-Our voice is important for Stavanger

A group of engaged seniors are contributing and providing advice to the project involving the citizens’ panel set for 2025.

Ms Skjelbred-Knutsen, who is deputy of the Elderly Council and Naila Macki from the Islamic Education Centre are both pleased to be involved in this work.

–You may not know what we need, so it's important that we get ourselves involved. I would recommend that those asked volunteer for the project. Our voice is important for Stavanger, Naila Macki says. She is glad elderly citizens with immigrant backgrounds also are being heard and represented.

Citizens’ Panel 2025

For the municipality, now given an age-friendly status, community participation from the senior citizen’s group is important.

–Therefore, we must reach this group, which is only getting bigger. In this project, we will also reach out to those who usually do not volunteer, project manager Mariann Strandvåg says.

Through the pre-project this winter, the test group will, among other things, provide input on plans and advise on how the target group can best be recruited and made familiar with the project. Several test group members will serve as ambassadors in their networks and districts.

More residents should raise their hands

Two citizens probably right in the project target group for the project are Eli Meihack Kvernberg and Turid Jacobsen. They attended the municipality's senior conference for 75-year-olds in the fall of 2023 and were persuaded to participate in the pre-project.

– I don't usually say yes to things, but the lady asking was very smiling, Ms Kvernberg says, adding that she has high expectations for what the panel might achieve.

Before the citizens’ panel starts, a personal invitation is sent out to a random selection of residents in the target group in the districts of Hinna, Hillevåg, Rennesøy, and Finnøy.

From those showing an interest from the invitation, a group with a given number of participants will be selected. They must reflect the target group in general, including in age, gender, and district.

An exercise in democracy

Marie Harboe Dahle from the social innovation company SoCentral has used this method of random selection in several projects with other municipalities.

– Many residents are unaware of their opportunity to participate in this way, says Dahle, who leads the test group through the exercises laying the foundations for implementing the Citizen’s Panel 2025.

She has not heard of any other city having created a dedicated citizens’ panel for the elderly and she looks forward to testing this out.

– In this project, participants will have time to learn about topics they will have to say something about. This is an exercise in democracy, Dahle concludes.