Lockdown dialogues

The Lockdown Dialogues were an extensive series of Timeout dialogues that aimed to increase our understanding of life during the pandemic. This publication illustrates the importance and opportunities for enhancing participation and building trust in Finnish society through an extensive case example of Lockdown Dialogues.

The Lockdown Dialogue data, based on the experiences of people of different ages, different situations in life and different social groups, offers a unique insight into daily life, concerns and desires during exceptional times.

The dialogues outline the impacts of the pandemic on relationships between people, inequality and divisions made visible by the exceptional situation, changes in values and experiences of trust and distrust.

The publication also introduces a model for national dialogue as a new way of promoting constructive social discussion between the public, the authorities and decision-makers.

National dialogues provide a method of discussing issues important to people and communities in a way that enhances participation and creates a pluralistic understanding of the challenges at hand. Creating social dialogue and building structures to sustain this dialogue help us face and overcome the challenges of the future.