What brings us together? Organise a National Dialogue

The discussion days of the autumn National Dialogues are 10.10. and 26.11. We invite you to join us in arranging a dialogue on what brings us together.

Previous National Dialogues have repeatedly highlighted people’s observations of deeper divisions in society. It seems that it is difficult for different groups of people to find common factors and ways of encountering each other. Different generations, different cultures, differences in occupations and livelihoods, differences between cities and rural areas, conflicts between minorities and majorities, and divergent political ideologies are at risk of differentiating us from each other.

The aim of the National Dialogues this autumn is to better understand the diverse experiences of people living in Finland on what brings us together. A well-functioning society needs people-to-people bonds so that everyone has a place in the society, and we can solve our common problems.

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 15^th of September 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.
  • 17.9. at 9–12
  • 24.9. at 13–16
  • 18.10 at 9–12
  • 4.11. at 13–16
• 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 15^th 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

Welcome to join us! You’re needed!

Further information: