Sketch summary on the development program “Kasvusta voimaa” - “Strength from growt” for years 2007-2013

(based on the program delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on 29 September 2006)

1 Organising the work of operative teams during the programming period of 2007-2013

The vision of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu (“Growth of North Kymi”) regarding the state of the countryside in 2013 and the strategy derived from the vision are based on the material produced by nine theme groups. The material from the theme groups is supplemented by village plans, surveys among interest groups, and feedback from the program work group and the Administrative Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu.

The material grouped according to the nine themes is plentiful and varied. The Administrative Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu prioritised the tasks while it classified the actions to be undertaken into five focus areas. This prioritising shows in the classification of the financing as well, and in the venture selection criteria.

1.1 Vision of the Pohjois-Kymenlaakso countryside in the year 2013

The countryside of Pohjois-Kymenlaakso is viable and attractive as a residential environment. The countryside close to urban areas offers a comfortable place to live also for those who work outside the area. Due to the shortcut railway line, Pohjois-Kymenlaakso is an alternative to consider seriously for domicile by those, too, who commute to the metropolitan area of the Capital.

Varied and pure nature, a rich cultural heritage and the central location all offer many opportunities for finding new sources of income and leisure activities, and they also offer a welcoming residential environment for permanent inhabitants, those owning holiday-homes, those moving into the area, and tourists. The changes in the operating environment make possible the increase of enterprising in the areas of eg. well-being, cultural and leisure services and forestry. There are people of different ages living in the area and jointly developing the area with the long-term view in mind. There is an old-fashioned sense of community in the local villages. The social capital in the local villages makes it easier for newcomers to enter the communities. The public image of the Pohjois-Kymenlaakso countryside is positive.

1.2 Chosen strategy

The strategy rests on the basis developed in the programming period 2000–2006 (see attachment 1). During the programming period 2000–2006, there were basic refurbishments done in village halls, for example, where it is now possible to develop new forms of services under the leadership of either businesses or societies. The creation of village plans has been started. In the future, they will be made more versatile by new sections, for example those on village zoning and business plans. Village economy has been boosted by a pilot venture, and later on, it will be included into the village plans. Country living has been improved by enhancing the basic infrastructure, restoring the landscape and activating the production of high-quality leisure services. Moving to the countryside forms a new part of country living, and it also includes local travel. In ventures for developing industries and businesses, the focus is on micro-level enterprising (no limitations on lines of industry), especially enterprising in the field of well-being.

The starting point is that rural villages in Pohjois-Kymenlaakso are mainly places to live in, while working largely takes place outside the home village. New businesses appear eg. in the areas of services production, bioenergy production, forestry, and production work based on micro-level enterprising (like subcontracting).

1.2.1 Focus areas:

Work towards the vision presented in the program takes place by means of the following focus areas and example-like activities (more detailed prospective ventures are shown later, presented per axis and action in the rural development program):

Country living and moving to the countryside

Promote country living and especially moving to the countryside in Pohjois-Kymenlaakso. The concept of country living encompasses permanent residents, the using of leisure homes as second homes, and moving to the countryside. The target groups for moving to the countryside are those moving back to the area, the leisure home owners, and those moving into the area without prior ties there.

• supporting the creation of landscape management plans
• management agreements for traditional biotopes
• increasing the comfort of living through restoration measures on the environment and landscape
• repair village halls and build new ones for service, conference and leisure activities
• restore local sights (eg. tourism)
• restore water courses
• create rural development programs for eg. restoring the environment
• create a housing lot agent system in each municipality (each village)
• arrange training for the housing lot agents
• create a comprehensive housing lot pool in the Internet to cover the required villages, municipalities and regions
• arrange counseling in villages on how to make their own internet pages
• create a regional village portal (possibly with some other funding)
• create a close-to-earth mode of operation to provide, village-specifically, services for those who move back
• market the Pohjois-Kymenlaakso countryside for suitable target groups: those moving back, tourists, summer residents

Developing the industries

Developing the industries. Country living is promoted also by the creation of new employment opportunities in eg. the lines of services and tourism, forestry, and the production of bioenergy. The public, private and third (associations) sectors cooperate to create services in the areas of well-being and assistance under the leadership of entrepreneurs or associations in the rural villages.

