Invitation to Kurbits – New Forces! 

A skills development program for non-profit associations in Strömsund and Ragunda municipalities.

Hello all local heritage associations and volunteers in Ragunda and Strömsund,  Do you want to strengthen your association, attract new members, and secure the future of your cultural heritage? Then Kurbits – New Forces is the program for you!

Cultural heritage tourism creates new opportunities, and your activities contribute to making our municipalities attractive for both visitors and us who live here. The New Forces program, which has been successfully implemented for 40 cultural heritage actors in Gotland in the autumn of 2024, provides you with the tools to develop your organization, engage new forces, support your passionate individuals, and collaborate in new ways, all to ensure your activities thrive in the long term.

What is Kurbits – New Forces?  An inspiring and practical development program for associations, museums, foundations, and others working with cultural heritage and tourist destinations in Ragunda and Strömsund municipalities.

During three meetings in 2026, you will receive: 

• Knowledge and tools to build a sustainable organization with a clear purpose and structure.
• Inspiration from experts, such as Aron Schoug, author of the book Motivate Volunteers.
• Practical exercises to attract new members, support passionate individuals, and coordinate resources.
• Share experiences and exchange ideas with other associations!

Content of the program:

Meeting 1: Sustainable Organization  We will review the current state of your organization and the purpose of the association. We will also look at how you can support your passionate individuals, find new ways of working, and have more fun together.
Meeting 2: Attract new local forces and coordinate resources  This meeting is about how you motivate new forces and create an operation that attracts more. We will also explore the possibility of collaborating and coordinating resources.
Meeting 3: Communicate and work smarter together  Here we focus on practical work and experience exchange. You will develop your communication to attract new forces and see how you can collaborate around different labor needs.

Voices from previous participants:  ”We gained new forces from New Forces. Now we know how to take care of each other and those we recruit. Every effort counts!”   Yvette Magnusson and Peter Olofsson, Tjuls Railway Museum & Tjuls Station

Practical information:
Date Strömsund: March 18, April 17, May 6
Date Ragunda: March 19, April 16, May 7
Joint follow-up meeting: August 26
Location: To be announced later
Price: Free of charge for you as a participant! The project is coordinated and financed by Leader 3sam Strömsund-Ragunda.
Coffee & lunch included!
Who can participate: Associations, museums, foundations, and others within cultural heritage and tourist destinations. Multiple people from the same organization can participate.
Registration: Via Google Form – first come, first served!
Why participate?  This is your opportunity to strengthen your association, think anew, and create an operation that engages both today's and tomorrow's forces. Together we build a living cultural heritage in Ragunda and Strömsund municipalities!

If you have questions, feel free to contact:

Leader 3sam Strömsund-Ragunda: Linnea Bergström: linnea@3sam.eu, 070-550 03 87
Strömsund Municipality: Anna Gillgren, anna.gillgren@stromsund.se, 0670-169 71
Ragunda Municipality: Anna-Märta Johansson, annamarta.johansson@ragunda.se 0696-68 21 08

About the workshop leaders:  The program is led by Karin Gydemo Grahnlöf and Petra Lindberg from Kurbits – Business Development for the Tourism Industry. With extensive experience in business and rural development, they look forward to working with you: ”The meetings are workshops with a mix of new knowledge, experience exchange, and discussions. You can directly apply what you learn in your operations,” says Petra and Karin. With them they have Aron Schoug, an expert in voluntary association work and motivating new forces.

Warmly welcome with your registration! 

Leader 3sam Strömsund-Ragunda collaboration with Ragunda and Strömsund municipalities.

 

Kurbits is an award-winning international business and place development program aimed at both companies and associations within the tourism industry. Read more at: www.kurbits.org

Aron Schoug: Tips when engagement wanes!

Aron has written a book on how to motivate within voluntary activities and is a frequently hired speaker. Now Aron Schoug is coming to Ragunda and Strömsund municipalities to participate in Kurbits – New forces. Aron Schoug is himself engaged in many associations, but it is as a researcher in pedagogy at Stockholm University that he has delved into the driving forces behind voluntary work. Contrary to what many believe, voluntary work has not decreased. – Formal memberships have declined, but the time people spend on voluntary work has not decreased, says Aron Schoug.

 Do you have any tips on what to do when you see that engagement is waning?

 – Yes, you can look at different things. Are new people being introduced into the community? And is there something concrete to do for those who want to get involved? Because if I don’t understand what is expected of me or if the tasks don’t match my skills, I might not want to participate.

– You also need to look at the opportunity for participation. If I cannot make my voice heard or have my thoughts acknowledged, then I might lose my motivation, says Aron Schoug.

Here you can read more about Aron Schoug's book ”Motivate Voluntary”.