Finland
Joint and dynamic work towards a more democratic participatory budget. Community workshops and brainstorming related to participatory budgeting are carried out in the city of Helsinki to create a much more effective method in terms of direct democracy. Who decides? basically, it is the work of the citizens, they are the ones who will decide the direct way in which a budget of € 4.4 million euros will be used, people will have the last word as to how they want to build their own city , all this will be done annually.
OmaStadi seeks mainly that the essence of democracy be reinforced through constant interaction between citizens who are the ones that best know the needs of their city. In a certain way, what is sought is a space for citizen empowerment, motivation for civic activity, creating a means of participation that generates equal opportunities, favoring democratic values.
Citizens are the ones who decide! This initiative was born from this point propelled in the city of Helsinki. In this sense, by way of proposals and democratic votes, residents of this territory will take the reins of the how? and what? referred in terms of the city budget, specifically how an amount of € 4.4 million will be used each year.
As for the way of functioning, it consists of a method under which is categorized by the amount of population that exists within this territory, therefore, the way to distribute the budget will be according to the aforementioned. Similarly, the city of Helsinki is divided into a total of seven districts, some larger than others, which makes categorization and operation easier and more dynamic.
This innovative proposal allows not only an active and democratic involvement of the residents of this city, but, at the same time, encourages better communication between citizens and experts to generate proposals and plans that will ultimately help the benefit of all by promoting likewise active inclusion. In this sense, it is important to know that this process consists of a first phase where workshops are held and proposals are generated and then there is a joint work with experts that will allow these proposals to be more clear and achievable.
Who can be part?
the form of participation establishes total openness; people who are 12 years old or older can vote for the proposals; therefore, this project allows a broader participation without age barriers, which is very important when promoting democratic values. Through this joint work as workshops, a new and more real way is promoted in terms of direct democracy and participatory budgeting practices.
More information:
https://www.hel.fi/uutiset/en/kaupunginkanslia/participatory-budgeting-launched-with-workshops
https://omastadi.hel.fi/pages/mikaonomastadi?locale=en
https://helsinkikanava.fi/uutiset/en/kaupunginkanslia/participatory-budgeting-plans-proceed
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