What intense, educational, and incredibly inspiring days we have had!
On Wednesday and Thursday, September 23-24, the board, nomination committee, and secretariat gathered together with accompanying researcher Sasha Quahe from Stockholm Resilience Center at Sigtuna Folk High School for the annual start meeting. It became two rewarding days in a picturesque environment with full focus on strengthening the LAG spirit, reflective retrospectives, strategic future insights, and a shared faith in the future that filled the entire Kerstin Hesselgren room with new energy.
Chair Torbjörn Einarsson and operations manager Sven Uhlås
The opening of the annual start meeting was inaugurated by chair Torbjörn Einarsson, who handed over the word to Erik Sjöstrand, principal at Sigtuna Folk High School, for a warm welcome. After the secretariat's operations manager Sven Uhlås then dived into the heart of the Leader method with us, we were reminded of why Upplandsbygd emerged in the first place. At its core, it is about building bridges between the private, non-profit, and public sectors, to together reach the vision of a vibrant countryside filled with local grassroots action.. The afternoon was also dedicated to a financial review by Daniel Petri Cortés, economist and officer at the secretariat, followed by a retrospective look at the various projects carried out during the program period. The secretariat's project leaders My Sellberg, Emma Mattila, Kajsa Pettersson, and Katrin Palm then presented a status report on the areas of intervention and their associated indicators. The day concluded with an exciting guest lecture by Lars Bergström, project leader at PaxWalk, who spoke about the work of marking and developing the beautiful pilgrimage trail Ingegerdsleden that runs through the Upplandsbygd area. The evening was crowned with outdoor activities, joyful laughter, a refreshing evening swim in Sigtuna Bay followed by a long-awaited sauna.
As Thursday's meeting dawned, we looked forward with anticipation and excitement. The day was largely spent on future issues and examining the process of developing the new strategy for the next program period. An important aspect that everyone at Upplandsbygd will carry with them moving forward is to dare to lift their gaze while simultaneously listening deeply with their ear to the ground.
Two formal decisions from the board
In addition to the rewarding exchange of thoughts and ideas, two important formal decisions were also made during Wednesday's meeting. This autumn's board is a valued combination of solid wisdom from the experienced and fresh thinking from new members. Eva Backen was welcomed into the constellation, where she unanimously became a newly appointed board member by the board. With her drive and her extensive network in the business community, Eva will be an incredible addition for Upplandsbygd. The board also decided to adopt a completely new governing document for Upplandsbygd's subproject, which creates even better and clearer conditions for our future work for rural areas moving forward.
Newly appointed board member Eva Backen
Something that permeated the program during both meeting days was the valuable conversations and exchanges of experience between new and experienced, where knowledge and inspiration could flow freely and awaken our shared drives to life. During the final reflective round, the room testified to a true energy boost, filled with words about the meeting feeling inclusive, unpretentious, and filled with a vibrant belief in the future. As one of the board members nicely stated:
”"”I didn't think it was possible to feel this inspired again.”
With a strong shared focus on grassroots perspectives and genuine local engagement, we now feel filled to the brim with new energy and ready to step into the continued adventures of the autumn. A big and warm thank you from us at Upplandsbygd's office, who look forward to continued good cooperation!
