The call is open for the first Nordic Match

From 8 to 12 April 2019, the Finnish capital Helsinki will play host to the first Nordic Match – a pop-up think tank and networking platform where art and culture will be used to create social change. The open call for participants is now open. 

During the week, a group of prominent Nordic creative professionals will come together in Helsinki to discuss the topic of migration. Alongside an intense programme of workshops and networking, the participants will be hosted by local collaborators who will guide them in their new cultural surroundings.

The current application round for Nordic Match is open until 24 February. There is a simultaneous open call for hosts in the Helsinki area.

Human to human-approach on migration

Nordic Match is a joint initiative of Nordic Culture Point and the creative agency Måndag, both based in Helsinki.

“By choosing migration as the spring theme for 2019, Nordic Match is seeking to explore and amplify the potential of art and culture in helping people feel at home and flourish in a new country regardless of their background. According to definition of the Nordic Council of Ministers, anyone with an address in a Nordic country is a Nordic citizen. Needless to say, the enrichment potential of migration is enormous for the Nordic countries,” says Ola Kellgren, director of Nordic Culture Point.

Often referred to as “the Nordic gold”, trust is one of the core values behind the Nordic Match concept, in which the participants essentially spend every waking moment networking.

“In the creative field, people are driven by passion: work is not just work. Sadly, we rarely have the opportunity to really get to know one another – when we’re familiar with one another we also trust one another and have the courage to disclose our unfinished ideas. Nordic Match is built to make this collaboration possible: to learn from one another, to get to know one another, and to work together. To build our cities and communities together with other Nordic countries. This is the reason for Nordic Match,” says Arto Sivonen, CEO and founder of Måndag.

One participant from each Nordic country will be selected to participate in the spring and autumn rounds of Nordic Match between 2019 and 2021. The “Helsinki model” of Nordic Match will be free for other Nordic cities to duplicate.

Read more about Nordic Match at www.nordicmatch.org
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