without reservation.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Aika Huusko (FI)
POETRY PERFORMANCE ON ACTIVISM
Aika Huusko (she/they) is a Finnish-Karelian poet, translator, and artivist whose work blends metaphysical and social themes, often focusing on rest, resistance, and the quiet power of healing.
Writing first in Finnish and translating her own work into English and Spanish, she employs a unique poetic technique called synthetism—a collage of overheard phrases, song lyrics, and found language.
With an MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University (UK), her recent publications include Liike olen (2022), and an anthology of Colombian Nadaist poetry Kerrostalo sateessa (2023).
Eeva Luhtakallio (FI)
PANEL 1 - Why and how do you become an activist?
Eeva Luhtakallio is Professor of Sociology at the University of Helsinki, specializing in political and visual sociology. Her research explores everyday practices of democracy, such as activism, and youth's political engagement. She leads the Centre for Sociology of Democracy.
Sini Mononen (FI)
PANEL 1 - Why and how do you become an activist?
A researcher and musicologist at the University of Helsinki, Sini Mononen explores the relationship between music, emotion, and political expression.
Tuulia Reponen (FI)
PANEL 1 - Why and how do you become an activist?
Tuulia Reponen became engaged in climate activism upon recognizing that the climate crisis threatens not only environmental stability but also the foundations of human rights within the liberal international order.
The IPCC’s 1.5-degree report marked a turning point, prompting her to join Extinction Rebellion Finland, Elokapina. As an aspiring researcher, she is interested in the criminalization of climate activism.
Lumir Lapray (FR)
PANELS 1 & 2
Lumir Lapray is a French rural activist. Her work focuses on the fight against the far right in rural working class communities, including her own.
She recently returned from a 7 month Fulbright Scholarship in West Virginia, where she interviewed Trump voters and progressive activists alike. As France approaches a pivotal election cycle — municipal, presidential, and legislative — she hopes to bring home the insights she gained abroad. Lapray was also a 2024 Europe Obama Fellow.
Hannu-Pekka Ikäheimo (FI)
PANEL 2 - Are new tools for citizen participation truly effective, or is activism becoming the only way to drive real change?
Hannu-Pekka Ikäheimo is the Director of the Democratic Innovations program at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, where he works to develop new ways for citizens to participate in decision-making, aiming to enhance both the capacity of governance and trust in society.
Holding a PhD in Social Sciences, Ikäheimo is also an author with a particular focus on social segregation, trust, civic participation, media, and democratic innovation.
Leonardo Da Costa Custodio (BR)
PANEL 2 - Are new tools for citizen participation truly effective, or is activism becoming the only way to drive real change?
Leonardo Custódio is an educator, expert in communication for development and social change. Custódio currently works as Assistant Professor in Global Development and Planning at the University of Agder (Norway). Author of several peer-reviewed journals, Custódio is also the foundor of the Activist Research Network.
Raphaëlle Théry (FR)
PANEL 2 - Are new tools for citizen participation truly effective, or is activism becoming the only way to drive real change?
Researcher and lecturer in law at Panthéon-Assas University, Raphaëlle Théry studies legal frameworks surrounding activism and public protest.
Tommi Kotonen (FI)
PANEL 2 - Are new tools for citizen participation truly effective, or is activism becoming the only way to drive real change?
Tommi Kotonen, Doctor of Social Sciences and adjunct professor at the University of Jyväskylä, is a researcher specializing in the far right. His work focuses on banned groups, far-right subcultures, vigilantism, and the history of right-wing extremism in Finland and the Nordic countries.
Otto Snellman (FI)
POST-DISCUSSION: ONCE UPON A TIME IN A FOREST
Otto Snellman is a doctoral student in Practical Philosophy researching the politics of environmental crises and advocating for socio-ecological justice.
He has written on climate movements, fossil fuels, and the forest industry's ideological strategies. For over a decade, he has been active in Finland’s environmental movement, most recently promoting a sustainable transformation of the forest sector.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Date
June 4-5, 2025
Time
June 4: 7.45 PM
June 5: 10.30 AM - 3 PM
Location
Documentary Screening - Once Upon a Time in a Forest:
Cinema Orion, Eerikinkatu 15, 00100 Helsinki
Poetry Performance & Panel Discussions:
Espa Stage, Eteläesplanadi 1, 00130 Helsinki
In case of rain, the events at Espa Stage will be moved partially or entirely to the French Institute of Finland (Yrjönkatu 36). Follow the updates at the top of the page for latest information.
Price: All events are free of charge except from the documentary screening. The ticket sales to the documentary screening can be found here.
The event is in English.
If you have any questions, feel free to write to:
institut@france.fi
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