Our roots reveal where we come from. The constellation of human actions represents Human DNA — a growing network of connections we can discover and create together. Could human actions have a family tree of their own? I have been reflecting on how actions across the world might become connected — and whether recognising those connections could strengthen our sense of meaning, belonging and shared humanity. There is something fascinating about building a family tree. People we

Juuret kertovat, mistä tulemme. Tähtikartta kuvaa ihmisyyden DNA:ta – tekojen yhteyksiä, joita voimme löytää ja synnyttää yhdessä. Voisiko ihmisten teoilla olla sukupuu? Pohdin, miten eri puolilla maailmaa syntyneet teot voisivat liittyä toisiinsa – ja miten näiden yhteyksien tunnistaminen voisi vahvistaa merkityksellisyyttä, yhteenkuuluvuutta ja kokemusta yhteisestä ihmisyydestä. Sukupuuta rakentaessa tapahtuu jotakin kiehtovaa. Ihmiset, joita emme ole koskaan tavanneet ja j

Kouluissa tehdään joka päivä paljon yhdessä. Oppilaat ja aikuiset rakentavat oppimista, hyvinvointia ja koulun arkea. Arjen kiireessä moni hyvä asia jää kuitenkin huomaamatta. Kaikki eivät välttämättä tiedä, ketkä kaikki ovat mukana koulun toiminnassa — varsinkaan pienimmät oppilaat. Vanhemmat eivät ehkä hahmota, mitä kaikkea koulussa tehdään yhdessä, ja vierailijallekin toiminnasta näkyy vain pieni osa. Miten voisimme tehdä kouluyhteisön ja sen yhteiset teot näkyviksi tavall

An Epilogue to the Turning Values into Visible Actions Essay Series When I published the first essay in this series, I began with a photograph: standing on a football field, holding a ball in three colours. The image carried a simple idea. Values matter only when they become visible in the way we act—on a football field, in a school or within a community. Over the following months, that idea grew into a series of six essays and one continuing question: How can communities tur

A Recent Example: When Ownership Begins to Take Root At CETis 109 in Mexico, the Peace Circle did not remain a concept introduced from somewhere else. Teachers and students began giving it forms that made sense in their own school. Students and educators at CETis 109 in Mexico gather around their Peace Tree, giving the shared purpose a locally shaped form through Heart, Head and Hands. An Earth Cup, a peace anthem, school radio, competitions, a Peace Tree and a Wall of Peace

In 2004, fifty schools took part in the first shared tree-planting event of the ENO network. They were far apart, in different countries and very different circumstances, but they shared something important: a concern for the environment and a willingness to turn that concern into action. Each school planted locally, with its own students and community. Afterwards, they sent us photographs, and we shared those images online. At the time, this felt quite simple. Schools had do

These annual rings belong to a tree that grew near the Peace Circle in Liperi, Finland. They remind us that Shared Ownership also grows through connected turns—layer by layer. Shared Ownership is not a fourth stage in the cycle. It emerges when Shared Values, Shared Understanding and Visible Actions remain genuinely connected—and people can shape what happens next. Core Question How does participation become Shared Ownership—within both local communities and distributed netwo

Essay 3 of 6 This essay is the third in a six-part series exploring how strong communities emerge, why positive action grows, and how communities create the conditions for lasting positive change. The previous essay ended with shared values. This one begins where many communities quietly struggle. Having shared values is one thing. Living them is another. So the question becomes: How do shared values become part of everyday community life? Why Good Values Are Not Enough Most

The Foundation of Strong Communities Essay 2 of 6 This essay is the second in a six-part series exploring how strong communities emerge, why positive action grows, and how communities create the conditions for lasting positive change. This naturally raises another question. If visible actions are so important, where do they come from? The answer begins with shared values. Figure 1. Shared values provide the starting point of the reinforcing cycle explored throughout this ess

How Do We Make Positive Action Grow? Essay 1 of 6 This essay is the first in a six-part series exploring how shared values become visible actions that strengthen communities and contribute to a more sustainable future. Every day, millions of people do something good. A teacher encourages a struggling student. A neighbor helps an elderly person. A volunteer restores a meadow. A community plants trees. A company reduces waste. A young person starts a local initiative. The wor

