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A number of Finnish government ministries are working to consider the opinions and voices of children and young people in their work as they create laws and shape policy. The Ministry of Justice has launched a trial effort to form panels of young citizens to help guide the ministries. The goal is to make the panels a permanent fixture in "citizen participation in state administration," a joint ministry press release explained. "Democracy is about discussing and participating in common issues, not just about voting in elections. The voices of children and young people must be heard better in national decision-making. Citizens' panels offer children and young people a new, equal and effective way to participate in the public debate," Antti Leinonen, the justice ministry's permanent secretary, said in the release. The project will see the establishment of two citizens' panels, one for children and the other for youth. The children's panel will be tasked with coming up with advice for the government on how to ethically and effectively involve children and listen to their views. The youth panel's main job will be to address issues related to youth crime — both understanding it and finding ways to prevent it, the ministry said. The goal is to fill the panels with "as representative and diverse a group of Finnish children and youth as possible". The trial, which began in early August, is to continue until the end of next year. It's being led by the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture as well as the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. Consulting firm Motiva is responsible for the practical implementation of the programme, on behalf of the justice ministry. The effort is being financed by Sitra and the participating ministries.