• by funding development ventures for different industries (micro-level enterprising, ventures for different branches of industry)
• by funding business ventures (those with connections to farms, and those without connections to farms)
• by creating business networks (specific to type of industry, between several types of industry, between regions, and international networks)
• by funding the creation of profitability studies (business plan and profitability calculations)
• by promoting the creation of new products and new services in businesses
• arrange training for marketing the locality
• put together village tour packages of different contents for different target groups for purposes of tourism

Promoting the restructuring of services

Promote the restructuring of services. On the levels of village, municipality and region, harmonise the service production of public, private and third sectors, especially as regards well-being and also leisure services contributing to the feeling of comfort.

• by promoting the creation of village-specific multifunctional service points
• by promoting the creation of new modes of operation in the service sector: thrive to harmonise the services produced by the public sector, private sector and the third sector
• by promoting services based on micro-level enterprising in the form of eg. services on wheels
• by promoting, on regional level, the dispatching of village services via the Internet and a permanent service location (separate ESR funding can be applied for to finance the dispatch organisation)
• by supporting the creation of new cultural and other leisure events and promoting their networking

Promoting the development of a resident-oriented countryside

Promote the development of a resident-oriented countryside by eg. training on village planning and project work. Increasing the human resources, ie. mental capital, in the area.

• by supporting the creation and updating of village- and municipality-specific village plans
• by encouraging the registrations of village committees
• by promoting the creation of village-specific Internet pages
• by arranging training on resident-oriented development work
• by promoting participatory planning by arranging informative and activating events on resident-oriented development work
• by attracting new players into the resident-oriented development work
• by providing statements and by participating in the creation of regional and provincial programs

Promoting networking and partnering:

Promotion of networking and partnering internationally, nationally, provincially and regionally. Increasing of the social capital in the area.

• by encouraging those who work to develop the countryside to network on municipal, regional, provincial, national and international levels
• by promoting the networking of ventures through arranging eg. venture “dates” and village road shows
• by promoting the dialogue between villages, municipalities, the region and the province through eg. arranging, together with other rural organisations, public discussions, development seminars etc. between the villages, municipalities, the region and the province.

The grounds for the selected strategy: the attractions of Pohjois-Kymenlaakso are the varied and pure nature, rich cultural heritage, and location.

The number of people potentially ready to move to the countryside increases as the baby-boomer age cohort retires. Thus, there are people available to develop the countryside – in good condition, ready to participate, and skilled in many fields. The know-how and taxes of the leisure-time residents can be utilized in the leisure home municipalities due to the dual municipal citizenship, well feasible. Commuting increases, which makes country living possible even if employment opportunities were located in the nearby towns or in the metropolitan area near the capital.

The movement to the countryside also brings some new cash flow into the area and increases the consumer demand. There are new taxpayers, and the incomes and pensions of the people moving in increase the consumer demand. High-speed broadband connections make it possible for businesses to be located in the countryside, and increase the opportunities for remote work.

In addition to farming, it is possible to create small cash flows into eg. the production of biofuels and contracting in forestry. There are more opportunities for enterprising as municipalities outsource and privatise their services in the fields of well-being and assistance services. The new service needs can be fulfilled by micro-level entrepreneurs who do not have any connections to farming. The tax deduction on domestic services increases the demand of the services, especially when the redoubling of the deduction in case of nursing care work is implemented.

The attitudes towards countryside, moving to the countryside, and remote work have become more positive. Countryside is considered a safe and good environment for living especially by families with children, even though some rural schools have been closed down.

