Helsinki Neighbourhoods Association Helka

22. October, 2010 Seminar on Co-creation, co-governance and p2p production

Pirjo Tulikukka, Manager Helsinki Neighbourhoods Association Helka

Helka Helsinki Neighbourhoods Association

FACTS: • Non-governmental, non-profit organisation • Founded in 1964 • Members: 77 local voluntary

Neighbourhood Associations • Office in the City • staff of 2 + 3,5 project personnel (2010) • Financing: yearly grants from City of Helsinki (40%)+ various project funding (60%)

77 Neighbourhood Associations in Helsinki area

Helka supports and networks neighbourhood actors

Helka’s members! (Neighbourhood Associations)

Developing

methods and tools for participation

Coordinating

a network of local web-pages

Collecting residents opinions/ ‘voice’

Providing support for neighbourhood

development

Offering

seminars and workshops Enhancing dialogue:

between residents & city

3 CASES ON CO-GOVERNANCE THEME:

• LOCAL (NEIGHBOURHOOD) WEB PAGES

• BUILDING LOCAL NETWORKS (CADDIES-PROJECT)

• CASE KÄÄNTÖPAIKKA IN ARABIANRANTA

LOCAL (NEIGHBOURHOOD) WEB PAGES

• As a project since 1997, now an essential part of Helka’s normal activities • A retailed platform (open source, joomla) Helsinki neighbourhoods (financing for “Home Street”: a modest yearly grant paid by the City of Helsinki, not enough for current development needs) • Helka provides technical and other support for designated moderators/ editors, also develops new functionalities (Local Service Index etc.) • Dispersed creation of content (less vulnerability): anyone can add a piece of news or an event on their local neighbourhood web page moderators publish these after check • In best case there are several editor-moderators per neighbourhood web page – still quite a challenge to recruit moderators/editors (they are expected to work voluntarily) • A new innovation in starting a fresh neighbourhood web page (case Kannelmäki) • plans for p2p development of the platfrom

BUILDING NEIGHNOURHOOD NETWORKS (CADDIES EU-PROJECT)

• OFFICIAL PROJECT AIM: developing and piloting vision and strategy building processes in neighbourhoods/areas • UNOFFICIAL AIM: to form a base for co-governance in neighbourhoods • HOW: by empowering various local actors to form a network and work together for shared targets

• Good local communication is vital for the process! (local newspaper, neighbourhood web page, local meeting places, local forums and events) • project works through Helka’s member organisations and also with various other local actors (in the 3 pilot neighbourhoods) • Process steps:

- finding out how networked the area really is - starting from where they are: supporting and strengthening the networks, getting all possible stakeholders in - creating neighbourhood web pages in the area (if there are none) - empowering support to the network – towards the end of the project: a managed withdrawal from the area local actors are empowered enough to carry on by themselves

CASE KÄÄNTÖPAIKKA IN ARABIANRANTA

• A need for a community house/ a common space in the neighbourhood

• Residents pressure to get the shared ‘community space’ promised to them (from a centrally situated out-of-use office space )

• The residents provided themselves: a Management Team and a Contents Team to take care of the new common space collaboratively

• Management Team takes care of managing/maintenance questions; Contents Team provides the program for the space (both are made up of local volunteers)

• When a certain level of organisation is reached, a need for more effective coordination arises resent grant from Helsinki City Social Department for part time coordinator (this position was VERY sought after!)

Inhabitants doing vision crafting in Pohjois-Haaga library, autumn 2009)