Last week, I returned home from the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival in Brussels. Throughout the week, discussions often returned to the same core themes: participation, trust, resilience, and the ability of communities to act together. But there was one specific conversation that stayed with me long after the festival ended. From a Question to an Idea During a discussion with Danish urban strategist Helle Søholt, we were exploring how community support, participation and

This article reflects on a practical experiment in democratic infrastructure carried out in Liperi, a municipality in Eastern Finland, where citizens, schools and local government came together to create a shared civic space. When democracy is discussed, attention usually turns to elections, institutions, laws and decision-making. These are essential. Yet democracy begins much earlier — in everyday life, in relationships, in participation, and in the feeling that our actions

Vivemos numa época em que o conhecimento é mais abundante do que nunca. No entanto, muitos dos maiores desafios do mundo continuam. Talvez a questão mais importante do nosso tempo não seja o que sabemos, mas o que nos move a agir. Sabemos muito sobre as mudanças climáticas, a perda da biodiversidade, os conflitos, a desigualdade e os desafios relacionados ao bem-estar humano. Temos mais pesquisas, tecnologias, estratégias e metas do que jamais tivemos. Ainda assim, o conhecim

Vivimos en una época en la que el conocimiento es más abundante que nunca. Sin embargo, muchos de los mayores desafíos del mundo continúan. Quizás la pregunta más importante de nuestro tiempo no sea cuánto sabemos, sino qué nos mueve a actuar. Sabemos mucho sobre el cambio climático, la pérdida de biodiversidad, los conflictos, la desigualdad y los desafíos relacionados con el bienestar humano. Disponemos de más investigación, tecnología, estrategias y objetivos que nunca ant

We live in a time when knowledge is more abundant than ever before. Yet many of the world's greatest challenges continue. Why? Perhaps the defining question of our time is not what we know, but what moves us to act. We know a great deal about climate change, biodiversity loss, conflict, inequality, and the challenges to human well-being. We have more research, technology, strategies, and goals than ever before. Yet knowledge does not automatically become collective action. Ac

Elämme aikaa, jolloin tietoa on enemmän kuin koskaan aiemmin. Silti monet maailman suurimmista ongelmista jatkuvat. Miksi? Ehkä ratkaiseva kysymys ei olekaan se, mitä tiedämme, vaan mikä saa meidät toimimaan. Tiedämme valtavasti ilmastonmuutoksesta, luontokadosta, sodista, eriarvoisuudesta ja hyvinvoinnin haasteista. Meillä on tutkimusta, teknologiaa, strategioita ja tavoitteita enemmän kuin koskaan ennen. Silti tieto ei muutu riittävän nopeasti yhteiseksi toiminnaksi. Toimin

Reflections on Finland’s Basic Education 2045: For Life Interdependence embodied in structure. At its core, education reform reflects a conception of humanity. The structures we design in schools reveal what we believe about the individual, the community, and our relationship with the planet. Finland’s recently published Basic Education 2045: For Life articulates this shift with clarity. Rather than centering competencies alone, it frames schooling around meaningful life, li

Yhteisöllinen rakenne, joka pitää kasvusta huolta Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön keskusteluraportti Peruskoulu 2045: Elämää varten määrittää suomalaisen peruskoulun pitkän aikavälin suunnan. Se ei ole yksityiskohtainen strategia, vaan viitekehys: merkityksellinen elämä, elämä yhdessä ja elämä maapallolla. Tämä kolmijako on enemmän kuin pedagoginen rakenne. Se on sivistyksellinen linjanveto. Raportti siirtää koulun tehtävän osaamisen tuottamisesta elämän rakentamiseen. Se n

Ambassador of Knowledge, intergenerational learning, and the quiet strength of sustainability Recognising Jakob Slejko for his documentary work — a moment where knowledge is not claimed, but passed on. When I received the Ambassador of Knowledge recognition, I found myself reflecting on a simple but essential question: What is knowledge, really — and who does it belong to? Is it something we accumulate and own, or something we are entrusted to carry forward? The answer becam

After the war, we built a shared house. Not because we agreed on everything, but because we had seen where division and force lead. The foundations of the house were laid on human dignity, equality, and democracy. It was not perfect, but it was ours. It creaked at times. It was the sound of freedom. Over time, the original spirit became buried under systems. That is why the idea of restoration emerged. To return to what carries us and to make it visible in this time. And peop