The Empathy Council

The multi-year empathy project launches in January 2025 within the structures of regional decision-making by founding The Empathy Council. The Empathy Council invites Kymenlaakso’s current and future leaders and decision-makers from all municipalities in the region to come together to consider the role of empathy and the need for it in Kymenlaakso, the regional culture of decision-making, collaboration and conversation.

The project is realised by the world’s first empathy artist Enni-Kukka Tuomala. Tuomala is from Kotka, lives in London and works internationally. She is the world’s first Empathy Artist. Her multidisciplinary art practice has long been focused on investigating the relationships between empathy, power, space and systems.

The council will aim to address the need by developing shared approaches and methods for increasing empathy and co-operation in the area. The Empathy Council will be made of elected members of the local councils and youth councils, as well as civil servants from all six municipalities. They will act as the advisors as well as the audience for the first phase of the project.

“Could decision making and the resulting decisions be of a higher quality, more long-lasting and advance causes better, when they are built on empathy and cooperation,” wonders Tiina Kirvesniemi.

The process is participatory and evolves throughout the project. In the future the activities can expand from councils to new contexts and destinations around the region.