Museum and Well-being workshops brought new experiences to foreign language students

On November 28th, students from the Mental Health and Well-being Promotion with Diverse Clients course organized workshops for immigrant visitors. The workshops aimed to create a new museum experience for visitors, introduce them to museum services and provide activities that support promotion of mental health and well-being. A total of nine workshops were planed and implemented by 13-degree students and 25 exchange students. Lloyd Bethell, a senior lecturer at Laurea UAS, and Liubov Sidorova, a cultural producer at the Vantaa City, facilitated the day.

-The idea for the Museum and Well-being workshops originated when Liubov contacted me in August and told me about her project. The project's topic and goals aligned with the course's learning objectives, so we adjusted the course content to incorporate the project, Lloyd explains.

Students with immigrant backgrounds from Careeria and Varia participated in the museum workshops which aimed to support students' well-being and mental health in a museum environment.

-During the workshops, the participants also received information about studying possibilities at Laurea UAS and gained new experiences. They had the opportunity to test and develop museum services, creating a meaningful sense of involvement, describes Liubov.

Introducing museum and cultural services to the visitors

According to Diana Bratu, a Social Service degree student participating in the course, students were able to apply theoretical knowledge learned in school to plan the workshops. Diana organized museum bingo, where visitors tried to identify pictures taken of exhibits around the Vantaa Museum. Visitors also participated in an escape room game, practiced meditation, and wrote stories in their own languages.

-The multicultural nature of our course group was very beneficial. The challenge in the workshops was finding ways to communicate with the visitors. We weren't sure if everyone spoke English or Finnish, Diana explains.

Through the workshops, Laurea students deepened their skills in empathetic interaction, communication, and group facilitation—essential competencies in the social and healthcare field. According to Lloyd, the course is an example of Laurea's Learning by Developing model which facilitates a genuine, creative, and experiential approach.

-It was a most wonderful experience to observe the participants' expressions and actions as they engaged in the workshops. Joy, laughter, concentration, and connection emanated from them. The implementation day was a huge success just from those feelings and needs being met. Additionally, the museum became familiar to the participants, and many said they would be returning, Lloyd concludes.  

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