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www.monimos.fiEPACE case presentation

June 10, 2010

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Programme• Story of Monimos

Laura Ahokas

• Demonstrating MonimosTeemu Ropponen, Meg Sakilayan-Latvala

• Moniheli organisation and Monimos, immigrant participation from the point of view of volunteering and associations

Shabbir Mohammad,

• Questions and answers

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Monimos development team 1/2

• Partners behind the development of Monimos service are:

• Development work has been done in cooperation of representatives from a selection of immigrant associations– Core team of 10 persons with immigrant

background living in Finland

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Monimos development team 2/2• Moniheli

– Co-operation network of multicultural associations in the capital region of Helsinki

• Somus– Social media for citizens and public sector collaboration– Research project funded by the Academy of Finland– Immigrant media sub-project includes researchers from VTT Technical

Research Centre of Finland, Aalto University, University of Tampere• EPACE

– Exchanging good practices for the promotion of an active citizenship in the EU

– Coordinated by the Ministry of Justice Finland and supported by the European Commission. Project partners are Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (SWE) and State Chancellery (EST)

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Aims of Monimos

• To enhance immigrant participation and influence into societal decision making using social media

• Two-way communication and collaboration between immigrants, locals, media and public sector

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Co-Design of the social media service Monimos

Monimos Launch 8.6.2010Pirjo Näkki

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

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Monimos design process

• Community-driven participatory design• “Monimos team”: 10 immigrants, 2 Moniheli

employees, EPACE and Somus researchers/developers

• Working methods– 8 monthly workshops (face to face / via Skype)– Open online collaboration: discussion + voting of

service ideas, features, layout, service name

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The Monimos projectTopic choice:immigrants + social media + participation

Exploration:interviews,earlier research,media discussion

Needs, problems, ideasTwo workshops with immigrants, media, public sector

Service conceptOwela discussion,Moniheli workshop

Service pilotOpen test online, further development

FocusCollaboration with Moniheli

2009 2010

Design and developmentw/ Monimos teamWorkshops + Owela discussion

process stories, use stories, case stories, visual design, website testing, name,...

Public servicein continuous development based on user feedback

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Idea for the Monimos service

• Developed together with the Monimos team

• Positiveness and sharing ideas Solutions arena

• Networking and integration face-to-face Events calendar

• Solutions + Events Monimos.fi

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Monimos Background and demo

June 10, 2010

EPACE & Somus with Moniheli

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Background: Social media

Socialmedia

Content

Communitiesand networks

Web 2.0technologies

Fun FreeEasy

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New possibilities for civic participation

• Social media supports interaction, self-organisation and creativity– discussion, ideas, suggestions, opinions, events,

taking action

• Immigrants as active participants instead of objects of discussion

• Associations as driving forces for networking, real world events and taking action

www.monimos.fi

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Monimos value proposition

“Monimos is a virtual meeting place for internationally minded people and associations in Finland to enjoy diversity and promote active citizenship”

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Meaning that Monimos…• Is a positive meeting place for developing associational

democracy through– Knowledge sharing and problem solving– Citizen participation and deliberation– Combining fun and utility

• Networks the associations and people who share the same interests and helps empower them to act on important issues

• Combines physical and online spaces as well as bottom-up/top-down approaches

Monimos is a vehicle for encouraging collective action

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In Monimos you can:• join and meet multicultural associations and interest groups• network with people - tell them about yourself and learn from others

=> Through Personal and organizational profiles, linking and invitation mechanisms

• find information about current multicultural events throughout Finland• promote your association’s activities and events

=> Using Event calendar - for activities; including invitations and guest lists

• share your point of view on current societal topics and raise issues you would like to influence

• show yourself as an active immigrant participating in society=> Using Personal and organizational blogs and polls, initiating collective action

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Monimos & social media principles

• Open participation– Anyone can join and publish essentially “anything”

• Top-down and bottom-up communication– People will use tools in unpredictable ways!

• Trust gained through engagement, not rank– Less formal style typically works better

• Content & conversation– Speed vs. quality, reuse of other services– “Conversation is king”

• Utilizing the “wisdom of the crowds”, crowdsourcing

18 See e.g.: A. Bruns; J.Surowiecky; C.Shirky

Use case: collective action and commenting on a law proposal

• Moniheli received e-mail from Familia club ry concerning Integration law (Kotouttamislaki) forward by Ministry of Interior, for joint statement

• Proposal quite extensive and very short deadline for Moniheli 18.06.2010.

• Final comments need to be sent by Familia to Ministry 24.06.2010.

• Moniheli board agrees to take the task - logs into its brand new virtual interaction platform “The Monimos” instantly!

• Creates a group called “Integration law” • Requests others to help

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Message from Moniheli to community (through Monimos)

“Dear friends, member organizations and individuals users,We received e-mail from Familia club ry concerning (Integration law) as it’s among those organizations that have

the possibility to give its comments to the draft proposal. We were asked if Moniheli would like to comment together with Familia. The proposal is extensive and deadline is soon -18.06.2010 !

