Towards sustainable and resilient societies through empowered civil society and collaborative innovation
We make transition!
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We make transition!

PROGRAMME 2021-2027
priority
1 Innovative societies
objective
1.1 Resilient economies and communities
Project type
Implementation
January 2023 - December 2025
Technical details
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We make transition!

In the project We make transition! public authorities work on social and ecological initiatives with civil society, and co-create changes in the areas of consumption, mobility, energy and social life.
In the spotlight

We make transition! enhances collaboration between local authorities, various civil society actors and entrepreneurs to foster ecological and social sustainability. We focus on topics, such as sustainable lifestyle, circular economy, sustainable food and biodiversity.

During 2024, the project partners have organised the following transition arena workshop processes: 1) Hämeenkyrö Agriculture Arena, 2) Helsinki-Uusimaa Circular Transition, 3) Sustainable Future Kimitoön, 4) Uusikaupunki - Nature in my neighbourhood, 5) Tartu Circular Economy Transition, 6) Sustainable Food Bremen, 7) Organic Food, Cesis, 8) Sustainable food chains Trondheim. Local arenas are series of workshops starting with co-creating a joint sustainability vision and then developing pathways and concrete steps towards the desired future. In the end, the participants agree on a transition agenda including concrete actions and responsibilities.

Particular attention is paid to bringing various views and ideas of the civil society and other local actors to the sustainability discussion with local authorities. This strengthens the common understanding of systemic challenges, empowers local actors and fosters new solutions, cooperation and social innovations.

Project summary

Local and regional authorities have a crucial role in driving resilience – societal ability to adapt and react. Due to the complexity of sustainability challenges, there is a need to mobilise all levels of society to develop solutions that enable a needed change in our unsustainable practices. Various civil society actors – associations, social entrepreneurs, cooperatives, communities, individuals – can have a pioneering role in enhancing ecological and social sustainability.

We make transition! project engages a great number of regional and local authorities, civil society, and small business actors from the Baltic Sea region. Partners from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany and Norway cooperate with altogether 12 cities and municipalities in implementing local transition arena workshop processes. Transition arena is a series of workshops including co-creation of a joint vision, pathways towards the vision, concrete actions and initiatives. Topics of the arena processes are related e.g. on 1) sustainable lifestyle, 2) agriculture & food, 3) biodiversity and 4) circular & sharing economy.

The project has invited altogether 30 change agents from the six partner countries to co-create a sustainability vision and recommendations on empowering the cooperation between local authorities and civil society actors to enhance ecological and social sstainability. The transnational change agent group includes representatives of civil society, entrepreneurs, and local authorities. The Baltic Sea region vision of sustainable life 2035 has provided an inspirational framework for all the local transition arena workshop processes.

Transition arena processes strengthen the local sense of community and initiate jointly developed and agreed actions towards the desired future. The main output of the project will be a practical manual for applying the transition management approach to make strategy processes such as climate plans, roadmaps, and local strategies more interactive involving different levels of society. The participatory processes implemented in 12 locations during the project will be disseminated to local authorities and other interested parties in the Baltic Sea Region.

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Budgets

We make transition!
in numbers.
  • 3.30
    Million
    Total
  • 2.41
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.14
    Million
    Norway

Top news

News

Helsinki-Uusimaa Circular Transition Arena focused on sharing economy and sustainable use of built spaces
Circular Transition Arena brought together and connected various civil society and small business ...

News

WMT publication: How to strengthen cooperation between local authorities and civil society actors to enhance sustainability?
This publication analyses the challenges of civil society actors enhancing sustainability and ...

News

Building local sustainability with the youth in Kimitoön, Finland
The municipality of Kimitoön and Regional Council of Southwest Finland organised a series of ...

News

Added value of We make transition! – Interview with Vidzeme Planning region
Vidzeme Planning region tells about the added value of We make transition! project.

News

Baltic Sea region vision of sustainable life and recommendations to foster cooperation between local authorities and civil society actors
How does sustainable future 2035 look like from the point of view of various civil society actors? ...

News

Agriculture Arena in Hämeenkyrö municipality, Finland empowered local entrepreneurs and other actors to promote local food and cooperation

News

Get inspired by case studies on civil society making sustainability transition!
We collected a variety of inspiring success stories from six Baltic Sea region countries!

