Platforms of growth : designing meaningful arts-based activities for young adults in vulnerable situations
Eskola, Jennika (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121135178
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121135178
Tiivistelmä
The thesis explores how arts-based methods can be used in youth workshop activities to support experiential learning, participation, and personal growth. The study is situated in the non-formal learning environment of Finnish workshop activities, which provide opportunities especially for young adults in vulnerable situations.
The theoretical framework draws on John Dewey’s aesthetic pragmatism, Niels Floor’s concept of learning experience design, and bell hooks’ participatory pedagogy. Through these perspectives, art education is viewed as a communal and meaningful process that fosters both individual and collective growth.
The research question is:
In what ways may a non-formal learning environment with arts-based methods be designed to support experiential learning with young adults in vulnerable situations?
The research is conducted as participatory action research within a three-week Oma Voima (“My Power”) art project involving 13 young participants. The methods include clay sculpture, mandala painting, and embodied exercises, culminating in a public art exhibition.
The results indicate that art-based activities create meaningful learning experiences when carried out in a safe environment with empathetic and encouraging guidance. The process strengthened participants’ resilience, self-reflection, sense of community, and feeling of belonging. Well-designed art workshops can thus serve as platforms for personal development and social empowerment.
The theoretical framework draws on John Dewey’s aesthetic pragmatism, Niels Floor’s concept of learning experience design, and bell hooks’ participatory pedagogy. Through these perspectives, art education is viewed as a communal and meaningful process that fosters both individual and collective growth.
The research question is:
In what ways may a non-formal learning environment with arts-based methods be designed to support experiential learning with young adults in vulnerable situations?
The research is conducted as participatory action research within a three-week Oma Voima (“My Power”) art project involving 13 young participants. The methods include clay sculpture, mandala painting, and embodied exercises, culminating in a public art exhibition.
The results indicate that art-based activities create meaningful learning experiences when carried out in a safe environment with empathetic and encouraging guidance. The process strengthened participants’ resilience, self-reflection, sense of community, and feeling of belonging. Well-designed art workshops can thus serve as platforms for personal development and social empowerment.