Research group
Social Inclusion and Active Citizenship
We promote the inclusion of the most vulnerable. We are a multi-professional social and educational community with expertise in developing welfare, education and employment services.
We are actively engaged in research to promote inclusion. In practice, promoting inclusion means involving service users in the development of activities, rather than just making them objects of action.
These we research and develop
We want to play our part in promoting social inclusion:
- Preventing exclusion and poverty
- Increasing belonging to communities and society
- Supporting intercultural interaction
Our development priorities are:
- Supporting the employment of the hard-to-employ
- Integration
- Digitalisation
- Communities
We have strong expertise in promoting inclusion and reaching out to different groups. We are happy to engage in multidisciplinary cooperation across sectoral boundaries.
Mira Lehti, Senior Lecturer, Research Group Leader
Our Experts
Main publications
Diversi-Date: Yhdenvertaisesti erilaisia yhdessä. Menetelmäkansio moninaisuuden kohtaamisen tueksi yläkoulussa. https://www.turkuamk.fi/media/filer_public/ae/3b/ae3b6682-fdc9-4eb6-93e4-7ee5ec628143/diversi-datea4_suom.pdf
Diversi-Date: Menetelmäopas luoville kumppaneille. https://www.turkuamk.fi/media/filer_public/57/03/5703cd41-aed9-4772-a742-ea9aa6813532/diversi-date__menetelmaopas_luoville_kumppaneille.pdf
DigiMESH-hankkeen julkaisut. https://digimesh.turkuamk.fi/arkisto/julkaisut/index.html
Digisosku: Havaintoja digitaalisesta ohjauksesta. https://assets-global.website-files.com/63f8984898df868312304b38/653603b12757ddf2d11cc4de_Havaintoja%20digitaalisesta%20ohjaamisesta%20.pdf Komotyö:
Perehdytys suomalaiseen työpaikkaan – Työkirja uudelle työntekijälle. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/808767
Degree programmes
How to get men interested in museums?
A new project by Turku University of Applied Sciences and the University of Tartu is now exploring what kind of museum services could inspire elderly men.
The project is linked to the promotion of social well-being, cultural accessibility, community spirit and inclusion. At the same time, new ways of serving different customer groups interested in culture, especially elderly people, are being created.
Learning in XR reality teaches and entertains
The PedaXR project gathered experience in the use of XR technology, or augmented reality, in social and health care education. It is possible to create realistic and reproducible learning situations in a virtual environment.
XR pedagogy combines practice and theory.
Service design gives the VINCE project a new impetus
One of the starting points for teaching at universities of applied sciences is workplace orientation, which is implemented in various projects. Students are exposed to real-life tasks and at the same time bring fresh insights into the topics they are working on.
In the VINCE project, new knowledge was gained in service design. This was used when social work students went to immigrant organisations in the area and to International House Turku to collect information on the needs and experiences of clients.
A versatile partner
Our most important partners are social organisations and companies operating in the area, the City of Turku and the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland. We also network nationally and internationally with universities, organisations and public actors.
Strong project skills
Turku University of Applied Sciences’ Project Office offers support and guidance throughout the life cycle of an RDI project. Our project experts have years of experience and strong expertise in national and international funding programmes. We have more than 200 projects running every year, and our RDI activities have received more than €10 million in external funding.