2009

Citizen Arena is an association, which promotes active citizenship and voluntary activity. It is a National Volunteer Centre for the Networking,

Encouragement and Support of Volunteer Organizations, Self-Help Groups and Volunteer

Centres

© Kansalaisareena 2009

A national network of volunteer and self-help actors

Voluntary work:self-help – peer support – active citizenship

• Networking & strategic partnership• Information & multi expertises • Lobbying in favour of volunteering• Ideas & Innovations & Developing & Gathering of good practices• Strategic future work• Standards for volunteering qualification• Promotion of participation• Standards for volunteer centres• Volunteering infrastructure• The role of volunteering in society• Visibility of volunteers and citizens themselves• Visibility of reflexive volunteering

© Kansalaisareena 2009

Values

Sincerity and transparency

Participation

Solidarity and multi expertises: expertise based on citizens own experience equal with professional

Horizontal cross sector networking

Reciprocal action and hearing

Strategic future work

© Kansalaisareena 2009

Visio: Kansalaisareena 2015

Citizen Arena is a leading national volunteer and self-help support centre in Finland, known in national and international network as an information and developing Centre, who promotes participation, self-help and volunteer network over sectors (private, public, third) especially in Finland but also in Europe.

© Kansalaisareena 2009

Services 2009-2010

• Networking: New strategic network and cooperation • Lobbying: Gathering of information to support lobbying in favour of

volunteering and establishing the national infrastructure for self help and voluntary work

• Imago work for volunteering: Communicational plan 2009-2011• Projects: 9/2009–2/2010 “Networking over sectors (NGO, private and

public)” and “The National Strategy of Volunteering 2010-2013”: RAY & Tekes

• Expertises: National & International• Value-added services: Providing information, projects, consultative

meeting, training and research expertise, networking seminars, publication, websites, project seminars, national register of clearing houses and volunteer centres, study visit, materials, network for coordinators, researchers and trainers on the volunteer and self-help sector

© Kansalaisareena 2009

Addresses

Kansalaisareena ry – The Citizen ArenaKumpulantie 1 A, 6. floor00530 Helsinki, Finland, www.kansalaisareena.fi

Board memberHelena Palojärvi, + 358 40 5061220helena.palojarvi (at) nic.fi

Board memberIrja Mikkonen, + 358 40 5512160 Irja.mikkonen(at)netsonic.fi

Executive director Anitta Raitanen ,+358 50 442 0429anitta.raitanen(at)kansalaisareena.fi

DesignerJatta Vikström, +358 50 590 3322jatta.vikstrom(at)kansalaisareena.fi

NOVAT –programme is a programme where the focus

of the group is in self help group (which consists of

women who have started the programme and

group after they have listened to lectures and

information organized by WomenTogether Against Addictions and decided to start in a group.

The group is composed anyone who is interested

in.She must accept 13 statements and workbooks and

the group rules.

© Citizen Forum 2009

The group decides when it closes. But most groups get closed after the fourth meeting and then they go on 1 and half years as a NOVAT-group.

The most important issues which the women work with

Are in workbooks – feelings of guilt, anger a

© Citizen Forum 2009

Naistenkartano rf/ Women Together Against Addictions

Three-years social marketing project called \"Välittäen\" has succeeded raising awareness about the preventive and treatment work of Naistenkartano(Women Together Against Addictions rf) among womenâ?" specially about the NOVAT- programme.

Over 80 % of participators had heard about NOVAT-self help activities from media, then participated to lectures and started in self help group NOVAT

Social marketing means planning and implementation of techniques designed to bring about behavioral changes

using concepts from commercial marketing. We have done that in many wGys. We have offered possibilities to

easily reach us forexample by internet and in fairs, using free of charge  and some chargeable commercial

information  etc. and get women to think their problematic behaviour and gain them to start the programme and

to be part of the NOVAT-peer-groups and give them sense of community and to change their behaviors. We have made our own project evaluation in different ways

© Citizen Forum 2009

Some of the results are: many new participators have started NOVAT-programme;  social marketing must serve the interests of the target group/audience: our product NOVAT-programme must fit to women´s life style and be taylor-made to them and give different kind of participatory possibilities.  In my lecture I will tell more what kind of techniques we have used and results the project has had to NOVAT-groups and women and to our work. The evaluation is practice- orientated self-evaluation.  That also raises some of the critical questions.

© Citizen Forum 2009

© Citizen Forum 2009

Over 80 % of participators had heard about NOVAT-self help activities from

media, then participated to lectures and started in self help group NOVAT

© Citizen Forum 2009