LAG Maaseutukehitys ry is a local action group Established in 1997, LAG Maaseutukehitys ry (Rural Development association) is a local action group with the purpose of developing its operations area in cooperation with various developer parties. The objective of the associations actions is to create general preconditions for comfort of the living environment, good employment and versatile business activity. In order to reach the objectives, the association has compiled a local development programme for the operations area based on voluntary development activities of the residents. The association realises the development actions in line with the programme by means of various fairly small resident-centred projects. The principles of the association are: -Openness: projects and decisions are public, information Published by: on actions is actively communicated, membershipbase LAG Maaseutukehitys ry is as extensive as possible Edited by: -Local approach: development needs and participants from Tiina Seppälä associations operations area Layout by: -Voluntary: needs, will and realisation start with acting Jari Partanen, www.jarinet.fi Translated by: parties themselves T-Trans, Lahti, Finland Programme period 19971999: Operations area: 5 municipalities, 15Ê000 inhabitants Funding: POMO programme (national funding), total framework FIM 2.69 million, total of 70 projects Programme period 20002006: Operations area: 7 municipalities, 19Ê500 inhabitants Funding: ALMA programme (EU+national funding), total framework 4.7 million, total of 142 projects Programme period 20072013: Operations area: 6 municipalities, 17 500 inhabitants Funding: EU Rural Programme (EU+national funding), total framework 6.25 million In this final report for the programme period 20002006, we have compiled a project list Oulu for each of the municipalities including all the projects financed as well as give some examples of projects from each municipality. The projects presented have been selected so that they will represent the entire spectrum of projects. Naturally, there have been plenty of excellent projects Vaasa that are not presented here, but please contact our Kuopio office or visit our web site for more information about Joensuu the projects and their contents. Abstracts for all of the projects are included on our web site. Content of the Jyväskylä Mikkeli financed projects has varied immensely, and the names Tampere of most of the projects only highlight one part of the entire content of the project. In many of the projects, Lahti the managing party has been only one party among Turku all the parties involved in realisation of the project. Helsinki www.keskisuomenmaaseutu.info/maaseutukehitys_ry Foreword What did we achieve in 20012006? . Arranging exc ankasalmi and th In the programme period 20012006, LAG Maaseutukehitys ry financed a total of 142 resident-centred rural development projects by means of ople who can ap ALMA funding. The funding framework totalled at 4.7 million. The share permanent rura of the municipalities in the region amounted to approximately 16% of lisätä iloa ja inno the total funding, i.e., to 810,000, and the share of funding applied by Tulokset ja vai private applicants was ca. 20%. The rest of the funding or approximately 64% of the total programme framework consisted of funding from the ja vahvistettu nuo EU and the state of Finland. aikuiset saatiin m taholta ja se on t The objectives of the programme were -offering belief in future and willingness to develop -gathering active parties and resources for development -increasing comfort of living and quality of life -creating preconditions for entrepreneurship and offering new The thoughts of the young regarding the development needs in the Joutsa region were employment opportunities heard during an event arranged for schoolchildren in 2005. The final evaluation of the projects has been ongoing since the spring of 2005. based on interviews, the participants themselves deem the projects successful. The most important achievements listed included successfulness of the project and reaching of the objectives, increased living comfort in the residential area, improved competitive ability, increased utilisation ratio for financing object and improved mental wellbeing. Another good indicator describing the success of the projects is the fact that most of the respondents would not change anything if they were to start the same project again now. The significance of proper background work and preparation were stressed. The projects have achieved permanent and continuous impacts. Almost 90% of the respondents stated that the actions will continue in one way or another after the project period. Most of the projects aimed at creating, building or repairing a site that will naturally be available for use after the project period as well. Issues were developed and are still being developed either by means of new funding or independently. Based on interviews with the contact persons in the municipalities, attitude of the municipalities in the operations area of the LAG Maaseutukehitys ry towards a LAG-type operations method is very positive. All of the municipalities agreed that the LAG has had a positive impact on their development. Especial praise was awarded to the work done for villages and activation of people and associations. The project activity has also increased the level of communalism and had an impact on the operations culture. The respondents listed creation of infrastructure, renovation and landscape management as permanent impacts of the project activity. Most of the respondents representing the municipalities stated that many of the actions carried out by the projects would not otherwise have been realised or at least it would have been difficult to obtain funding for them and thus they would not have been realised until years from now. As comes to the new programme period, the municipalities wished that new tasks and means to act as a developer of the region instead of provincial parties would be awarded to the association. Some of the most important new means listed by the respondents were enabling of corporate funding and activation of business activity. The municipalities noted that the actions will be intensified by a local actor, since the local party is familiar with the region, is competent and can better employ locals in the activity than extensive provincial parties. Evaluation HEMU-hanke (Project HEMU), music association Kihveli Soikoon ry, 1 January 2005 28 February 2006 Actions: An employee for practical realisation of the project was hired, youth café activity was started, more activity around events for the youth was arranged, cooperation between voluntary youth workers and leisure sectors was intensified. The target group was young people between 13 and 25 years of age. Objectives: Activating the youth and preventing marginalization, increasing opportunities for practicing various hobbies, developing band and youth activity, improving skills of the young and committing them in voluntary work, offering the youth an opportunity to influence planning of their leisure activities as well as establishing a live music association called HELMU for Hankasalmi. Achievements and impacts: The project started entirely new activity in the form of a youth café and a new music association. During the project period, the youth were activated into arranging events and also to influencing the local decision-makers. The activity is still lively. Juuret ja siivet Hankasalmelle (Roots and Wings at Hankasalmi), Hankasalmi 4H Association, 1 August 2004 28 February 2006 Actions: Gathering a group of 620 young people from each village of Hankasalmi to realise a project of their own. Offering training on values, self-knowledge, interactive skills and problem solving. Continuing the work with the already existing village plans from the viewpoint of the young. Arranging excursions in ones own village, the municipality of Hankasalmi and the surrounding society. Objectives: Raising young people who can appreciate and market rural areas, trying to make them permanent rural residents, developing the rural community, activating the residents, increasing opportunities to influence among the young, increasing joy and appreciation of life as well as assisting the young in managing their lives. Achievements and impacts: The project has succeeded in making the view of the young regarding their home area more positive as well as in improving their self-knowledge and self-esteem. Plenty of voluntary work was done during the project period and also adults participated in the activity. The project has been received well both by the participants and the media, and it has also made the activity of the LAG Maaseutukehitys ry more familiar to the youth. Murtoisten tähtikeskus (Murtoinen Astronomy Centre), astronomy association Jyväskylän Sirius ry, 1 January 2005 28 February 2006 Actions: An observatory equipped with good observation equipment was built on the yard of an old school in the village of Murtoinen. In addition to an optical telescope, a radio telescope equipped with a unilateral dish antenna was erected on the yard. One apartment of the old school building was renovated into a control room and a club room was turned into an exhibition room. The assemblies were automated and a broadband connection was installed in the observatory for remote use. Objectives: Renovating the village environment, promoting new activity in the municipality and village, offering new opportunities for hobbies,