{"id":4604,"date":"2026-05-30T13:19:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lokalutvecklingsverige.se\/?p=4604"},"modified":"2026-05-30T13:29:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:29:33","slug":"sa-mycket-mer-an-siffror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lokalutvecklingsverige.se\/en\/sa-mycket-mer-an-siffror\/","title":{"rendered":"So much more than numbers!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Today during the Rural National Assembly on May 30, 2026, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth organized the seminar <em>\u201cSo much more than numbers \u2013 the civil society's contribution to rural development\u201d<\/em>. The seminar highlighted how the contributions of civil society can be made visible \u2013 both in terms of measurable results and values that are not always quantifiable. Through research, practice, and examples, it was discussed how methods, stories, and collaboration can contribute to a more accurate picture of the significance of civil society.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Speakers\/contributors:<\/strong> Carin Persson and Evelina Selander (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), Veronica Strandh (Ume\u00e5 University), Andreas Gylling (Kramfors Municipality), Anna \u00d6hman (Federation of Community Centers), Ann-Charlotte Th\u00f6rnblad (Local Development Sweden)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1>The role of civil society in rural development and preparedness<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to a study by WSP, civil society contributes with community-supporting values through voluntary engagement and associations \u2013 values that are not always visible in economic measures. In 2019, over 4 million voluntary efforts were made, corresponding to approximately 735 million hours.<\/p>\n<p>Veronica Strandh (Ume\u00e5 University) highlights the central role of civil society in crisis preparedness. Civil society contributes to managing crises and strengthening local resilience. Preparedness is about enhancing the community's willingness and ability to act. Civil society often compensates for the absence of the state, and there is a \u201cbubbling of local development energy,\u201d even though resources, mandates, and long-term structures are sometimes lacking. In crises, civil society often acts as the first response, especially in areas with long distances and limited services. Physical meeting places and local self-sufficiency are central resources.<\/p>\n<h3>Collaboration and working methods<\/h3>\n<p>The breadth of civil society needs to be better utilized, which is also highlighted as part of the Leader method.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1>The value of civil society<\/h1>\n<p>The panel discussed, among other things, \u201d<strong>Why, when, and for whom do we need to describe the values of civil society?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The need arises particularly in decisions, financing, and policy. At the same time, the challenge is that many values are difficult to measure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dIt&#039;s a bit jarring when you need to translate our value and people&#039;s commitment into numbers,\u201d notes Ann-Charlotte Th\u00f6rnblad, chairwoman of Local Development Sweden.<\/p>\n<h2>Working with and following up on values<\/h2>\n<p>To make civil society's efforts visible, the following is needed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>focus on both results and process<\/li>\n<li>clarification of activities<\/li>\n<li>transparency and pride<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is not enough with \u201chard numbers\u201d \u2013 stories and qualitative values need to be included. At the same time, there is uncertainty about which values carry the most weight in calls and assessments.<\/p>\n<h2>Storytelling and use of results<\/h2>\n<p>Storytelling is highlighted as a central tool for making results understandable and useful. It is crucial not only to measure but also to understand how the results can be used in practice.<\/p>\n<h2>Need for development<\/h2>\n<p>There is a clear need for methods that can make both measurable and immeasurable values in civil society visible.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1>Goals and ways forward<\/h1>\n<p><strong>What do we want to achieve, and how do we get there?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Working methods and processes are crucial \u2013 and it is the path to the goal that creates the conditions. The work needs to be simple, clear, and relevant.<\/p>\n<p>Veronica Strandh, Ume\u00e5 University, emphasizes that the significance of the place is crucial. Local conditions affect which solutions work and must be taken into account in all development work.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1>Concluding reflection<\/h1>\n<p>The seminar shows that the contribution of civil society to rural development is absolutely essential for preparedness and resilience throughout Sweden and not just in the cities. To make the value of civil society visible, a combination of methods, stories, and collaboration is required.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201dIt&#039;s a bit jarring when you need to translate our value and people&#039;s commitment into numbers,\u201d notes Ann-Charlotte Th\u00f6rnblad, chairwoman of Local Development Sweden.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":4607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nyheter"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>S\u00e5 mycket mer \u00e4n siffror! 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