FiNAN Presents Final Outcomes of National Anti-Racism Campaign at Government-Sponsored Gathering

October 23, 2026- Helsinki, Finland. Organizations from across Finland gathered today in a hybrid event organized by the Finnish Government concerning discretionary government grants awarded to civil society organizations for work aimed at combating racism.

During the event, Floro Cubelo, Chairperson of the Filipino Nurses Association in the Nordic Region (FiNAN), presented the final updates of the Raising Awareness for Inclusion and Supporting Equity – Bilingual Anti-Racism (RAISE the BAR) campaign, highlighting the project's achievements in promoting respectful communication and preventing racism within social and healthcare settings.

The campaign successfully produced a comprehensive suite of bilingual educational resources, including eight informational flyers (four in English and four in Finnish) and six short educational videos (three in English and three in Finnish). The materials were developed in collaboration with Filipino information specialist expert Michael Poncardas and a multidisciplinary panel of healthcare and education professionals.

The expert panel included Ryann Deloso (Master of Health Care), Jeanny Mae Tuominen (Master of Health Care), Blanche Lagundi (Internationally Educated Nurse Expert), Lourdez Buclig (Internationally Educated Nurse Expert), and Margarita Sakalayan-Latvala (Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Doctoral Researcher in Health Sciences). Linguistic review and Finnish-language expertise were provided by Riitta Varti (Master of Philosophy), a writer, Finnish language teacher, and community leader.

According to Cubelo, the campaign's outputs exceeded the expectations outlined in the funding requirements and demonstrated the capability of Filipino professionals and volunteers to create high-quality educational materials that can benefit wider society.

"The output of the materials showed that FiNAN and Filipino talents can produce materials beyond what the funding requires. We are proud of this achievement and the collective effort behind it," said Cubelo.

He emphasized that the resources have practical applications across multiple sectors and can support ongoing efforts to foster inclusive and respectful environments.

"We encourage public and private social and healthcare sectors to include these materials in their educational resources for patients, staff members, and allied social and healthcare personnel. The materials could also be used by higher education institutions as supplementary learning resources before social and healthcare students begin their clinical practicums. We are proud of this output."

The RAISE the BAR campaign aims to strengthen awareness of anti-racist practices, promote respectful communication, and support equity within healthcare environments. The completed materials are expected to serve as practical tools for healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and communities seeking to advance inclusion and cultural understanding throughout Finland.

The campaign's impact will continue beyond the completion of the project. As part of the dissemination phase, a national webinar will be organized on December 8, 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00, by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Government of Finland in collaboration with the Filipino Nurses Association in the Nordic Region (FiNAN).

The webinar will officially showcase the final educational materials developed through the RAISE the BAR campaign, including the bilingual flyers and short videos designed to promote respectful communication, equity, inclusion, and anti-racist practices within social and healthcare settings. The event will provide an opportunity for public and private sector stakeholders, educators, healthcare professionals, students, and community organizations to familiarize themselves with the resources and explore how they can be utilized in practice.

As the project concludes, FiNAN hopes that the campaign's resources will continue to contribute to safer, more inclusive, and more equitable social and healthcare services for both professionals and service users.