Nordic Leader Network
Detta projekt har delfinansierats med Europeiska Unionens Leader+ stöd.
 

Studiefrämjandet i Österbotten
Studiefrämjandet in Ostrobothnia r.f is an association with members from organisations, municipalities and private citizens from the Swedish speaking part of Ostrobothnia. Studiefrämjandet has during recent years focused on rural development issues, and previously has been in charge implementing the LEADER II-programme 1996-2000 as well as the Finnish national rural development progamme POMO+ 2001-2006. In addition to this Studiefrämjandet has also been active in other rural development projects and co-operations; "Village economies - Strenghtening the methods of work within communal economies in the Finnish countryside" and  "Onni muuttaa maalle - Prima liv på landet (Find happiness i the countryside)". Studiefrämjandet is also an co-operative platform för associations and organisations in Swedish speaking Osthrobotnia.

Local conditions
There are approx 87000 inhabitants living in the Swedish seaking part of Osthrobotnia. Of these 79% are native Swedish speakers and 21% Finnish speakers. The Swedish language combined with the cultural uniqueness give the area its distinct image. Co-operation and traditional networks have grown from a long tradition of forming cooperative efforts for the purpose of creating better terms for life, economical development as well as the support of shared topics of interests. Citizen movements as well as active association-life in the rural areas are a distinctive trait to the region. Working together for the common good is clearly visible within the associations who often have large steering associations for the purpose of working for the best interests of the local associations. Studiefrämjandet has more than 30 years of experience of working as an cooperative platform for the different associations of Ostrobothnia.

Economic life
The development program of 2007-2013, "Villages in Development - Life-energy, entrepeneurship and know-how. The underlining idea of the programme comes from the conviction that flourishing villages are a necessity for the creation of future businesses which in turn will have additional positive impact on the attractivness of the village. That is why focusing o villages as well as private businesses are considered equally important. The mission statement is believing in future possibilities, initiative, creativity and sustainable development. The main groups of focus for the development programme are villages, associations and entrepeneurs, with a special focus on youth and women.

 The programme completes other regional development programs much due to the way of work Studiefrämjandet employes. The programme is implimented from a bottom-up perspective, focusing on the needs of people living in rural areas. Projects applying for funding are given a careful examination by a board of members representing a wide geographical spread as well as a large base of knowledge.
The programme aims at improving village development and entrepeneurship that complements and supports traditional rural economies such as agriculture and manufacturing industries.

www.pomo.osterbotten.fi

We visited Ireland 14-18th of September 2005.
 

   

Transnational co-operation

Studiefrämjandet has strived to create an international contact-network during 2005-2007. Transnational co-operation is according to Studiefrämjandet built on the conviction that gaining new knowledge and experiences is a core feature of all development work.Transnational co-operation makes it possible to go abroad or invite others for he purpose of gaining knowledge, new ways of working and new approaches by comparing their ideas and views to ours. It i imperative to learn from others so that we can implement the same methods and ideas in our work on the local level. If the goal in a single project is to develop businesses with the aid of partners in several other countries one has to appreciate the long period of time needed for the completion of the cooperation as well as the level of commitment of the participating businesses.

Studiefrämjandets main focus is on youth businesses in its trans-national cooperation strategy. 

Our role is to make it possible for young entrepeneurs or potental new enterprises to go abroad and get to know international markets. Trans-national cooperation is in first hand built on contacts and trust. In order to have a working partnership one also has to build a trusting relationship to people hold key positions in their respective countries. We can build on existing contacts from Sweden and Spain. Its an advantage to have a common language with which to cooperate, so we focus on areas that are comfortable using Swedish, Finnish or English.

 
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