How Elderly Men and Museums Grow Stronger Together
From Come Strong to CoMe Stronger
In ageing societies, cultural services are not luxuries. They are vital for well-being, social connection and health. Men often make less use of them than women, partly because they feel excluded. Projects like CoMe Stronger show that involving people in co-design can close that gap—benefiting individuals, institutions and the wider society.
The project CoMe Stronger focuses on a challenge many cultural institutions face: elderly men visit museums far less than women. Thus, instead of designing services for elderly men, the project designed services with them. Groups of men in Finland and Estonia worked with curators to co-create new museum services – solutions made by them, for them.
At Naantali Museum, the men asked for an exhibition about jobs that no longer exist, and for the chance to handle real objects. Their ideas became pilots, and one exhibition is now close to launch. Visitors will soon be able to explore trades from the past, such as the weighmaster, who measured cargo for steamships; the ironer, who starched and pressed textiles for customers; and the telephone operator, who manually connected callers by plugging wires into the right holes and then ending the call.
These exhibits bring history alive in a hands-on way, rooted in lived memory and curiosity. For the museums, it is a new toolkit to attract audiences they had struggled to reach. For the men, it meant becoming active co-creators rather than passive visitors—gaining a sense of belonging and purpose.
A Project with Roots
CoMe Stronger builds on the earlier Come Strong project (2017–2019), which worked with inactive men aged 45–75 at risk of social exclusion due to unemployment, loneliness or lack of family support. Partners from Turku and Tartu created Come Strong clubs, safe spaces where men could meet, share experiences and plan meaningful activities. The model was later introduced to social and health-care professionals, providing them with a practical tool to engage and support men at risk.
Now, CoMe Stronger takes this model further, adding a cultural and creative dimension. By involving elderly men directly in shaping museum services, it both broadens participation and strengthens community ties.
Want to know more?
On 10 December, a public webinar will showcase the project’s results. The Naantali Museum, Mynämäki Museum, the Estonian Agricultural Museum and the Estonian National Museum will present their co-created services and share practical lessons on engaging elderly men as active users.
More information: Elderly Men in Museums – Webinar on 10 December 2025
Author: Kersti Valde-Komp
