Citizens involved in shaping the future of Finland
What will Finland's future look like in 2030? Are we at the cutting edge of innovations and creativity or has Finland become a country of lost opportunities? What does it take to prosper in 2030?
These are among the questions on which the Government would like hear the citizens' views. The ideas obtained will then reflected in the government foresight report. The foresight report website, www.2030.fi, provides a forum for bloggers throughout the country to put forward their ideas on our future perspectives.
Once during each electoral period, the Government submits to Parliament a report on Finland's future challenges and perspectives. This time, the report will focus on sustainable growth and citizens' well-being in Finland in 2030.
- The ministers or the administration are not in possession of an all-encompassing blueprint for the future even though we are preparing for future challenges in a number of ways, says Minister of Economic Affairs Jyri Häkämies who chairs the ministerial working group for 2030.
The project ensures citizens' involvement with the means of social media so that citizens’ views and ideas will be heard already at the early stage of preparation. This kind of inclusion is something very new in the history of Finnish foresight reports.
- Now when our economic development and continued well-being call for bold views and new directions, it is especially important to bring everyone around the same table to talk. We know that in 2030 interaction between administration and citizens will be much more intensive than today and that's why the preparation of the current foresight report is being conducted in the same fashion.
Discussions available at the 2030.fi website
The recently opened 2030.fi website provides access to articles on the future and to selected themes picked up from blogs and from writings elsewhere on the net. Anyone can register his/her blog to the website. The website is hosted by an Editor-in-Chief who changes every two weeks. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for stimulating discussion on the pages. We see this as a means of opening the website for wide ranging discussions, new viewpoints and novel ideas. The chairs and members of the thematic groups, appointed for elaboration of the foresight themes, will also post comments on the 2030.fi website.
The results of the foresight process will be published on the website early next year. In addition to input by the actual foresight process, the report will sum up discussions, ideas and other forms of interaction as has taken place on the 2030.fi website and the related social media applications.
Regional events
In addition to the 2030.fi website, the project organisation will host seven regional consultation forums. This will provide citizens' groups in different parts of the country with an opportunity to put forward their ideas and to discuss and shape Finland's future and future prospects.
The consultation forums will focus on the following themes: opportunities in the midst of scarcity; a new geography for the North; business regeneration; public administration as an enabler; working life in the future; and citizens' well-being and inclusion. Members of the ministerial working group on the foresight report will attend the forums and the events can be followed live on the www.2030.fi website. On-line blogging is also possible on Twitter with hashtag #2030. Web discussions will be taken into consideration and have impact on the debate at the forums.
Places and themes:
24.9.2012 Lappeenranta, Opportunities in the midst of scarcity
27.9.2012 Helsinki, Tomorrow's experts
5.10.2012 Jyväskylä, Public administration as an enabler
8.10.2012 Oulu, A new geography for the North
9.10.2012 Vaasa, Business regeneration
17.10.2012, Turku, Citizens' well-being and inclusion
22.10.2012, Tampere, Working life in the future
Inquiries: Pekka Lindroos, General Secretary (foresight report), tel. +358 9 160 22134, Prime Minister’s Office and Otto Peura, Specialist (2030.fio website and web particpation), tel. +358 40 550 8151, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
www.2030.fi
http://vnk.fi/hankkeet/tulevaisuusselonteko358587/en.jsp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tulevaisuus2030
Twitter: #2030fi