Markus Vähälä

Markus is keenly involved in international co-operation and has worked to promote international programs for youth, mental health, disability, sports, arts, culture and learning in Finland and internationally. 

Previously Markus worked at Kukunori which is the center for wellbeing and culture, a network of over 25 Finnish NGO’s who reach over 12.000 people and families all over Finland. In Kukunori Markus Vähälä lead a project called Propellipäät (the Propellerheads) in Kukunori. Propellerheads develop organizational development in NGO’s through change design and experiments. Before Kukunori Markus worked in Lyhty ry which is a non-profit NGO which delivers innovative services for adults with learning disabilities. In Lyhty Markus worked to build Radio Valo, which is a network of groups with learning disabilities producing programs for Lyhty’s Radio Valo media station. Radio Valo network produces programs in national radio stations, and through Radio Valo’s international network in countries such as Malta, Tanzania and Taiwan. In his free time Markus led a non-profit organization Synerga ry - Doing together. Synerga brought together activists and organizations interested in developing society side by side. Synerga campaigned against the discriminative nature of public procurement in services for people with learning disabilities. 

Markus is interested in music technology, electronic music and performs and records in a hiphop group called CNF - Community Neglects the facts. CNF is the oldest still performing and recording rap band in Finland and was founded in 1990. CNF presents the ruff-and-rugged underground style of self-produced hiphop from Finland. Markus has a long history in classical music, playing violin and singing in the boys choir of Helsinki Cathedral Cantores Minores and in the Finnish National Opera and Savonlinna Opera Festival as boy soprano soloist. Since then Markus continued his singing in mixed choirs Grex Musicus and Vox Lapsus, which he cofounded.