Central Baltic Stories Episode 4: Breaking Barriers 🎙

In late December, Katja Ihamäki and Liisa Nuutinen from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, project partner in the Breaking Barriers project, joined Finland’s national contact point for a podcast episode. Together, they reflected on the project’s activities, achievements, and the meaningful impact it had on schools and communities. While the episode is recorded in Finnish, we’ve provided a brief summary of the key points discussed in English below.

Breaking Barriers: Fostering Inclusion in Schools Through Collaboration

Launched in March 2023, the Breaking Barriers project focused on increasing inclusion in schools across Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. The project concluded in August 2024.

“Fostering inclusion is a very important starting point and theme in schools across Europe,” Project Manager Katja Ihamäki explains. “It’s important to include all children in school groups—whether they come from immigrant backgrounds, have special needs, or face other challenges. Creating inclusive school environments is about equality, participation, and ensuring everyone feels safe.”

The project brought together partners and pilot schools from three countries: Latvia, Finland, and Estonia. In Finland, Metropolia collaborated with teachers and students from Haagan peruskoulu and Vesalan peruskoulu to assess their needs and find practical solutions together. Even during the planning stages, schools voiced a clear need: subject teachers, in particular, needed more support to foster inclusion in their classrooms.

While schools in Finland, Latvia, and Estonia already prioritize inclusion in different ways, the shared commitment to its importance stood out. “It was fascinating to see how each country approaches inclusion,” said Project Manager Liisa Nuutinen, “but from the very beginning, there was a clear consensus: promoting inclusion benefits everyone.”

Throughout the project journey the project partners organized a variety of joint and local activities, including workshops for both students and teachers. These workshops were designed to foster open dialogue and active participation. “One of the main goals of these workshops was to keep them participatory, creating open dialogue and ensuring that everyone felt included,” Nuutinen explains. “And I dare say we succeeded. Meeting and working with students had such a positive impact on me. Their energy and enthusiasm were incredible – if I could have bottled it up, it would have kept me going for a whole year!”

Teachers were equally engaged during the workshops. Ihamäki emphasized how valuable it was for them to connect across disciplines and gain peer support in new ways. “The workshops provided a space for teachers to share their ideas and experiences, and the creativity and collaboration we witnessed were truly inspiring,” she said.

The Breaking Barriers project worked closely with schools and partners for 18 months, concluding in August 2024. Throughout this journey, the team gathered valuable insights into how schools can better promote inclusion and create safer, more welcoming environments. You can explore the project’s findings and final publications on the project webspace. The publication published by Katja Ihamäki and Liisa Nuutinen can be found here.

The Central Baltic Stories podcast explores cross-border cooperation, innovation, and community-building in the Central Baltic region. Hosted by Viola Mickos, the national Contact Point in Finland, each episode features inspiring stories, interviews, and insights from project partners, experts, and change-makers.

Would you like to share your or your project’s story in the podcast?
Please contact Viola at viola.mickos@uudenmaanliitto.fi. Episodes are recorded in Finnish, English and Swedish.