LEADER METHODS
The Leader method is based on cooperation, local initiatives and local conditions. The method was introduced within the EU in 1991. Rural development of your particular place is most effectively carried out by those of you who live and work here.
What is the leader method?
Leader is an abbreviation of the French phrase Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale. Which means coordinated activities for economic development in rural areas. Successfully, the method has grown, spread, and is used today in thousands of local development areas in the EU, in rural areas, in urban areas, and in coastal and aquatic environments. Local anchoring, consensus, and a strong focus on solutions make the method a sharp tool for real development. This provides a lubricant that enables and initiates necessary processes.
Voluntary engagement
Voluntary engagement is about people coming together around an idea and collaborating to achieve something they consider important. When this happens, conditions are created for sustainable and attractive areas. But even if the collaboration and willingness to develop exist, the money may not always be there. Then the leader method can be an opportunity for rural development.
The leader area Skellefteå Älvdal
Rural development through the leader method is driven in geographically defined areas (called leader areas), this to maintain a strong local focus. The leader area Skellefteå Älvdal is located in northern Västerbotten and includes the geographical municipalities of Malå, Norsjö, and Skellefteå, with the exception of Skellefteå central locality. There are 40 leader areas in Sweden, and if you count them across the entire EU, there are over 3,500.
Visit Leader Sweden for more information about the leader method and other leader areas in Sweden.