The NGO Advisory Board of Northern Ostrobothnia has made the theme of the 2026 Organisational Act Award a non-threshold cultural act. The theme aims to highlight Regional Regional Assemblys that make culture accessible, inclusive and accessible. Proposals can be submitted from 1 to 30 September 2026. The application period is not yet open, but it is already a good time to consider which Regional Regional Assembly or operating model deserves recognition. More detailed instructions and an electronic form for nominating candidates will be published on the Northern Ostrobothnia website at the beginning of September. The winning Regional Regional Assembly will receive 1,000 euros to support its activities. The organisation act of the year will be announced at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia on 3 November 2026. Additional information: Development Manager Ilpo Tapaninen (tel. +358 50 301 7546 or e-mail ilpo.tapaninen@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi).

The Advisory Board for Organisations in Northern Ostrobothnia is concerned about the weakening operating conditions of organisations and their impact on people's daily lives, well-being and municipal services. At the first meeting of its term of office, the Advisory Board outlined that the role and effectiveness of organisations must be strengthened in cooperation with greater determination. Organisations are a key part of the region's vitality, Participation and Inclusion and sense of community. “The role of organisations in people’s daily lives, well-being and community is now more important than ever before. That is why we need even closer cooperation between municipalities, the wellbeing services county and organisations. Strong advocacy work is needed to secure the work of organisations”. In this way, the priorities of the work of the Advisory Board were summarised by the newly elected chairperson, the Secretary General of the Regional Regional Assembly of Young Friends, Raija Näppä. Jussi Ylitalo, Regional Director of the Regional Sports Regional Regional Assembly of Northern Ostrobothnia, will act as the Deputy Chair of the Advisory Board. Influencing work needs information to support it. It will be collected by the Advisory Board in cooperation with an organisation survey for Northern Ostrobothnia, which will be published soon. Organisations in the region are expected to be active and have plenty of answers. Right now, it is worth participating in joint advocacy work. This year, the Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Regional Assembly Award is awarded for the eighth time. The theme of the year is Oulu 2026 in the spirit of the European Capital of Culture. The nomination of candidates will be opened at the beginning of September. The instructions will be found on the website of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. The prize will be awarded in November at the regional Parliament. The Northern Ostrobothnia Organisational Advisory Board was elected for the first time in 2014. There is a wide representation of organisations from different fields and public organisations. The key task is to make the organisation's activities visible, to strengthen the opportunities for citizens and organisations to participate, to promote regional cooperation and to bring the organisations' views into the regional development work of the region. The advisory board is appointed by the the Board of the Regional Regional Assembly. Additional information: Chairman Raija Näppä / raija.nappa@nuortenysavat.fi tel. +358 (0)40-1981441 Secretary Ilpo Tapaninen / ilpo.tapaninen@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi tel. +358 (0)50-301 7546 Website of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region / Regional Assembly of Organisations - Regional Assembly of Oulu Region [caption id="attachment_51285" align="alignleft" width="503"] The Regional Assembly of Organisations of Northern Ostrobothnia met for the first meeting of its term of office 2026-2029 in the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region in Siikasali on 6 May 2026.[/caption]

This year, the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region is awarding the award for the seventh time. This time the theme is young people, the future and hope. “Young people are the future of the region. Taking care of their well-being should be everyone's concern. The Regional Assembly for Organisational Affairs of Northern Ostrobothnia wanted to highlight the work done for young people as the topic of this year's organisation award and thus bring good practices to everyone's attention. We hope for plenty of proposals", says Esa Aunola, Chair of the Advisory Board for Organisations, from the Northern Ostrobothnia Village Regional Regional Assembly. Proposals are submitted using an online form, which will be published in the news section of the Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Regional Assembly's website on 1 September 2025. Proposals for the wEnabler of the prize can be submitted until 30 September 2025. When making a proposal, the following should be taken into account: An organizational act does not have to be an isolated act, but can be understood and interpreted more broadly. The selection focuses on the crossing of borders and effectiveness, as well as the role of volunteering in the Regional Regional Assembly's activities. The applicant must be a registered local Regional Regional Assembly. As an award, the Regional Regional Assembly that won the organizational act of the year will receive 1,000 euros to support its operations. The decision on the organisation is made by the Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia. The prize will be awarded at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia in November. Information about the organisation award can be shared. The announcement can be found on the Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Regional Assembly's Instagram and LinkedIn channels. Additional information: Ilpo Tapaninen, Development Manager, Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, tel. +358 50 301 7546. Organisational Advisory Board website: Organisational Advisory Board - Regional Assembly of Oulu Region

