ETMU 2026

Inclusion, Empathy and Trust – Towards Sustainable Active Citizenship

Session conveners: Finnish Refugee Council / Social Cohesion Unit / Järjestöhautomo
Contact: Liisi Rwambiwa liisi.rwambiwa@pakolaisapu.fi

Session description

Trust is a fundamental precondition for the functioning of civil society: trust in one’s own opportunities to influence, trust in other actors, shared values, and societal structures. At the same time, civil society increasingly operates under cross-pressures, where it is expected to act both as a critical challenger of power and as a builder of trust.
This workshop explores what trust in civil society and trust by civil society mean in the present moment and in the future, particularly from the perspective of civic engagement and inclusion. The workshop provides a space for joint reflection, experience-sharing, and conceptual clarification.

The objectives of the workshop are to:

  • deepen understanding of the significance of trust in civil society
  • support civil society actors’ ability to articulate and strengthen shared values
  • identify ways in which civil society can simultaneously act as a critical and
    trust-building force
  • strengthen the role of inclusion, empathy, and dialogue in sustainable active
    citizenship

Themes and Key Questions
The workshop will address, among others, the following questions:

  • Trust in civic engagement: what does trust mean in the context of civic engagement? What do we need to be able to trust in order for engagement to feel meaningful and possible?
  • Trust in shared values and goals: how are shared values built and articulated in a pluralistic society? How can civil society act as a promoter of values, or as a mediator of value-based tensions?
  • Critique and trust-building: how does civil society balance its critical role with its task of building trust? What kinds of practical tensions and opportunities are associated with this dual role?
  • Knowledge production on trust: what kind of data should civil society organisations collect, produce, or monitor from the perspective of trust (and trust research)?

Methods
The workshop is interactive and based on facilitated discussion, small-group work, and collective reflection. Participants’ own experiences and organisational practices form a central component of the workshop.

Target group
Representatives of civil society organisations (primary target group), as well as researchers and actors from civil society, the public sector, and academia.

Evaluation and Reporting
The workshop will involve representatives of civil society organisations. If possible, it would be important for us to collect participant information and feedback from the workshop. This would enable the workshop to be implemented as part of the broader activities of the Järjestöhautomo. Representatives of other sectors may also participate; however, reporting will focus on participants from civil society organisations.