Borderland Dialogues – Welcome to organise!

Finnish society is being tested in new ways. Russia’s military actions are undermining many people’s sense of security. Conflicts between different groups and individuals are intensifying, and misinformation about events and issues is spreading. We need different actors to keep our society crisis-resistant and at the same time compassionate.

What role do you see your organisation or yourself playing in this situation? What kind of support do you need to strengthen your own activities? The aim of the Borderland Dialogues is to find new ways to strengthen societal resilience and societal cohesion.

We want you to join us in organising one or more Borderland Dialogues! The conversation days are 23 October, 25 November and 15 December. You can also organise dialogues at other times that suit you, as long as they take place before 15 December.

The Borderland Dialogues are part of the autumn National Dialogues on Sisu and the Borderland Dialogues series. Similar Borderland Dialogues will be organised in the Russian border countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Russia’s neighbouring countries are facing complex geopolitical pressures related to regional instability and foreign influence. Democratic sustainability and social cohesion must be developed urgently in close cooperation. In particular, new ways of strengthening the resilience of individuals and communities and social cohesion in society should be identified. Although the situations in Russia’s neighbouring countries differ, many of the social challenges and hybrid influences affecting these countries are shared. Social actors, especially civil society organisations and citizens, can play a greater role than at present in strengthening resilience and social cohesion.

How can you get involved?

Participation is easy and does not require a lot of effort from the conversation organiser. The most important thing is the desire to get involved.

1. Link the theme to a target group or topic that is important to you, for example: “A sense of belonging and security in Imatra / Vuoksenniska / our knitting club / our library.”
2. Pre-register as a discussion organiser by 25 November using this form.

A summary report of the conversations will be produced as part of the National Dialogues in the autumn. The report will be published for everyone to use and will be made available to public administration and decision-makers.

The aim is to organise a large number of dialogues, particularly near the Russian border and in the Åland Islands where people can engage in diverse conversations, hear each other’s views, lower the barriers between different perceptions, gain new insights, share observations and build mutual trust together.

We will compile a list of dialogues organised around the country at the end of this page. If you want to participate in a dialogue as a discussant rather than organizing one, you can search the list for a dialogue that suits you.

Dialogue can be organised to last 1.5, 2 or 3 hours, either face-to-face or remotely.

Support for dialogue organisers

• Comprehensive material package: Instructions for organising a dialogue, invitation template, suggestions for invitation methods and schedule, and a draft script with instructions for facilitating the dialogue.
  • Instructions for conversation organisers (PDF)
  • Draft script for the dialogue (pptx)
  • Draft script for the dialogue(PDF)
  • Invitation template for inviting participants(docx)
  • Challenge invitation(docx)
  • Rules for constructive discussion, printable poster (PDF)
• Free training sessions are available for conversation leaders and note-takers on Zoom. Training in English will be arranged if necessary. Please select the time that suits you best when registering.
  • 4 November, 1–4 p.m.
  • 28 November, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
• After registering, you will receive an invitation to the orientation session by email closer to the date of the session.

The dialogue organiser must

• Define a more specific topic and pre-register as the dialogue organiser by 25 November using this form
• Reserve a venue and any catering or remote conversation platform
• Invite the participants
• Moderate the dialogue
• Reserve a person to act as the note-taker for the conversation
• Submit as accurate a record of the dialogue as possible in Webropol using this form immediately after the conversation

Welcome aboard! We need you!

The dialogues are coordinated by DialogiAkatemia, Opintokeskus Sivis and the Ministry of Finance.

Further information

Janne Kareinen, Director, Dialogue Academy
tel. +358 45 631 6516, janne.kareinen (at) dialogiakatemia.fi

Anne Ilvonen, Communications and Innovation Manager, Opintokeskus Sivis
tel. 050 587 9423, anne.ilvonen (at) opintokeskussivis.fi

Katju Holkeri, Financial Counsellor, Ministry of Finance
tel. 0295 530 087, katju.holkeri (at) gov.fi

Photo: Kristi Sits, The Nordic Council of Ministers, Estonia