After having worked with the PUBLICS Youth Advisory Board (PYAB) in Helsinki, Praksis Teen Advisory Board (PTAB) in Oslo and Index Teen Advisory Board (ITAB) in Stockholm since May 2025, the first launch of the collective produced book Reaching Out: A Book about Care, Collaboration and Identity took place in Helsinki on 23 February 2026. It was fun to finally see the members of one of the boards face to face for the first time, as all meetings – wth all three boards together or with just them – had taken place on-line. The launch was also a first real-life encounter with Tuukka Kaila, the designer / publisher of Rooftop Press, and with Bilge Hasdemir, who had worked closely with the PYAB members all year. We had a fun evening, with me in conversation with the board, followed by the board asking Tuukka and myself some pointed questions. Also subjected to questions were artist/writer Mia Wennerstrand and publisher Hikari Nishida, who PYAB had collectively selected to contribute to the book.
While labour intensive – with many meetings and communicating via multiple platforms with quite a few cooks in what was effectively a small kitchen – Reaching Out… allowed me to continue to explore my own interests around the potential and value of printed matter publishing in an increasingly digital world, consider the interesting tension between collaboration and ideas around authorship, and encourage contributors in their articulation of ideas in word and image. And although Tuukka and I clearly had very different ways of approaching our respective roles – where he as publisher and designer sets very clear and firm deadlines and I have a more tentative approach and tend to allow processes to take their time – everything all came together wonderfully well in the end, with unintended resonances emerging in the final object. And what better excuse to add a couple of days and explore a snowy and icy Helsinki, which showed itself from its loveliest side with sunshine and blue skies.
Gerrie van Noord 