In our journey through the NPA regions we left Vasternorrland (Sweden) to arrive to the region of South-Savo in eastern Finland. EMERGREEN project partner the University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute, and the associate partner the City of Mikkeli are developing a digital citizen participation platform called “Omaidea”.

“Omaidea” – in English “Own idea” - provides an online platform and tools for use by residents, organizations and various community actors to promote idea generation, interaction and social impact. “Omaidea” will focus on the themes of circular economy, sustainable living and local development.

To the Finnish partners an active citizen participation is important for creating economically, ecologically and socially sustainable local development and this digital participation platform is a suitable solution for reaching people from remote and sparsely populated areas.

The “Omaidea” participation platform has been modified from the open source Decidim software. The important features of this technology are its in-built and versatile participation tools, a modular structure and ease of use. The citizen can use the platform with any web-browser, it is mobile friendly and can be easily accessed on any device.

This digital platform aims to obtain citizens’ input for improving sustainability at the local scale and to analyse user feedback on the operation of the digital platform for further development of the integrated participation tools.

The upcoming participation events of “Omaidea” are geared to promote greener communities. Greener communities are promoted at https://omaidea.fi/?locale=en and also at Omaidea’s social media channels.

Find out more by clicking on the video!