News

We make transition! meeting with partners and change agents in Gdynia
We make transition! partners and sustainability change agents met in Gdynia, Poland for two ...

News

We make transition! recruited 30 change agents from the Baltic Sea region to make a joint sustainability vision and recommendations for cities and municipalities
Who are the We make transition! change agents? Partners of We make transition! selected and ...

News

Over 200 participants in Bioregion Forum, Latvia signed a Memorandum of goodwill to build together a sustainable bioregion in Gauja National Park
An international forum, "Mission - Creation of a Bioregion in the territory of the Gauja National ...

News

Answer the poll ! - Civil society involvement in activities supporting sustainability
Are you involved in civil society activities happening in your region to support sustainability?
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680 Benefitting organisations 1 Solution(s) in preparation 1 Solution(s) plannedfor use / upscale 1 Pilotactivities 27 Organisationsin the project

We make transition!
in numbers.

  • 61.502046223.7628741
  • 61.502657523.763192753433394
  • 60.197289424.9282491
  • 60.451753122.2670522
  • 58.380120726.72245
  • 56.819110124.443474552107027
  • 57.313171225.2748551
  • 54.516498218.5402738
  • 54.508820418.5423992
  • 64.05073711.481908998592733
  • 53.1079645500000058.855664592828369

Project partners

Lead partnerThe Baltic Institute of Finland
  • Town
    Tampere
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Pirkanmaa
Total partner budget
409,383.20
Council of Tampere Region
  • Town
    Tampere
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Pirkanmaa
Total partner budget
337,860.00
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council
  • Town
    Helsinki
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Helsinki-Uusimaa
Total partner budget
320,611.20
Regional Council of Southwest Finland
  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
  • Country
    Finland
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
Total partner budget
331,185.60
Foundation for Science and Liberal Arts Domus Dorpatensis
  • Town
    Tartu
  • Region
  • Country
    Estonia
  • Region
    Lõuna-Eesti
Total partner budget
470,270.40
Social Innovation Centre
  • Town
    Daugmale, Daugmales parish, Ķekavas municipality
  • Region
  • Country
    Latvia
  • Region
    Pierīga
Total partner budget
245,988.80
Vidzeme Planning Region
  • Town
    CÄ“sis
  • Region
  • Country
    Latvia
  • Region
    Vidzeme
Total partner budget
186,692.00
Baltic Institute for Regional Affairs BISER
  • Town
    Gdynia
  • Region
  • Country
    Poland
  • Region
    Trójmiejski
Total partner budget
197,828.70
City of Gdynia
  • Town
    Gdynia
  • Region
  • Country
    Poland
  • Region
    Trójmiejski
Total partner budget
177,993.70
Trøndelag County Authority
  • Town
    Steinkjer
  • Region
  • Country
    Norway
  • Region
    Trøndelag
Total partner budget
278,543.50
University of Bremen
  • Town
    Bremen
  • Region
  • Country
    Germany
  • Region
    Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt
Total partner budget
338,184.80

Associated organisations

Contacts

News

Events

30
October
We make transition! at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024, Visby, Sweden
Project: We make transition!
Physical Meeting
30. October 2024
16:00 - 16:30 (CET)
13-14
November
Partner meeting and study visit in Trondheim, Norway
Project: We make transition!
Virtual Meeting & Physical Meeting
13. - 14. November 2024
    08
    October
    Vision for Agriculture and Food - European Week of Regions and Cities
    Project: We make transition!
    Physical Meeting
    08. October 2024
    18:00 - 21:00 (CET)
    14-15
    February
    BSR Change Agents and We make transition! project partners meeting
    Project: We make transition!
    Physical Meeting
    14. - 15. February 2024
    25
    May
    How to adopt alternative economy models in cities to develop a wellbeing society?
    Project: We make transition!
    Virtual Meeting
    25. May 2023
    12:00 - 14:00 (EEST)
    09
    May
    Transition Arena as a tool of participatory governance for sustainability transition
    Project: We make transition!
    Virtual Meeting
    09. May 2023
    13:00 - 15:30 (EEST)
    25
    April
    What is the role of civil society in making sustainability transition? - Cases from Trondheim and Tampere
    Project: We make transition!
    Virtual Meeting
    25. April 2023
    10:00 - 12:30 (EEST)

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      Pilots

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