Capital of Culture project and Tampere Universities seek solutions to questions of equality and sustainable development
The Tampere universities community will gather for a hackathon-style event to be held from 29 January to 30 January 2021 to envision concrete steps towards a responsible and equal future. The event will develop more sustainable operating models for the community, but also new equality promotion tools for various actors in the Tampere region. The Tampere Region’s and Tampere’s Capital of Culture 2026 project is responsible for this part.
“Equality is a difficult entity to approach. For some, it means service in a language they understand. For others, it means a lift because you cannot use the stairs. We are all equal and no one should be left out. However, this is not yet the reality. With so much to do, getting started can feel challenging. Where should we start? What if I don’t pay attention to everyone right away?” asks Sasu Paakkunainen, a member of the equality team of the Capital of Culture project.
Tampere and the Tampere region have joined forces to apply for the European Capital of Culture designation in 2026 with the theme of equality. This means concrete actions.
“We want to lower the threshold for starting and create experiences of success and increase motivation to continue. Even small deeds are meaningful and we want to create a platform that will steer people in the right direction. To this end, we are developing the eQuality ToolKit. Equality without the right tools is just talk,” Paakkunainen points out.
Equality is part of the sustainable development continuum
When completed, the toolkit produced at the event will also be available to the Tampere universities community. Cooperation with the Capital of Culture project expands the sustainable development perspectives of the event in a welcome way.
“When you think about sustainable development, the first thing to come to mind is climate change, which is an urgent challenge for us all. In addition to the ecological perspective, sustainability includes economic, social and cultural aspects, such as equality. Cooperation with the Capital of Culture project encourages us to see sustainability as a whole,” says Sustainable Development Specialist Matias Nurminen.
All members of the universities community are welcome to continue looking for solutions for sustainable development and equality at the Sustainable Development x Equality event. More information and a link to register can be found on the Tampere Universities’ intranet.
Read more about the Capital of Culture 2026 application: https://tampereregion2026.fi/en/
Enquiries:
Matias Nurminen, specialist on sustainable development and innovation culture, Tampere University, matias.nurminen [at] tuni.fi
