Piia Pauliina Ruutu

Piia Pauliina Ruutu is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Education, University of Helsinki, focusing on special educational needs (SEN), expansive learning methodologies, and adolescent development. She leads the BRIDGE project (2024–2027) exploring schools as mediators between youth worlds and coordinates EDUCA, a national education reform initiative (2024–2028). Her research emphasizes Change Laboratory approaches to foster youth agency through participatory institutional transformation.

• Key Projects: BRIDGE (Project Manager), EDUCA (Participant), 'School as a Support for Crisis-Affected Youth' (2023–2024)
• Research Themes: School dropout prevention, hybridization of youth worlds, future-making in education

Her work integrates activity theory and qualitative methods to address developmental tensions in adolescents. Recent studies highlight school de-encapsulation and the role of expansive learning communities in fostering youth resilience.