We develop multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration through something called the Living Lab. The aim of the Living Lab is to work closely together with key stakeholders; to plan research, to discuss results results and needs in the field, to co-create knowledge, and ultimately to come up with practical ways of translating research findings into integration policies and practices. During the past year we have organised several Living Labs within our work packages, we have met with for example the Ministry of Justice, The multicultural center Villa Victor in the city of Oulu and many others, to share knowledge, think together and collaborate, this is part of Mobile Futures strategic interaction with stakeholders, a way to achieve impact and collaborate closely with the surrounding society. The Living Lab is a concept that we are developing throughout the course of the project, and we are constantly learning new things.

In November we organised a larger Living Lab in collaboration with one of our key stakeholders and steering group members Moniheli ry. The Living Lab brought together over 20 organisations to think about how to change the discussion on migration and integration in times of demographic change. Important themes such as empathy and how to fight polarization emerged. We also discussed what the formal integration language in Finland should be, – could there be many? The event confirmed that cross-sectoral collaboration is a crucial element of integration, and that there is a need to come together and talk.

In the future we will continue with more focused Living Labs around specific themes that surfaced during this event. If you are eager to discuss a certain topic connected to migration or integration with our researchers, reach out to us via hello@mobilefutures.fi or contact our interaction coordinator Yasmin Samaletdin directly!