CoMe Stronger project comes to an end – Six new service products pave the way for more inclusive museums

The CoMe Stronger project, running from August 2024 to January 2026, has officially come to an end. The project set out to develop museum services together with elderly men, a group traditionally harder for cultural institutions to reach. By bringing men and museums into a close co‑creation process, the project produced six new service concepts designed to make cultural participation more appealing, accessible, and meaningful for elderly men.

Collaborative development across Finland and Estonia
The project worked with men’s groups from Nousiainen, Raisio, and Tartu, as well as four museums: Naantali Museum, Mynämäki Museum, the Estonian National Museum, and the Estonian Agricultural Museum. These men’s groups originated from earlier work in CoMe Strong project (2017–2019) which supported men at risk of loneliness, and CoMe Stronger extended their activities into the cultural field – this time as active service developers.

Through joint workshops, user panels, museum visits, and ongoing discussion, the men shared ideas enthusiastically. Their insights shaped every stage of development and provided a better understanding of what elderly men expect from museums.

Key achievements
The most important achievements were, of course, the six new museum service products developed and piloted together with the men and museums. The project produced also practical guidelines for implementing user panels with elderly men, providing tools for other cultural organizations interested in similar work.

In addition to these concrete outcomes, the project generated several important impacts that strengthen collaboration between men’s groups and museums. Throughout the project, the men and museums were commited to the cooperation and joint development, creating meaningful experiences and a positive working atmosphere for all parties. Many participants expressed their interest in continuing the collaboration, and some museums see potential for involving the men in future activities such as exhibition development. The strong engagement shown by the men may also make them future advocates for museums within their communities, helping museums reach audiences they have traditionally struggled to engage.

In December, the project concluded with an online final seminar that gathered more than 80 participants from museums in both Finland and Estonia – a clear indication of the strong interest in the project’s results and themes.

Lessons and future directions
As with any development project, CoMe Stronger also offered valuable lessons. At times, the elderly men were simply hard to reach – particularly in spring and summer, when many of them were busy at their cabins, tending to fields, or otherwise occupied with seasonal work. This is an important reminder when working with retirees, especially those living in rural areas. Some partners also had limited resources to participate as fully as they might have hoped. The project team noted that future initiatives could benefit from involving the men even more closely from the very beginning and from setting clearer shared goals among all participants. The short project timeframe meant that the new service products could be piloted in only one museum each, even though broader testing would likely have provided additional insights and strengthened the results.

Despite these challenges, the project achieved a great deal in a short period, and the experiences gained will be valuable stepping stones for future work. CoMe Stronger leaves behind not only new service models but also strengthened connections between elderly men and museums – proving that when users and cultural institutions build together, culture becomes more inclusive, engaging, and meaningful for all.