Good practices from Nordregio Agenda 2030 webinars

Nordregio Senior Communications Advisor Pipsa Salolammi will participate at the European Sustainable Development Week to present good practices of youth involvement in public service. The examples are based on experiences from summer 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the municipality of Arendal, Norway.

Called “The sustainable municipalities of the future”, this year’s conference focuses on the practical measures that municipalities can take to build a more sustainable future. 

One valuable example of sustainable municipalities is Arendal in Norway, presented during Nordregio’s Agenda 2030 Webinar series. With about forty-five thousand inhabitants, the municipality has a long tradition of involving all societal groups to make the city a more attractive, safe, and inclusive place to live in. Special attention is paid to groups that are not used to participating in public meetings and consultations.

For instance, a group of young people in Arendal, many with a migrant background, co-created the programme “Urban Young “(Urban Ung). As part of the programme, young people were hired by the city administration to arrange activities in public places during the summer of 2020 and to keep these places safe, with the results showing a decline in criminality rates. Volunteers in Arendal also arrange ‘people meet people’ events, where locals can come together in an informal setting to get to know new people, establish connections and build trust.

Read more about the Arendal case here.

Find all good practices across the Nordic Region in the Nordregio Webinar series here.

Explore Nordregio Agenda 2030 website here.

Find more about the European Sustainable Development Week here.