rural conference and study visit at Bygdsam Nätradalen
From September 16–19, 2025, ”Together for our community” conducted a combined conference and study visit trip to Höga Kusten. This took place in synergy with SLU's project ”Keys to navigating entrepreneurial ecosystems in rural areas,” which enabled more participants from Gotland. First, there was an interesting program during the ”Rural Conference Höga Kusten 2025” in Husum, followed by a rewarding study visit at Bygdsam Nätradalen – which provided inspiration, not least for the development of Region Gotland's project ”SAMLA.”.
Participants from Gotland included Emilia Niska, Roma Interest Association, Per-Henrik Sorby, Stenkyrka Parent Association, Lotta Edlund and Johanna Ronström, Knutpunkt Hemse, Åsa Dammström and Anna Wejde, Region Gotland and Ellen Lundqvist and Jörgen Hallström, Leader Gute.
The theme of the Rural Conference was social sustainability – how we can strengthen community and the stories of the place, while also promoting open and inclusive conversations in society where everyone is given the opportunity to participate and influence. Thus, very much in line with the project Together for our community.
Inspiring elements
The extensive program included a long list of interesting topics and exciting speakers. Some were particularly inspiring for the Gotland participants.
– Kristina Ernehed, development coordinator at Heimbygd, demonstrated how images affect perceptions of rural versus urban. We live in an urban norm, and images from the countryside are often either picturesque and beautiful views or deserted farms with dilapidated barns. Here we got inspiration on how we could work with representative everyday images in our development work in the Gotland countryside, says Per-Henrik Sorby.
– The segment about Styrnäs was inspiring. Almost the entire village is engaged in the association Styrnäs Framtid. Konvaljparken has become the heart of their engagement and work. Here, they have created a bathing and meeting place and organize various events and activities. Their collaboration, long-term plan, and concrete efforts are a good example to learn from, believes Lotta Edlund.
– The lecture on place development in Gällivare was very thought-provoking. The project ”When horizons meet” at Vassaraälven aims to strengthen public space and engage residents through inclusive processes where culture, creativity, and nature are in focus. This provided a strong insight that change is possible but requires time and patience. We also saw how our culture can be preserved, even if it means it must be moved to new and more accessible places when the community structure changes, summarizes Johanna Ronström.
Study visit – this is how Bygdsam works!
As a conclusion to the trip, a study visit was conducted at Bygdsam Nätradalen.
Bygdsam stands for The Community in Collaboration and is a collaboration platform in the rural areas of Örnsköldsvik municipality. The purpose is to mobilize and develop the community through forms of cooperation and collaboration that lead to more efficient and smarter solutions and increase well-being and growth in the community.
There are four Bygdsam in Örnsköldsvik, linked to service locations with surrounding areas. In addition to Nätradalen, they are Anundsjö, Gideälvdal, and Grundsunda. Each Bygdsam is an economic association that stands on three legs: businesses, the non-profit sector, and the municipality.
The municipality co-finances each Bygdsam with 320,000 kronor per year for three years. The financing model assumes that businesses, the non-profit sector, and individuals will participate and co-finance Bygdsam to jointly develop the rural areas. To further strengthen Bygdsam's economy, there is an opportunity to apply for funds for various projects and thereby leverage their own contributions even more.
The board includes representatives from the three parties who work on a voluntary basis. An employed coordinator coordinates and drives issues on behalf of the board.
In Nätradalen, Bygdsam's vision is that Nätradalen will highlight its strengths and become a more attractive area to live and work in. The area should be made known to visitors from near and far. Nätradalen should flourish and have a clear connection to the World Heritage Site Höga Kusten.
During the study visit, a picture was given of how the work with Bygdsam functions in Nätradalen. Here, the Gotland participants received a lot of ideas and also questions to take home.
For the participants, the visit became important inspiration for the work with the project ”SAMLA,” which will be a Gotland model with a similar setup as Bygdsam.