Name of the project / activity:

JärvsöRådet, non-profit association, working with local development together with Destination Järvsö AB, the company that brings together all those who work with the tourism.

Origin of the project / activity (country, town, etc.):

Järvsö, Ljusdals municipality, Sweden

Please try to define max. three catchwords that describe your project / activity:

Local anchoring, including development and organization.

Specific target group? For whom is the project / activity designed:

Those who live locally in the village and who have their holiday homes in the village and dream of moving to Järvsö.

What is the project about? Short but precise description of the local project / activity:

Gather people to make them feel involved in the development. Some people find that they are not keeping up, and then we see it as our task to create inclusive platforms. Activities we make: Village meetings (where the local village itself calls for the meeting, and JärvsöRådt is invited to talk about what is going on. This is done every spring, and in the last few years this has been carried out aroundt 7-8 times). We also started a rural café which we conduct on the first Thursday every month between 18.00-20.00. The main purpose is to create a meeting place for those who live in the village. JärvsöRådet offers coffee and ensures that the room is open and pleasant. Then the participants get there and create the calls. Another purpose of these meetings is to create a place for the newcomers to be piloted into the village, to meet with residents and find out which different associations and initiatives that are available to attend. We are now in the process of applying for funds to establish a so-called service development strategist in Järvsö. That will be a combined service around all these activities. This service will work with strategic issues that are important for Järvsö (those who concern everyone but who no one owns). At present, we have secured half of the funding for year one. The goal is to get funding for at least three years.

Is there anything that needs to be considered if the project / activity is to be copied to another rural area (good practice experience, things that went wrong, etc.):

We think that our form of organization is good and think that more people should test it. We first have an Idea Forum with 21 members who meet about 5-6 times in a year. There, the focus is on talking about ideas and efforts for the village. These people are elected at a parish meeting (which takes place by the end of November each year) where everyone who is registered in Järvsö or has a company registered in Järvsö may come and vote. Around the Idea Forum, a bunch of working groups are organized which are driven by initiative and interest. At present, we have about 10 different working groups. In these groups, anyone can participate. Some examples of working groups: Isleden, Järvsö Sustainability Forum and Torön. Of these 21 members from the Idéforum, a board of 3-7 members is then elected. This board is more operational and manages the association’s finances. And are often those who represent the association in different contexts. In Idéforum and JärvsöRådet, there are two different chairmen, and in this way we create a shared chairmanship for the entire organization. In this way, we capture various kinds of engagement. We have the opportunity to collect experienced board members s as well as idea syringes and so-called “doers” in the same association.

Are there more sources available for additional information (website, e-mail-contact, etc.)?:

Our web page: www.jarvsoradet.se, only in swedish.