Activism and Compassion: A case study on exploring the question of how to shape and express engagement among future artist educators
Inés Sauer + Cormac Burmania + Fabiola Camuti, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Netherlands 
Break out Session 1: Thursday 24 November 14:30 - 16:00 (Helsinki Time)

This session looks to examine how students become aware of how they wish to and can give shape to their needs in addressing ‘the world’. The case study of an ‘Activism and Compassion’ module asks questions such as: When we wish for conflict transformation, what kind of dramaturgical strategies do we need? When we create ‘political theatre’, do we then reaffirm the power game of knowing who is right or wrong? How can we try to address our concerns in a compassionate, non-hierarchical way?

The Art of Engagement: Creating foundations for an international learning community in social practice
Loraine Leeson, Middlesex University, United Kingdom
Break out Session 1: Thursday 24 November 14:30 - 16:00 (Helsinki Time)

This session will be the first public presentation of project findings of a transnational initiative that asks: How can social practice pedagogy be improved through partnership between cultural and higher education institutions and the sharing of ideas and practices across national boundaries? The project looks to develop the teaching of social practice arts in higher education and extend it to artists of all stages in their careers.

Practices of Care: Combining self-care and activism in art education
Einat Amir, Ieva Laube, Anna Lioliou, Zara Asgher + Leire de Meer, Aalto University, Finland 
Break out Session 2: Thursday 24 November 16:30 17:30 (Helsinki Time)

An international group of students comes together to establish ‘Practices of Care’ by creating a safe space for different identities and opinions and learning from each other about art and activism in various places worldwide. They find self-care and activism go together, hand in hand. Participants are offered an experience of coming together and forming trust in a short amount of time, as well as some of the simple and effective caring strategies the presenters came up with.

Non-Exhibition
Anna Lioliou, Zara Asgher, Ieva Laube + Francesca Bogani Amadori, Aalto University, Finland 
Break out Session 2: Thursday 24 November 16:30 17:30 (Helsinki Time)

Questioning capitalist, neoliberal, results-oriented university structures that prioritise individualism and productivity, Aalto University students occupy an exhibition space—not exhibiting, but finding new forms of support and resilience while creating meaning and knowledge outside institutionalised forms. This session is not only a representation and reconstruction of Non-Exhibition, but an opportunity to further challenge institutional spaces.

Conflicts in Design Under Emergency
Nirit Binyamini Ben-Meir + Michal Pauzner, Royal College of Art London, United Kingdom, Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, Israel 
Break out Session 3: Friday 25 November 9:00 - 11:00 (Helsinki Time)

How do emergencies affect design and creative processes? Quick, Swift, Instant, Hasty, Rushed, Frantic, Impulsive… What can we learn about a rapid creative reaction and immediate decisions? What conflicts and complexities arise from such a pressing process? The pandemic has revealed a spectrum of responses to emergencies in different countries, from ad hoc restrictions and drastic measures to circumspect negotiations about adequate actions at the cost of doing too little, too late. Each approach saw its social implications and carried its political context. How are these approaches reflected in creative practices and academia? How do different cultures and mentalities affect responsivity and decision-making processes? The ‘Emergency Workshop’ will introduce simulations of time-sensitive scenarios that require rapid creative responses and reflect on time frames of learning and teaching and the role of creative practices in states of short- and long-term emergencies.
Contributors: Danielle Barrios-Oneil, Carolina Ramirez-Figueroa, Charlotte Jarvis, Laura Dudek, Elena Falomo, Yael Moria, Oded Kutok.

Integrated Confessions
Ewa Satalecka, Jan Piechota, Jakub Karpoluk + Marjatta Itkonen, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Warsaw, Poland 
Break out Session 3: Friday 25 November 9:00 - 11:00 (Helsinki Time)

Learn more about social design workshops, a programme created together with an international network of educators who work with students on current social issues such as migration, citizenship, precariat, circular economy, responsible and sustainable design for communities, and fake news. Join the programme and help to develop it further.