We request your help - who is interested to join an ad hoc working group under Moniheli?! Help us help you create not perfect but a little bit better society which we all can! Make your Voice heard, its your chance to speak up!

Moniheli will provide working/meeting space free of charge for working days daily for minimum of 2 hours and more depending on the need of the task force along with office materials till the deadline required by the task force. Kitchen can be used for tea/coffee etc.

Meeting venue, contact person and address details feed to Monimos right away! Työpajankatu 2 00580 Helsinki. Contact person: Marko Stenroos +358 44 535 5722.

Creating of Task force deadline 10.06. 2010. working hours, coordinators will be formed. Task Deadline and 18.06.2010.

Moniheli will also request and provide professional helps by requesting its partners and coordinators. Such as we can ask Minister of interior and justice to provide if possible lawyers for some part of session to give us their professional guides. If the rescores are limited, at least they can help us better understand the proposed draft.

Best Wishes,Moniheli Family.”

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Use case 2: a grassroots campaign• Teemu sees a group “Decent work, decent pay” set up in Monimos by

some Monimos user and reads and joins the group, because is interested in the topic

• Elsewhere, he has heard about the Clean Clothes Campaign and joined it. Clean Clothes is a fair trade/trade union campaign for decent working conditions around the world, in the clothing industry, and is running in 15 countries, including Finland.

• He believes that the Monimos user community may have sympathy for the cause.

• Thus, he simply promotes the Clean Clothes Campaign in Monimos using a personal post - with the goal of raising awareness and signed petitions.

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Use case 3: eventsAihe: KUTSU MAAHANMUUTTAJANUORTEN JÄRJESTÖILLE: työpaja 16.6.

maahanmuuttajanuorten osallisuudesta KUTSU MAAHANMUUTTAJANUORTEN JÄRJESTÖILLE: TYÖPAJA 16.6.• Järjestämme kesäkuussa erillisen suunnittelutyöpajan, jonne kutsumme mukaan

toimijoita poliittisista nuorisojärjestöistä ja maahanmuuttajanuorten järjestöistä. Suunnittelutyöpajalla halutaan varmistaa, että hankkeesta, sen tuottamista materiaaleista sekä syksyn työpajoista on mahdollisimman suuri hyöty kaikille osapuolille.

• Toivomme järjestöstäsi edustajaa hankkeen suunnittelutyöpajaan, joka järjestetään 16.6. klo 16.30-20.00 Allianssi-talossa (Asemapäällikönkatu 1, Helsinki). Tarjolla on iltapalaa, kahvia ja teetä. Paikalle toivotaan 1-2 henkilöä/järjestö. Mukaan mahtuu yhteensä 20 henkilöä.

• Työpajaan ilmoittaudutaan 9.6. mennessä osoitteeseen karoliina.tikka@alli.fi. Työpajat järjestetään suomeksi.

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Monimos.fi development

• Monimos is based on existing open source software (WordPress and BuddyPress)

– Easy to modify, lot of technical functionality ready– Can connect to other social web sites! Fast and relatively inexpensive development

• Of course, technical development is just a part of the whole project and development

Challenges & success factors

• ”yet another website” • will it gain enough user base to fly

• Integration/immigration hot subject??• From talk to action?!

• Communities tend to end up meeting F2F!

• Top-down vs. bottom-up• Can gov agencies follow and utilize the service

• Ownership of the service & vision• Co-design has created a driving force – will it last?

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….so, why Monimos?

• One place for organizations and individuals• Fun and utility – focusing on immigration, integration

and an international frame of mind!• Links to and utilizes other existing social media

services, like Facebook, YouTube and so on, but is needed as its own, to:– Have control of the site – content and use– Develop it to the desired directions– Let its users run the show and start collective action

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Team member view

Monimos Launch 8.6.2010Meg Sakilayan-Latvala

Participatory Design

• Becoming a part of the TEAM• ACTIVE participation +

Collaboration

Monimos

• Two words:MONI = MANYMOS = MOSAIC

• WE are aiming to create MANY MOSAICS – to listen and hear different sides of every story, express our views, act on issues, share the richness of our diversity.

Monimos

• An ALL IN ONE Package- networking- information sharing- promoting events- express opinions, ideas, etc.

• Within and Among organizations• Individuals

MONIMOS will be defined by its users.

WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.SHARE. ACT. INFLUENCE

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Team member comments

Monimos Launch 8.6.2010

Team member comments 1/5

• As correctly said on the slogan this is the multicultural voice of Finland so that one day in the future we rather discuss and appreciate DIVERSITY and its value for creative capitalism!

– Krishna Bhandari

Team member comments 2/5

• We live in a global world • Integration is the only feasible solution• It is the responsibility of all associations to

contribute by creating constructive information pertaining to the global citizens.

• Together we can stand, divided we fall

– Dumisani Nkosi

Team member comments 3/5

• Forum for wider information and the appeal for Ethics and the value of communication in an open intercultural diversity.

– Fondo Walter

Team member comments 4/5

• In Democracy and the interactive process of active citizenship; civic society organizations play a pivotal role in empowering grass roots agents of change.

