On Monday, 4 December 2023, the Oulu Museum and Science Centre and Oulu City Education Services jointly awarded the Luuppi Route as one of the most inspiring developments of the year. Local government and social development projects were awarded at the Doing Important Work gala in Helsinki. After the rebranding, the Luuppi Route will be known as the Museum and Science Route from 2024.
The aim of the route is to provide equal access to the Oulu Museum and Science Centre for students from the city’s schools and to become a permanent model for cultural education. The aim was also to diversify the content of cultural education and to develop the cultural path of Oulu’s students.
The route will enable approximately 9,500 Oulu students to visit the Oulu Museum and Science Centre each year. Equality for all children, regardless of where they go to school, is at the heart of the work. It is important that every child has the opportunity to visit museums during primary education.
The Luuppi Route model has been developed and built in cooperation between the City of Oulu’s Basic Education Department, the Oulu Museum and Science Centre, and the Valve Cultural Centre and its Oulu Children’s Cultural Centre. The pupil’s cultural path includes a named cultural content for each school year.
From 2024, the route will be known as the Museum and Science Route.
The award was accepted at the gala by museum director Riina Veijo and cultural liaison teacher Satu Jehkonen. Photograph: Salla Kivelä.