A Finnish Visit to the Laboratory in Trbovlje

“The biggest difference is that here everything is right. Nothing is wrong.”
“You can completely relax. If you make a mistake, it’s okay.”
“We talked about emotions and what we like.”
“We learned to cooperate more as a class.”

These reflections come from 8th-grade students at OŠ Trbovlje, a primary school in Slovenia, who took part in the third laboratory session of this cycle within the Mind the Gap project.

In February, the Slovenian laboratory team welcomed Pamela Andersson, Development Coordinator at Luckan Raseborg Children’s Culture Center in Finland. Her visit formed part of the partner exchange within the project and included participation in the laboratory day at the school in Trbovlje, located about an hour’s drive from Ljubljana.

At Luckan Raseborg, Pamela develops and curates cultural programmes for children and young people aged 0–19 in the cities of Raseborg and Hanko. She leads development initiatives, prepares applications for national and EU funding schemes, and currently coordinates Art Bubble, a creative workshop programme for young people aged 10–17. Within Mind the Gap, she has planned and coordinated art laboratories for teenagers attending sports camps in Finland.

A Shift in Classroom Energy

The Slovenian laboratory model brings together improvisational theatre, creative movement, and a psychotherapeutic perspective. Rather than focusing on performance outcomes, the work emphasises structured experiential processes, relational safety, and embodied participation. Movement pedagogue Ana Romih describes the intention behind the workshops:

“The workshops were designed for 8th-grade students. Through improvisational theatre, body
awareness, and a psychotherapeutic approach, we created a safe space for cooperation, mutual
discovery, and exploration of group dynamics. Through embodied experience, students developed greater awareness of themselves and others, strengthened mutual trust, and practised listening, expressing themselves, and co-creating.”

The class involved in Trbovlje had previously been described as demanding in terms of group dynamics and behaviour. During the laboratory session, students were activated, encouraged, and given consistent positive feedback. Improvisation and elements of gamification supported participation and visibly shifted the energy of the classroom.

Some students stepped into leadership roles in the centre of the circle, while inclusive tools — such as structured sentence starters — ensured that every participant had the opportunity to express their thoughts and be heard.

When students describe the space as one where “nothing is wrong” and where they can “relax,” these statements reflect the impact of intentional relational framing.

Psychotherapist Drago Švajger reflects on this shift: “In the Mind the Gap workshops, students connect in a different, more authentic way. Through exercises, play, and cooperation, they get to know each other better, strengthen their sense of belonging, and build a safe space — the foundation of healthy class dynamics. We can grow and progress only where we feel safe, which is essential in the school environment.”

Seeing Students in a Different Light

The structured format of the day included smaller group sessions, whole-class processes, and
reflection with teachers. This layered structure created space not only for student participation, but also for professional observation.

One of the school counsellors reflected that the workshops offered an opportunity to see the class
“in a completely different light.” Students who are often perceived as behaviourally demanding in
regular lessons revealed different qualities — persistence, vulnerability, initiative, and cooperation.

The workshops created conditions in which students stepped out of their comfort zones — often
without even realising it — and engaged with one another in new ways.

Drago adds: “Students gained a valuable experience: they discovered that a safe and respectful relationship can be built even with someone they are meeting for the first time. Such an experience becomes a model of healthy relationships, strengthening their self-confidence, reducing fear of the unknown, and encouraging openness — an important life skill they will carry beyond the school environment.”

The Finnish Perspective

For Pamela, the visit to Trbovlje highlighted how structured improvisation and gamified exercises can activate participation and reshape classroom dynamics.

She observed how positive reinforcement and clear frameworks enabled students to take initiative, assume visible roles, and express their perspectives. Particularly notable was the use of sentence starters, which ensured that every student had a structured opportunity to contribute and be heard. The professional exchange was equally important for the Slovenian team.

Reflecting on the international collaboration, Ana notes: “Pamela, as an observer, was able to recognise parallels, similarities, and differences between our way of working and their approaches. This opened space for reflection and new insights. Such international collaborations enable the exchange of good practices, broaden perspectives, and contribute to the further development of high-quality and inclusive work with young people.”

This intersection of artistic practice, pedagogy, and mental-health awareness forms a distinctive feature of the Slovenian laboratory approach.

Participation Across Languages

Although translation was provided throughout the visit, Pamela did not remain a distant observer.
She joined the movement exercises and improvisational activities alongside the students.

The Slovenian team — movement pedagogue Ana, psychotherapist Drago, and theatre and improvisation pedagogue Veronika Hana Grubič — has developed a strong and supportive workshop dynamic over the course of the project. Observing how the students welcomed someone new into this established space offered an additional layer to the experience.

As Veronika shares: “The students not only accepted her but embraced her as if she had been part of our laboratory from the very beginning. They included her in every exercise we did in the circle and clearly enjoyed her cheerful presence.”

Drago Švajger also highlights the significance of this moment: “Pamela enriched the programme with her openness and willingness to participate. Students experienced that trust and respectful relationships can be built even across differences — and even across languages.”

This embodied participation reflects a key principle of the laboratory format: facilitators engage in the process together with participants. The aim is not to evaluate from a distance, but to share experience.

The visit to Trbovlje formed part of the ongoing exchange between project partners. Such encounters offer opportunities to observe similarities and differences in approaches, broaden perspectives, and strengthen collaboration across contexts.

As the Mind the Gap laboratories continue across Europe, these exchanges contribute to a shared understanding of how artistic practice, pedagogy, and mental-health perspectives can intersect to support participation, cooperation, and well-being in schools.