Event report: Amaze Me LEADER 2017

In this report, Nicola Hill Programme Manager for Dumfries & Galloway LEADER tells us about the Amaze Me LEADER 2017 event. Dumfries & Galloway LEADER supported young people from the region to the attend the international event.

Amaze Me LEADER Finland 2017 was an international adventure seminar aimed at young people aged between 18 and 28. The event was hosted by five Local Action Groups around Lake Saimaa: Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu, Veej’jakaja, Rajupusu, Piallysmies and Lansi-Saimaa.

Lake Saimaa is situated in the southeast of Finland and is the largest lake in country, with over 14,000 islands and 13,700 kilometres of shore line. Subsequently, due to its unique geography, many businesses and communities are very isolated. 

The event brought 52 young people from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Scotland together to explore the rural landscape and meet rural entrepreneurs who develop businesses in this rural environment, and who have benefited from LEADER funding.

The objective of the event was to:

• Raise young people’s involvement in LEADER work
• Apply experimental education in promoting entrepreneurship skills among young people
• Enhance different kind of rural entrepreneurship by means of using experimental education methods
• Provide young people from rural areas with an opportunity to be involved in the development areas with similar
• Building networks between rural youth from Europe
• Promote cultural diversity awareness among young people

The adventure seminar was developed and delivered by students from the University of Applied Science of the south east of Finland as part of their degree course. Participants were separated into small teams, consisting of a mix of different nationalities. Teams drove around Lake Saimaa completing different tasks and activities organised by the local Leader Action Groups. Activities were kept a secret from the participants until the morning of each adventure when an ‘X-routes app’ was used to inform participants of the day’s activities.

This was a great opportunity for young people with an interest in rural economy to learn how businesses and communities around Lake Saimaa have adapted to rural life, and how they have made use of LEADER funding. Project visits varied from a visit to Saimaalife, a family who are making use of state of the art technology to develop a business running virtual tours around Lake Saimaa, to a small farm that has diversified into accommodating guests to participate in farm life.  Although projects varied greatly all projects shared the same theme of celebrating rural life and Finish culture around Lake Saimaa.

Participants were also provided with meals, accommodation and evening activities. This provided participants with some great experiences which further expand their experience of Finish culture. Participants tasted local produce and partook in a school lunch. They also stayed in huts, tents, village halls and even a school gymnasium. In the evenings they participated in traditional Finnish past times such as fishing, rowing, beach ball and saunas.

Teams were awarded points for activities completed, which added a competitive element to the event. An award ceremony was held on the final night where the overall winning team of the event was announced along with individual awards.

Nicola Hill, Programme Manager for Dumfries & Galloway LEADER attended the event with a number of LAG members to discuss a cooperation project with Finnish and Swedish partners. Dumfries & Galloway LEADER will now develop a transnational cooperation project with a view to delivering Amaze Me LEADER in August 2018 – linking nicely into Scottish Government’s Year of the Young Person. The project will also hopefully involve representatives from other LAG areas in Scotland and will invite young people from across Europe to attend. Watch this space!

To find out more about Dumfries & Galloway LEADER visit their website.