Mental resources – what weakens them and what strengthens them

The National Dialogues discussion days this spring are the 25th of March and 22nd of May. We invite you to join us in arranging a dialogue on mental resources.

Many citizens are thinking about their own wellbeing and that of other people. Mental resources are not only dependent on individuals, they are also shaped by local networks and the entire surrounding society. People can influence their own and each other’s mental landscape in many ways in families, neighbourhoods, schools and workplaces as well as in leisure activities, culture and sports, the media and politics.

National Dialogues invite people living in Finland to consider what kind of things are currently undermining mental wellbeing and what factors strengthen it. The aim is to increase understanding of how the human mind’s resources are built in different life stages and situations – from childhood to old age, everyday life and in the midst of change. How can we feed the forces of thought, emotion, and imagination within and around us?

How to get involved?

Participation is easy and does not require a major input from the discussion organiser. The most important thing is the desire to join.

1. Connect the topic to your target group by making the topic more personal: “What brings our school class/work community/hobby circle/different generations together?” or “What brings the people living in Rovaniemi/Lahti/Janakkala/Espoo together?”
2. Register as a discussion organiser by the 24th of February via this form.

We will publish a list of the discussions taking place in different parts of the country at the end of this page.

If you want to participate in the dialogue as a discussion participant instead of organising the discussion, you can view a dialogue that suits you.

A summary of the discussions will be drawn up and published for open use. It will also be submitted for use in public administration and decision-making.

The aim is achieve a large number of dialogues organised by different actors in different parts of Finland, where people living in Finland can engage in diverse discussions, hear each other’s views, delimit boundaries between different views, understand something new, share observations and build mutual trust together.

The discussion can be held for 2 or 3 hours, either face-to-face or remotely.

Support for the dialogue organiser

• A comprehensive material package will be published on this page later. Material package will include an invitation template, a proposal for invitation procedures, a timetable, and a Timeout dialogue manuscript, which provides instructions for facilitating the discussion
  • Instructions for dialogue organisers (PDF)
  • draft script for the dialogue (pptx)
  • draft script for the dialogue (PDF)
  • invitation template for inviting participants (docx)
  • invitation to challenge others to arrange a dialogue (docx)
  • Rules for constructive discussion, printable poster (PDF)
  • Social media templates
• An induction will be provided for the facilitator and notetaker before the dialogues via Teams. (The suggested times below are in Finnish, you can choose the one that suits you best). An induction in English will be arranged by request.
  • 28th Feb, 9am –12pm
  • 12th March, klo 13pm–16pm
  • 22nd April, 9am –12pm
• You will receive an invitation to the induction closer to the dialogue days.

The organiser of the discussion should:

• Define a more detailed topic and register as a dialogue organiser by the 15th of September via this form
• Reserve premises and possible catering or create the virtual meeting for the dialogue
• Invite the participants
• Facilitate the discussion
• Reserve a person to act as a notetaker for the dialogue
• Submit the exact notes of the dialogues immediately after the dialogue using this Webropol form
  

The rest of the dialgoue material is coming soon!

Welcome to join us! You’re needed!

Further information:

Katju Holkeri, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Finance
tel. 0295 530 087, Katju. Holkeri (at) gov.fi

Kai Alhanen, Director, Dialogue Academy
tel. 040 572 0213, Kai. Alhanen (at) aretai.org