Espoo seeks digital solutions for promoting young people’s mental well-being

Agile experimentations are based on the co-creation model, in which services are developed in cooperation with the city, corporate experts, communities and educational institutions as well as municipal residents – this time especially young Espoo residents between the ages of 13 and 22.

Frameworks for the experimentations to be launched now are provided by Healthy Espoo, one of the development programmes of the City of Espoo.

Three different experimentations were selected to be implemented:

• Increasing the resources of young people through digital group exercises (Vapaamieli Oy)
• Testing and developing a digital service aimed at preventing exhaustion of young people in upper secondary school education as student welfare work support (Cauhare Oy)
• Digital hobby matching service concept to connect hobby mates and activities (Innofactor Oy).

Mediator Circle introduces developers

This is the third agile experimentations round for the City of Espoo, and the experimental culture itself has also developed continuously – through experimentations.

For the first time, the city has compiled a Mediator Circle to support the experimentations. The Circle is a group of welfare and service development experts from research and innovation organisations, companies and various services provided by the city. Such a multidisciplinary and extensive group of experts has not previously participated in the planning of grass-root level services.

“It is the task of the Mediator Circle to support the introduction of people and ideas and the practical implementation of the experimentations. I am hoping that the Circle members will become bridge-builders, who are there to support but not to do the work,” says Katja Hagman, Project Manager.

The Mediator Circle includes, among others: Joel Vanhanen, Chair of the Espoo Youth Council; Arja Juvonen, Chair of the Healthy Espoo steering group and Member of the Finnish Parliament; and Kimmo Koponen, Senior Business Advisor of Helsinki Business Hub.

The first workshop will bring together the members of the Mediator Circle and a group of digitalisation companies, young people and teachers for co-creation on Thursday 5 April at 1–4 pm on the stage of the Iso Omena Service Centre. The practical implementation of the experimentations is planned in the workshop and the goals, targeted benefits and effects are specified together with partners.

Media is welcome to observe the workshop, which is held at the Iso Omena Service Centre side-by-side with a media briefing related to the visit of an evaluator of the Intelligent Community Awards 2018 competition.