Through the following slide show, we present a taste of what has been done in Leader Liiver's area between 2014 and 2022. At the same time, the images direct thoughts to the future and hopefully inspire new development work from 2023 onwards.
International cooperation is long-term work! In 2015, Liiveri was able to participate in the Jalasjärvi municipality's project, which started the cooperation with Swedish Leader Östra Skaraborg. Today, the cooperation continues with the development of entrepreneurship, youth work and Leader activities. There is also continuous international cooperation, e.g. In connection with the development of rural airports and as a new region, the Tartu region of Estonia has joined the closer cooperation.
Supporting start-up entrepreneurs and companies is one of Liiver's most important areas of development. Of the entrepreneurs supported by Liiver, more than 60 % have been start-up entrepreneurs, one of which was Murupumpula Oy in the handicraft industry. An important network for reaching entrepreneurs starting out is Liiver's business division, which has members from the area's municipalities, the new business center and the entrepreneur association, as well as the company. In the future, new entrepreneurs are supported in the so-called with voucher financing and also part-time companies can get support.
There is strength in cooperation. There are many things involved in the development of villages: village safety, taking care of the comfort of the area, events and being together! Liiver's village expert has worked in a network that has helped to share ideas, support others and create new ones. The development of villages will take on new forms with the concept of "Smart villages", but we will also stick to the best methods of previous development work in the future.
Sports and hobby places and common gathering spaces create comfort and well-being. The list of sports in the investments has been wide, from kayaking to open swimming, from indoor band to dog sports and from playing equipment to the performance stage. During the season, a total of 52 sports or hobby places have been supported in renovation or establishment in Liiver. Energy investments in common spaces and meeting places have also been made and in the future they will be even more relevant.
One of the most significant small business development projects was the Southern Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce Boards to work! - project, which has been used to start board work in small companies. The model has also been adopted in other provinces. The project resulted in both company group projects and individual company development projects. 6 company group projects have been financed and a total of 22 companies from the Liiver region have participated in them. Supporting the cooperation of small companies will also be emphasized in the coming funding period.
Broadband is basic rural infrastructure. Together with other Leader groups in Southern Ostrobothnia, Liiveri has done fiber optic activation, which has helped to increase residents' awareness of the possibilities of fiber optic and to find out the willingness of different villages to build fiber optic. The construction of optical fiber infrastructure has also been supported from Liiver. The use of broadband and digitization both in business operations and in the development of communities is today and the future.
Young people are developers! Liiver's youth division grants support to youth groups and youth companies annually for around 10,000 euros. Section members also participate in national and international activities. In the future, the role of young people in Liiver's development work will be emphasized even more, as it has been raised as its own focus in the new strategy.
With the help of theme projects, small investments have been financed, e.g. safety, hobbies and energy and climate aspects. In addition, they have supported development, hired young people or artists to create something new for the association. This new activity is related to e.g. communication, art or the environment. There have been a total of 10 thematic projects and there have been 108 sub-measures in them. Human-sized development will continue in the coming year as well.
Leader Liiveri thanks customers, partners and colleagues for the past years. Let's continue forward together - ideas have roots and dreams have wings!