About LEADER
Leader 3sam Strömsund Ragunda is a non-profit association with activities in Strömsund and Ragunda municipalities. Since 2009, we have been working with rural development according to the Leader method and can support local organizations with project funding. We work in a partnership between the business community, non-profit, and public parties. We want to inspire and stimulate development and for the residents themselves to be involved in creating quality of life and sustainable development. The Leader method exists in almost all of the EU and is based on cooperation and local initiatives.
We invest in your home area & help you realize local development ideas!
The very word Leader is an abbreviation of a French sentence – Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l´Économie Rurale. It means ”coordinated activities for economic development in rural areas.”.
What is the Leader method?
The EU introduced the Leader method as early as 1991 to create local engagement and influence. The Leader method is a method for developing an area based on local conditions. In each Leader area, the private, non-profit, and public sectors jointly develop a local development strategy where they agree on what to prioritize for actions during the upcoming program period. The method is based on cooperation between different sectors and actors in an area based on local initiatives and conditions. The method means that it is we who live and work in the area that drive and influence development.
A method for rural development
Leader is a method for rural development that was introduced by the EU in 1991. In the method, local anchoring, initiative, and engagement are at the center. The idea is that the development of your place is carried out most effectively by you who live and work there – by you, your association, local businesses, and other organizations. You are the ones who know what needs and challenges need to be addressed.
The EU introduced the Leader method as early as 1991 to create local engagement and influence. The Leader method is a method for developing an area based on local conditions. In each Leader area, the private, non-profit, and public sectors jointly develop a local development strategy where they agree on what to prioritize for actions during the upcoming program period. The method is based on cooperation between different sectors and actors in an area based on local initiatives and conditions. The method means that it is we who live and work in the area that drive and influence development.
Leader3sam Strömsund Ragunda
The Leader area 3sam, which includes Strömsund and Ragunda municipalities, started in 2009 and has supported over 200 development projects since then. Leader 3sam 2.0 is a non-profit association that decides on and administers projects. The Swedish Board of Agriculture is the managing authority that reviews our work. Currently, there are 40 Leader areas in Sweden, and in the whole EU, we are about 3500. This means a great collective development force in rural areas!
Local Action Group (LAG)
The board LAG, Local Action Group consists of people from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and their local knowledge is important when decisions are to be made. Project ideas must fit into the local development strategy and help meet the goals set for the area. Employees at the Leader office help coach and support to further develop ideas as well as provide practical assistance when applying for financial support, during the project, and at the conclusion.
Become a member of the association!
As a member, you get the opportunity to participate in promoting development in our area and the opportunity to influence who is elected to our local board, the LAG board. You contribute to the association's purpose and goals and have voting rights at the association meeting. You also receive our newsletter, which we send out a few times a year!
By being a member, you signal that you consider Leader funding an important tool for the development of your own area. The association is open to everyone who lives/works in our operational area. Individuals and legal entities can become members. Membership is free of charge and continues until further notice.
The application for membership and the statutes can be found here:
