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Who am I & why am I'm here ?. My name is: Roger Silfver, born in Finland emigrated to Sweden 1974 Background : Social worker & Family Care 25 years 1990 I became active in rural/local development in Sweden 1997 Chairman of the LAG in LEADER II Sommenbygd - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Who am I & why am I'm here ?
• My name is: Roger Silfver, born in Finland emigrated to Sweden 1974
• Background : Social worker & Family Care 25 years
• 1990 I became active in rural/local development in Sweden
• 1997 Chairman of the LAG in LEADER II Sommenbygd
• 2000-2007 Program Manager LEADER + Sommenbygd
• Worked as LEADER “adviser” in Latvia & Lithuania
• Working with rural development in Byelorussia since 2006
• (local self governance democracy)
• 2007 Working for the Government of Åland as LEADER coordinator My Commitment : - to support local grassroots to gain knowledge & influence over their everyday life.
- to ensure local, regional & national politicians that “ordinary peoples” engagement is a complement to existing system, not competitors of power.
Leader+ area of Sommenbygd• Situated in South East of
Sweden
• Named after the Lake of Sommen
– 360 islands– Clear water – Popular for recreation & boating
• Consists of parts of two Counties
– Östergötland– Jönköping
• 50 000 inhabitants
• Sparsely populated
• No big cities in the area
• Large forest areas
The Municipalities
Area 3 802 km/2
50 400 Inhabitants
7 Municipalities 2 Counties
40 Parsons
Governance of Leader + in Sommenbygd
• A non profit association = Local Action Group of Sommenbygd
• The LAG – group consists of 29 members
• 7 Community representatives - The chairmen of the municipality boards
• 6 From the private sector - representatives from local enterprises and or municipality's business adviser.
• 6 From local development groups - grassroots
• 6 youth representatives ( under 25 years)
• 4 - Regional authorities & other actors ( not decision makers )
Today's Governance of Leader + in Sommenbygd
Administration:
• 3 employees full time, responsible for all project management, preparation, finances, marketing, support, evaluation, interregional & transnational cooperation
• A free office/administration with no “ties” to other actors or authorities !
• LAG – makes all project decisions, responsible for carrying out the Leader+ plan
• “Sommenbygd” board 6 persons from LAG responsible for the administration/staff
• LAG – projects/initiatives can also be located to the Leader+ office
LAG Projects – ”Start - Gas ”
• Youth check´s 15 000 Skr
• Support for new ideas (Private persons) 15 000 Skr
• Local mobilisation & planning 30 000 Skr
• Cooperation support (3-partners) 30 000 Skr/ partner
• Arrangment support 30 000 Skr
• Large Youth project
• Tourism project
• Project for small village schools
1. Young People in LAG & LEADER
Question: How to involve youth/Children in the activities of a LAG
2. Processes within the LAG & LEADER work that can be obstacles & possibilities
Question: How to avoid the situation that local authorities (governments) will start to influence the funding decisions of the LAG
Focus on 2 topics
Young people in LAG today, our decision makers of tomorrow !
• Open up the LAG for young people
• One young LAG member from each municipality
• Prepare special strategy for youth and children (LAG –project)
• Let them work together as a group, adults must guide but not lead
• LAG -youth should support processes in the area that can lead to projects
• LAG should
How to get young people interested to join a LAG ?
– Se them, listen to them and notice them !
– Talk to them not about them !
– Let them work together!
– Make LEADER fun modern and interesting !
– Let them know that they are important !
An example from my village BOET in Sweden
• We asked the children of our village to write and draw pictures of their future dream of how our village will look like 10-15 years from now.
• We got a lot of interesting ideas from their dreams
• Children wants the village to be more urban
• We also learned that children are aware of our concern of the future for the village, we need more children to be born.
How to get young persons active in a LAG
– Shear power and responsibilities with them !
– Give them influence over youth issues in the area !
– Let them travel and meet other LAG youths in and outside Estonia !
– Support a LEADER network for young people in Rural areas
What makes young person leave the Village ?
– Work – money – better future ?
– Studies – carrier ?
– The urban lifestyle - fast and anonymous?
– Freedom?
– To create a personality - grow up?
– Bored of living in rural area – nothing happens?
What makes a young person return to the Village?
• Work/money/family/friends
• Place to live (housing)
• The Village is a part of me and I am a part of the Village
• Good memories from growing up in the Village
• The Rural lifestyle, safe and slower
• When planning to have family
Is there a risk that organizations/authorities’ will try to have influence over LAG and project decisions
• Leader is open for all and as such vulnerable
• LAG members can only represent one sector
• Release a LAG member from duty if he/she is running a project
• No one should be a LAG member for more than 2 years then1 year quarantine
• LAG Chairman exchanged halfway into the program
• Separate chairman's in LAG/Board
• Mistakes made (Rogers experience)
How to avoid the risk of one person taking over?
I don’t have to be takeover, it can also be because the group
All the time hands over the responsibility to one active person
• Transparency • Mutual thrust• Allow all to speak• Specify what is expected from LAG member ( on paper )• Talk openly about compensations • Examples of takeovers Rogers experiences
Is there a risk that all knowledge will be lost if/when Project Manager leaves or when a project is finished ?
Can we avoid that ?
• Open discussion
• Long term contract with employees
• Consider employees as investment in human resources
• Educate staff & LAG
• Have fun
What is really local in today's globalized economy ?
The simple and most obvious answer is
“ THE PEOPLE”
How to get in contact
• Roger Silfver LEADER Coordinator
• E-mail: roger.silfver@regeringen .ax
• E-mail: [email protected] (private)
• SKYPE Silfvers
• Mobile phone +46(0)706376684