Influential Day
Vantaa’s Influential Day is an annual event where the children and young people of Vantaa can meet the city’s decision-makers and specialists. Influential Day offers children and young people the opportunity to influence the city’s activities and future.
What is Influential Day?
Vantaa’s Influential Day is an annual event where the children and young people of Vantaa can meet the city’s decision-makers and specialists. Influential Day offers children and young people the opportunity to influence the city’s activities and future. Various workshops, panel discussions and presentations about current topics and the city’s development are organized during the day. The event is open to all Vantaa children and young people, and participation is free of charge.
Participating in Influential Day starts before the actual event with preliminary tasks, which are intended to spark ideas and discussions about the themes of the day. With the help of the preliminary tasks, children and young people can think about the city’s development, bring up their own ideas and insights or prepare questions for the city’s decision-makers, for example. Through these tasks, participants can deepen their understanding of the topics being covered and prepare for active participation during the event.
Vantaa’s Influential Day got its start from the Education Department’s 2008−2010 Hynttyyt yhteen (“Uniting”) project, meaning that the event already has a long history.
Program and themes
The Influential Day program consists of annually changing themes, which include the following, among others:
- Urban planning
- Environment and sustainable development
- Education and the young
- Culture and leisure time
Influential Day 2025
The theme of Influential Day 2025 is the sustainable future of Vantaa. See the detailed schedule for Influential Day 2025 here (osallistuvavantaa.fi). You can also read about last year’s Influential Day on this page.
How are participants chosen?
Representatives of schools and educational institutions choose the students who will participate in the event and highlight issues which are important to children and young people. During the event, the participants will be able to take part in guided dialogues together with the city’s employees and decision-makers, and the topics of the discussions have been collected based on the preliminary tasks.
If you are interested in participating in Influential Day, please ask your school or educational institution’s student association’s consulting teacher.
What is Influential Day organized for?
The participation of children and young people in the development of the city increases their understanding of the democratic process and gives them the opportunity to influence their environment. The aim of Influential Day is to promote dialogue between decision-makers and children and the young, bring issues which are important to children and the young to the attention of decision-makers, and support the positive experiences of children and the young regarding participation, influencing and decision-making.
Influential Day is part of the Child Friendly City activities
Child Friendly City work is an essential part of the activities of the City of Vantaa. The aim is to ensure that the rights of children and the young are implemented in the city's decision-making and services. This work is based on the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, and with its help, the city strives to make Vantaa an even better place for children and young people to live, grow and develop. The city actively listens to the views of children and the young and aims to take their wishes into account in everything from urban planning to educational solutions.
Influential Day offers a unique opportunity for children and the young to take part in decision-making and to bring up their own views and ideas. This way, the city's employees and decision-makers also have the opportunity to listen to children and the young when preparing matters that pertain to them.
