At the March annual meeting, the board of the development association Liiver chose a person who lives in Seinäjoki as the new chairman. Päivi Alaniskan. Alaniska has been In the government of Liveri for six years and has worked almost his entire career in regional development and projects.
When Alaniska was asked to be chairman, the answer was clear.
- Yes, my first thought was that of course. Liiver's operations have been very meaningful to me and I had already become familiar with the staff. Of course I was well received.
Alaniska thought about the chairmanship because of the binding day job, because she knew that the chairman must sometimes be involved in the events also during office hours. At the organizational meeting, the vice president was elected Mari Mäki-Karvia, whose calendar is currently more flexible.
- When I was offered the chairmanship, I said that my way of being chairman is to work in close cooperation with the vice-chairman. When Mari is vice president, I feel very confident.
A long career as a developer
Alaniska has spent most of her working life working on EU projects.
- However, Leader funding is my first love in the project world. In 2004 and 2005, I was involved in the first Leader projects in Jalasjärvi. At Mukula ry, we implemented several projects in the theme of youth participation.
Alaniska feels that her own hobbies have greatly accelerated her own career. With the experience gained from Mukula's projects, he was able to work at the Sibelius Academy in Seinäjoki, which is now part of the University of the Arts. He worked as a designer of the ESR project. At Into Seinäjoki Oy, Alaniska implemented ESF and ERDF structural fund projects. Alaniska has also worked in the city of Seinäjoki in the Leader project, where Kaleva Naveta's operating model was developed.
- Nowadays I work as a coordinator at the University of Tampere at Seinäjoki University Center. Among other things, I do the payment applications for colleagues' EU projects, so now that side will be seen as well. The main themes in my working life have been regional development and culture, Alaniska sums up.
Cooperation with Liiver
When she was younger, Alaniska worked part-time for a while at Liiver. At that time, a new development strategy was being made and he was involved in the preparation of the youth focus, involving young people and finding out what issues the young people wanted to be included in the strategy.
In 2018, Alaniska was completing her degree as a full-time student when she heard that a position on the board of Liiver had opened up for a resident member of Seinäjoki. At that point it was a good opportunity to go along, because at that moment he had no commitments elsewhere. Joining Liiver's board brought an interesting hobby to life and a new perspective on development activities.
In 2022, Alaniska served as the chairman of the Leisure and hobbies working group in Liiver's strategy work. The picture is of the meeting of the working group at Kaleva Barn.
Valuable regional development
When it comes to regional development, Alaniska is fascinated by influencing her own residential area and its operations. In Alaniska's opinion, being involved in the development is meaningful and it binds people to the area.
- Thinking on a national or global level, our area is a small part. But the same megatrends, such as the sustainability crisis, digitalization or security, affect our region and they are also reflected in Liiver's strategy. Liiver's funding enables operators in our region to find ways to influence and live in the countryside in the midst of all these changes.
Alaniska has worked in several regional development organizations and feels that Leader funding plays a significant role in terms of the development of the entire province. In his opinion, Leader activities enable significant grassroots development in the region.
- Leader financing is a real attainable opportunity for small operators, such as communities and small entrepreneurs, compared to many other EU financing instruments.
Alaniska sees that Liiver's role has grown in recent years, especially in the field of business development and business financing. Liiver's corporate subsidies are a significant form of financing that can be used to provide financing to operators and things that no one else offers financing for.
Funding also plays a huge role in the association interface. The financing enables the development of the third sector in the region. The young people, on the other hand, learn to influence the region in Liiver's youth division and by applying for Nuoriso-Leader grants.
Leader funding has a great impact on the region's vitality and development.
- Even if we can increase the share of KV projects, we will also be able to have a stronger influence on the internationalization of the Liiver region.
Alaniska wonders whether Liiver's role will change in the future, in addition to financing activities for others.
- Even though CAP cuts were saved, the general economic situation is so challenging that it is good to find other supports for Liiver's operations outside of CAP funding. I believe that Liiveri will be a desired partner when our operational strategy opens up to cooperating parties.
From the presidency, Alaniska expects, for example, the autumn Rural Parliament and a topical meeting with the ELY center.
- I hope that with the chairmanship, an even deeper understanding of rural finance will open up for me.