The 10th Estonian Opinion Festival, a free open-air event in Paide, is scheduled for August 12-13 and will feature 11 discussions held in English; Estonian World highlights them all.
The Festival of Opinions takes place around the ancient ruins of Paide Castle and is mainly characterized by group discussions where four or five invited experts and Estonian opinion leaders discuss various topics. Discussions are moderated and questions from the audience are usually included.
The first Estonian opinion festival was organized in 2013. It has been held every year since then – always in Paide – and usually attracts close to 10,000 people, from opinion leaders to ordinary citizens.
The organizers said that almost 150 discussions are planned for this year’s festival.
“This year’s program is very diverse and reflects what is important in society at the moment: we are talking about wars and population preparedness for crises, future technologies and not only that, happy child-rearing and mental health of young people,” Kaspars, head of the festival program. Tammist said in a statement..
In addition to the panel discussions, there will also be entertainment – the DJ will be the Estonian dance artist NOËP, and the festival will end with a concert on Saturday evening.
that’s it annual festival Includes eleven discussions in English:
Friday, August 12
12:00: Photographic talks: Ancient knowledge and the digital world (Digital Intelligence Stage; Zone 13)
Photographic talks Public registration followed by a free discussion with the public.
14:00: Explore the next generation of cultural technologies (Digital Intelligence Phase, Zone 13)
“In 25 years of mainstream internet, some technologies have won and others have rotted. Some promised teamwork and understanding but did the opposite. We cannot ignore the fact that a new revolution is happening – Web3, IoT, Metaverse, VR, AR, XR, etc. What is it? Should we address it in the cultural space?” In a summary of the discussion, the organizers said: “Let’s question the ideas and consider the consequences of cultural transformation.”
Four in the afternoon: Are migration crises in Europe the new normal? (Migration Phase Area No. 14)
The discussion asks: Are migration crises a permanent status quo in Europe? What have we learned from the Syrian migration crisis and how have we been able to help Ukrainian refugees? Are we ready for future crises?
18:00: When the Baltic Sea becomes a NATO lake (Foreign Policy Phase; District 19)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused major changes in the security of the Baltic Sea region. With Finland and Sweden on the way to join NATO, all the Baltic states, except for Russia, are preparing to become part of a single collective defense system for the first time in history.
The debate asks the question: what are the consequences of these changes for the Baltic States, the Baltic Sea region and NATO? Which NATO members will Finland and Sweden be; What will be their contribution to collective defence? What new opportunities will open up for Nordic and Baltic cooperation in the field of defense?
6:00 p.m.: Technology – Always 35-year-old white male (Digital IQ Stage; District 13)
The ICT industry is one of the fastest growing industries. We need to hire more and more people in technology. But – we need to bring in more diverse people. How we can open up to different perspectives and experiences to be more creative, accessible and inclusive in creating digital solutions. “We’re not only touching on gender inequality, but also race and other perspectives on diversity in technology,” said the panel’s organizers.
Saturday 13 August
10:00: Disinformation – respond, refute, ignore? (Foreign policy stage, district No. 19)
There is no need for disinformation to enter because the war in Ukraine has created fertile ground for it to spread faster and more than ever before. But what are we going to do about it? Should we always reject or respond with our own messages and join the race for influence and audience participation? Should we ignore it and let people make up their own minds about the credibility of the source? Disinformation experts from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the UK will discuss different disinformation narratives in the regional information space and different approaches to dealing with disinformation.
10:00: How does Ukraine maintain the Internet during the war? (War and Peace Phase Zone 16)
The discussion asks: What are the weakest stages of crisis communication? What technical, logistical and defense solutions are used to maintain communications? How to withstand cyber attacks? What can Estonia learn from this?
12:00: Towards a more inclusive society (War and Peace Phase, Zone 16)
“After the war in Ukraine, we need to consider obstacles and solutions to the inclusion of Ukrainian refugees, as well as how to prevent recent events from leading to discrimination against other minorities in Estonia. We will look at issues such as access and integration into them. the labor market and universities, as well as measures to build a more inclusive, tolerant and linguistically inclusive society.
12:00: Interested in participating: Neighbors for Ukraine (Festival Club; District 12)
Civil society is an essential part of European society and one of its pillars is solidarity. NGOs and civil society activists from Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Estonia share experiences and good practices on how to help Ukrainian refugees with a complex set of problems. The political, social and economic context of the host countries should also be evaluated. The discussion is supported by the Active Citizens Fund.
14:00: Searching for common interests – but how to agree on what is good? (Open Society Phase 2 Zone)
Whether it’s politics, environmental issues or health, public debate is heated. Civil society organizations in democracies tend to align with the liberal spectrum. However, the role of civil society organizations is to promote social cohesion. The Estonian-Norwegian NGO discussion explores how civil society works in countries with different histories and cultural backgrounds.
16:00: Departure from major cities: temporary or permanent? (Community Phase District #15)
In the pandemic years, will home offices create a new trend where people prefer to live and work in their rural homes or small towns instead of big cities? Many now have to decide where they want to live long term. Employers and employees also conclude new agreements on a new norm. The same issues are discussed both in Estonia and in the Nordic countries.
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