Jyväskylä invites 2,000 residents to apply for a Citizens’ Panel

Any resident of Jyväskylä aged 15 or over may receive an invitation to the panel, as the names and addresses of recipients have been randomly drawn from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency register. The invitation letter includes a form through which recipients can indicate their interest in participating in the Citizens’ Panel.

Panelists will be selected from among applicants so that the group of approximately 30 participants represents a broad cross-section of Jyväskylä residents. Selected participants will receive compensation of €160.

The Citizens’ Panel will provide a deliberated view to support service network planning

The Citizens’ Panel will have the opportunity to discuss the principles for planning the service network of early childhood education, basic education and youth services, in order to ensure that services are accessible, fair and sustainable in the future.

Panelists are invited to share their views on questions such as what factors make day care centres, schools and youth services genuinely accessible and of high quality, how services can be implemented fairly in different areas, and what fair decision-making looks like in a situation where everything cannot remain unchanged.

"The Citizens’ Panel is expected to engage in a principled discussion on what should be taken into account in future service network planning from the residents’ perspective. The panel will not focus on specific facilities or areas,” says Eino Leisimo, Director of Education, Culture and Sports.

The panel meetings will take place in August. Panelists will first be introduced to the topic together with city experts, after which they will formulate their recommendations on the principles for service network planning. A joint statement, approved by the panel, will be submitted to preparatory officials and decision-makers to support decision-making.

A Citizens’ Panel is a way to influence key decisions

The City of Jyväskylä regularly organizes deliberative Citizens’ Panels, in which residents can influence significant issues related to decision-making and the development of services. Citizens’ Panels have previously been used, for example, in the preparation of the city budget and in strategy work.

Participants in a deliberative Citizens’ Panel are selected through random sampling, and the process is more in-depth than traditional resident events. The Citizens’ Panel is based on respectful discussion and the careful consideration of different options, drawing on sufficient information and well-founded arguments.

When discussions bring together a group representing diverse attitudes and values, polarization can decrease and participants are able to reflect on different perspectives in a constructive way. In complex public issues, it is important to hear a wide range of views in order to reach better and more broadly accepted decisions.