The Voices of Us project inspired young people to engage in creative expression and collaboration through filmmaking

April 16, 2026
Martiina Woodson

Launched in May 2025, the project brought together ten young people who had never met before to make a film together. The youth workshop culminated in the film’s premiere in November at the Kino Regina movie theatre. Through the Voices of Us project, Helsinki YMCA participated in the Horizon Europe CLiViE research project, led by the University of Helsinki, which maps the social impact generated through culture.

Voices of Us encouraged young people to engage in visual storytelling

In the Voices of Us project, the young people took part in a 15-session workshop series that delved into storytelling and audiovisual production. Among other things, they learned writing and screenwriting, took part in photography and music workshops and explored the full creative process of filmmaking, from costume design to acting and sound design.

“One thing I’ve gained from this project that I’ll take with me into my future is the skill of presenting my own ideas without fearing criticism. I learned that the rejection of an idea is just a step toward a better solution. Additionally, the confidence developed in using my own voice (soft skills) during this project is an invaluable asset for future teamwork,” said a young participant in the Voice of Us feedback.

Photographer and filmmaker Kevin Buy and music producer and sound designer Aimo Eräkorpi, who designed the workshop programme, explained that they had tailored the training to the young participants and the group’s needs.

“The research project allowed us to think about the high-end social impacts we wanted to focus on from the very beginning. As artists, we knew that a collective creative production process would impact our participants positively on a socio-emotional level. It was even more interesting to think, capture, and measure those impacts. The results of the research are very positive. They prove the values of informal art programmes as an efficient tool in today’s society,” Kevin Buy explains and continues:

“It was special to create a space for youth expression and see ten teenagers embracing it with so much passion and commitment, all in their own way. The 30-minute fiction film is born from their voices, inspired by personal shared stories and fictional characters. The ambition was to address, in a poetic way, the topics, fears and feelings they wanted to express as teenagers living in Finland.”

The six-month process culminated in the film’s premiere in December 2025. Following the screening of the impressive short film, the young people took the stage to share their filmmaking experiences with an audience of several hundred gathered at Kino Regina. The premiere also featured a presentation on a project previously carried out at Helsinki YMCA, which was part of the Horizon Europe CLiViE research initiative.

YMCA-HNMKY-VoicesofUs©KevinBUY-8-10x15 — Valokuva: Kevin Buy

YMCA-HNMKY-VoicesofUs©KevinBUY-13-10x15 — Valokuva: Kevin Buy

The Voices of Us project is part of the Horizon Europe research project

The “Value of Cultural Literacy in Europe”, CLiViE project applies the theory of change methodology and the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework. Led by the University of Helsinki, this pan-European research aims to deepen understanding of the value of cultural literacy in promoting social cohesion, particularly through arts education or other arts-based education. SROI measures both qualitative and quantitative benefits.

Helsinki YMCA was selected as one of the project implementers for the case studies because of its impact and strong cultural expertise. As a cultural and arts project, Voices of Us was a perfect fit alongside the social youth work and global citizenship education activities.

The study also aims to compile materials and best practices to support educators working with young people to develop inclusion and social justice, and to improve young people’s lives through cooperative pedagogy.

In total, the CLiViE project is being carried out in collaboration with seven academic institutions across Europe, where 27 case studies are being conducted. Dr. Kemal Ahson, PhD in Education from the University of Helsinki, is responsible for the overall research.

CLiViE project results will support future funding applications

YMCA local organisations carry out a wide range of creative and cultural activities and projects, the effectiveness and measurability of which are also significant in securing continued funding.

“In the civil society sector, measuring the results of our activities is now an inevitable part of our work. Perhaps it says something about the times that youth organisations increasingly have to justify their existence,” notes Jyrki Eräkorpi, Director of Youth Services at Helsinki YMCA.

The Voices of Us training highlighted how community spirit supports creative learning and experience, and conversely, how arts-based learning supports collaboration and creates and strengthens community spirit. At the same time, it demonstrated the value of partnerships with civil society organisations for academic research focused on social impact.