• We at the African Civil Society see Monimos as an instrumental platform and a forum that is unique for immigrants in a multicultural discourse embedded in the dynamics of mass citizenship participation for societal progress and relative equal opportunities.

– Cucu Wesseh

Moniheli projekti/Marko Stenroos

• aloitus 2008 monikulttuuriyhdistys Familia Club ry:n hallinnoimana

• Tavoitteena muodostaa maahanmuuttajajärjestöjen verkosto

• Moniheli järjestön perustaminen huhtikuussa 2010 – 30 järjestöä perustajana

• Haasteena järjestöjen tavoittaminen • Ongelma järjestöjen väliselle yhteistyölle• Ongelma viranomaisille yhteistyön luomiseksi• monimos vastaa monihelin tavoitteisiin

Volunteering and associations

MONIHELI (The co-operation network of multicultural organizations in Helsinki Capital Area)

We understood that an open democracy needs civil society where people act together on a voluntary basis.

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Volunteering and associations

We have learned that NGOs are very popular among Finns which allowed us to be more co-ordinate and form partners. Especially when we took rather grass root movement.

A key part of Finnish civic activity takes place in NGOs.– The Finnish Register of Associations contains over 120,000 associations– 70,000 are actively operational.– There are 1,000 national-level organizations and 3,000 regional ones.– Associations have a total of 15 million members– 3 times the population of Finland. – Around 75% of the population are a member of an association at some

point in their lives, with 30% continuously a member of at least one association and

– 8% of more than five associations.

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Volunteering and associations

Society consists;• Individuals = migrants from all side of life• Different groups of people = Group of migrants from one side

of life

We should capitalize the impact of free cooperation between migrants

• an important element of democracy.

Voluntary associations can also be seen as the area in society that falls between public authority and the market.

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Volunteering and associations

In this respect;• Voluntarily organized human activities by for example:• associations, • non-governmental organizations, • clubs, families and • an endless variety of different groups, movements and

communities formed by people.Voluntary associations mean activism by people for other

people; acting together, for the common good. In other words, activities aim for good rather than for a benefit or profit.

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Volunteering and associations

non-profit activity and autonomy, • we maintain an advisory board which shall actively follow

developments in multicultural issues and migration and express its opinion on them

• we are not dictated by heavy investments or shareholders’ profit expectations either.

• provides many opportunities for influence, especially through political and trade union activity. Such opportunities open up an important dimension for spontaneous activities and activism in the context of civil society.

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Volunteering and associations

Voluntary Organization differs in nature from the public and private sectors, and can be characterized by;

• Individuals self-reliance and activism, – our supporting members

• membership and actor ship, • coordinate cooperation between its member organisations• our networking Organization Members/ 30+ strong and

growing

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Volunteering and associationsvoluntary work and choice,

– our network is a politically and non-aligned non-profit organisation– we promote multiculturalism and tolerance in Finnish society– involvement of non-professionals and professionals, (writers, lawyers, artists,

active youths, social workers ect)– Absence of official obligations and responsibilities makes it easier to adapt and

provides space for response.

• flexibility and independence, – we advice, steer and support our member organisations in the activities of the

network and in joint projects and ventures– we are able to flexibly adapt to people’s wishes, needs and preferences as well as

changes in society around them. – This allowed us the space for creativity and innovation

(not fixed office hour, advantage for people to choose their from their free time and holidays)

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Volunteering and associations

communality and locality as well as – we offer a framework for the cooperation network of multicultural

organisations in the Helsinki capital region– we develop cooperation between migrant organisations and

organisations engaged in multicultural activities – same continent, nearing country, among non native, more in common

then differences thus creating a communality

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Volunteering and associations

ethical behavior and solidarity.– we steer new immigrants into the activities of the member

organisations and thus to facilitate their integration into Finnish society– away from their country of origin, understand better the feeling of

being away from home, back ground of collective society, leader are hard to come, people take it seriously

– we serve as a lobbyist for its members – we support the employment and entrepreneurship of migrants– People are motivated to act by their interest in an issue. Participation

and inclusion provides them with the opportunity and ability to influence.

– support interaction and cooperation between our members and other social actors

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Boundary between NGOs and government - constant redefinitionConstant demands arising from civil society from people’s lives

– that public decision-making tries to respond to. Citizens want the government to take care of many aspects of health care, security and wellbeing.

On the other hand, public authorities control civil society– Parliament enacts laws and decrees that govern people’s lives. People

usually accept the fact that the government regulates citizens’ private lives to a certain extent.

It is important that the government does not reach everywhere. • Citizens would protest if the government tried to tell them which books

they are allowed to read or what clothes women can wear in the streets. • Even issues such as building permits or import restrictions are seen as

patronizing by many.

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Boundary between NGOs and government - constant redefinitionIn a democracy;

• the border between government and civil society is under constant redefinition:

• How deep into people’s private lives can the government go? • How much government regulation do people need and how much are

they willing to take? • These borders have moved and will move in the future. • Such pressure for change can be both local and global.

Indeed, many functions and policies have been created within civil society and later been adopted by the public sector in its services or methods.

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Questions and Answers?

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