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region invites proposals for the organisation work of Northern Ostrobothnia for 2024. Proposals can be submitted between 1 and 30 September 2024. This year’s theme is ‘Broader than Whole – Cross-Border Cooperation’. An organizational act does not have to be an isolated act; it can be understood and interpreted more broadly. In the selection of the organizational act of the year, the emphasis is on the crossing of borders and impact, as well as the role of volunteering in the Regional Regional Assembly's operations. The applicant must be a registered local Regional Regional Assembly. The Regional Regional Assembly that won the organizational act of the year will receive 1,000 euros to support its activities. The decision on the organisation of the year is made by the Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia. Proposals for the Organisational Act of the Year 2024 will be made by 3 p.m. on 30 September 2024 using the electronic form LINKS The Organisational Act of the Year 2024 will be published at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia on 5 November 2024. The prize is now awarded for the sixth time. Additional information: Ilpo Tapaninen, Development Manager, Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, tel. +358 50 301 7546

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region invites proposals for the organisation work of Northern Ostrobothnia for 2023. Proposals can be submitted between 1 September and 29 September 2023. This year we are looking for action under the theme ‘Culture in Surprising Contexts’. An organizational act does not have to be an isolated act; it can be understood and interpreted more broadly. The award criteria emphasise the cross-border dimension and effectiveness, as well as the role of volunteering. The Regional Regional Assembly that won the organizational act of the year will receive 1,000 euros to support its activities. The nominations for the prize will be made by 29 September 2023 at 3 p.m. using the electronic form Applicants must be a registered local Regional Regional Assembly. The decision on the organisation of the year is made by the Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia. The organisation act of the year 2023 will be announced at the Regional Parliament of Northern Ostrobothnia on 7 November 2023. This is the fifth time the prize has been awarded. The message can be shared freely in cooperation within your organisation and in cooperation with your stakeholders! Additional information: Ilpo Tapaninen, Development Manager, Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, tel. +358 50 301 7546

The organisation work carried out in the region is highlighted in cooperation with the annual award for organisations in Northern Ostrobothnia. This year's theme was the regional advisory board for organisations, which chose the experience of Participation and Inclusion. In other words, the search for an organizational act has strengthened the well-being and sense of participation of the target group. “This is the fourth time the prize has been awarded. Through it, an organisation or Regional Regional Assembly can bring its own activities to wider awareness. We hope for a large number of diverse proposals", says Ilpo Tapaninen, Development Manager at the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. The nomination of candidates will be opened at the beginning of September. The wEnabler of the prize is selected by the Regional Board and the prize is awarded at the regional parliament in November. The prize is 1,000 euros. Further information: The organisation award and the activities of the organisation Regional Assembly (Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Regional Regional Assembly website) Esa Aunola, Chair of the organisation Regional Assembly / Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Villages Regional Regional Assembly / tel. +358 40 551 3986, esa.aunola@ppkylat.fi Development Manager, Secretary of the advisory Regional Assembly / Ilpo Tapaninen Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Regional Regional Assembly / tel. +358 50 301 7546, ilpo.tapaninen@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi [caption id="attachment_33548" align="alignnone" width="500"] The 2021 organisation award was given to the Raution Village Regional Regional Assembly and the Raution Trade Cooperative for community activities to maintain the vitality of the village. (Photo from village shop Rautio fb-page).[/caption]