Responsibility

SuomiAreena is a shared act of responsibility

SuomiAreena defends and strengthens democracy by providing a space for open, bold and responsible political discussion. Our mission is to reduce polarization, bring different ideas and thinkers to the same table and help Finns identify which ideas are most important for the future of Finland.

SuomiAreena promotes everyones opportunity to participate in and follow closely societal debate. We aim to present current societal topics in an understandable way to all. We enable meaningful encounters, support regional well-being, and continuously develop the event with the climate in mind.

The values guiding the festival’s development are openness, diverse dialogue, informality, courage and equality. Incitement to hatred, discrimination or intolerance against individuals or groups is not in line with SuomiAreena’s values.

Everyone is welcome to the event

SuomiAreena is an inclusive festival that promotes diversity of voices, equality and non-discrimination. Everyone is welcome to attend. 

We operate in public urban spaces, and the stages are accessible.

If you cannot come to Pori in person, you can also follow the event’s content for free on MTV Katsomo (mtv.fi, MTV Katsomo app).

In cooperation with local experts

Our goal is to be a financially stable event that supports the well-being of Pori and its surrounding areas and ensures the conditions for the event’s continuity. The event is carried out by utilizing local expertise and businesses as well as high-quality partner networks. During the week and its preparations, as many as XXX experts from the region are involved.

We also collaborate, for example, with the Satakunta Educational Federation, so that students from the region gain valuable work experience by producing streams of SuomiAreena discussions for the whole of Finland on the free MTV Katsomo service.

Democracy Festivals Association

SuomiAreena is a member of the Democracy Festivals Association, which brings together European democracy festivals. The association aims to foster connections between existing democracy festivals, inspire through example, and support the development of new similar festivals.

The shared vision is to revitalise democracy by strengthening the connection between political systems and citizens, and by creating spaces for dialogue and participation. Democracy festivals are forums for constructive political dialogue where people gather every summer to discuss how to build a better future for their country.