A workshop for the residents of Jakobstad was held at the town hall on 13 March in terms of renewing the town’s strategy. A total of 13 residents participated in the strategy workshop and got to present their opinions and thereby influence the content of the town’s new strategy.

The participants had been drawn among 95 people, who in the Question of the Week 10–21.1.2024 had expressed interest in participating in the workshop. Those interested had been able to provide information about their gender, age, mother tongue, and occupational situation and the participants were later drawn based on these criteria, in order for the workshop to be representing different groups of residents. A total of 27 residents were invited to the workshop (14 women and 13 men, of whom 15 were Swedish speaking, 11 Finnish speaking and 1 had another mother tongue), but 7 women and 6 men, of whom 8 were Swedish speaking, 4 Finnish speaking and 1 had another mother tongue, participated in the workshop.

Besides the strategy workshop for residents, the town has arranged two evening sessions for the town council, in November 2023 and March 2024. The youth council also participated in the second
evening session. The town has also, in November 2023, held a strategy workshop for the town’s managers, and a strategy workshop for businesses in January 2024.
The town is collaborating with the consulting agency MDI on the new strategy and the town council will discuss the new strategy for 2025–2030 on its meeting 10 June 2024.