South Savo came together to increase citizen participation

In February, the South Savo Regional Council organised two local workshops on strengthening residents' activity and involvement. These sessions welcomed a diverse group of attendees, including municipality representatives, youth workers, citizens, and notably, the youth.

As part of the CASPER project, the Council seeks to cultivate deeper involvement from local stakeholders and citizens in finding solutions to the challenges of population decline. By fostering such engagement, communities can adapt to changes or, ideally, discover innovative alternatives for appropriately scaling services.

Recognised the spatial vastness of the region, the Council strategically hosted two workshops in distinct locales to ensure broad-based involvement. The initial workshop, held on February 15th in Sulkava, brought together participants from Juva, Enonkoski, Rantasalmi, and Puumala. The subsequent session, on February 20th in Mäntyharju, saw collaboration between the communities of Kangasniemi, Hirvensalmi, and Pertunmaa, further emphasising the Council's commitment to regional inclusivity and the importance of localized solutions in addressing demographic challenges.

As the workshop's discussions are still in the preliminary stages of analysis, here are three key takeaways from the February sessions held in Sulkava and Mäntyharju:

• When residents' opinions are asked, ideas are collected or initiatives are collected, it is of paramount importance to make the process as transparent as possible. What will be done with the survey responses, how will the initiative proceed, and if not, why not? Communication in general must be open and active in many different channels. Engage in interaction!
• Seasonal residents have a huge amount of valuable expertise and networks that we could make better use of. Non-permanent residents often have a very positive view of the locality and different perceptions of everyday life and local quality of life factors than permanent residents. It would be fruitful to make visible the strengths of one's own area through the eyes of a seasonal resident!
• An image for young people is built in everyday life NOW! How a municipality treats, listens to and supports the well-being of its young people creates traction and attraction for the future. It is part of adolescence to leave, but events, hobbies, community and culture can tempt you to return.

To encapsulate the essence of our collective efforts and the insights gained from these workshops, it is imperative to recognise a fundamental principle: all services provided by municipalities inherently serve as youth services. This acknowledgment drives home the point that the youth are not merely recipients of tailored services but are integral to the fabric of our community.