The rents and the prices of housing lots and homes are higher in the metropolitan area and in other cities than they are in the rural areas. A house by a lake is well reachable in Pohjois-Kymenlaakso, whereas the same amount of money only suffices for a small apartment in the metropolitan area. The zoning of the unzoned land is seen in more positive light later when the public utilities (waste management, clean water) can be taken care of economically through water resources management cooperatives.

1.2.2 Prioritising of activities and funding

The Administrative Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu decided to apply for a funding frame of 5.125 million euros for the structural fund period 2007–2013. According to the decision of the Board, 45% of the frame will be used for communal ventures and 55% for the development of industries (direct business subsidies 35% and industry-related development ventures 20%).

The Board also made the decision on the break up of the funding frame per focus area according to the Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu development program. It notes the previously mentioned division by the Board between industry-related development and communal development. An operational fund for the office, 20% of the public funding frame, forms a section of its own:

                  
On 28 August, 2006, the Advisory Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu made the following decision on the values in the funding frame in percent and in euros per axis and action (table 17) according to the rural development program. This is based on the break-up of the funding frame according to the actions of the previously mentioned development program. 

The calculated municipal funding and private funding of Axis 2 have been compensated for in actions 313, 321, 322 and 323 of Axis 3

In addition, out of the funding frame, 100 000 euros are reserved for the coordination ventures of the operative team. By the coordination of efforts, it is possible to implement small ventures thought up by the young as well as small communal investments which are not feasible as individual projects due to project bureaucracy.

In the development plan, the goals have been set on the basis of a funding frame of 5.125 million euros (public subsidies). If the funding frame falls short of the amount applied for, the set target values will be lowered.

1.2.2.1 Venture selection criteria

When putting together the new program, initial thought was given to the new criteria based on the venture selection criteria of the programming period of 2000-2006. All ventures to receive funding must conform to the Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu development program, in other words, the ventures must promote the implementation of the Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu program.

program criteria:

• conformance to the rural development program and Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu development program
• effects on industries
• effects on equality (eg. the young, women and social and cultural equality)
• partnership
• networking
• positive environmental impacts
• funding applied/received elsewhere

venture-specific criteria:

• resident-orientation
• new operation
• feasible
• realistic: clearly defined goals and actions, goals reachable
• moderate costs
• implementing the assessment of the venture is included in the plan
• transferable

applicant criteria:

• the applicant has the required skills
• the applicant has the economic resources

The most important criterion, when defining the percentages of the subsidy, is the expected impact of the development venture on employment:

• ventures creating new employment opportunities directly
• ventures creating new employment opportunities indirectly
• extra bonus: innovation, partnership, networking, special attention on women and the young, positive environmental impacts
• communal investments: it is required that the venture is mentioned in the village plan

Venture selection criteria for international and inter-regional ventures

The starting point must be that international and inter-regional ventures add value to the industry-related or communal activity. In international ventures, it is required, in addition to the general requirements given above, that there are concrete, measurable benefits created for the target group which could not be created by ventures implemented in the respective operating area only. They can be impacts related to industries or communal impacts. Travel only, or development aid, will not be funded in international or inter-regional ventures. International activities and inter-regional ventures have their own, separate goals set in the program.

Preliminary subsidy levels:
Business ventures abide by the subsidy levels enabled by the law and commonly agreed for the area of the Employment and Economical Development Centre of South-Eastern Finland. This assures equal treatment of applicants of business subsidies regardless of which office they apply in. In development ventures, the subsidy levels will probably settle at about 45-55% for communal investments, at 50-75% for operative development ventures on the basis of the previously stated criteria, and at the maximum of 100% for pre-venture studies.

For strategic spearhead ventures, it is possible to use the maximum subsidy (100%) to ascertain the implementation of the program. The Board will, however, reserve the right to consider the subsidy percentages of development ventures case by case. An issue in the consideration of the subsidy percentages of ventures is that it is necessary to accrue private funding for 35% of the funding frame during the whole programming period.

The Administrative Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu will give more precise venture selection criteria as far as the subsidy percentages are concerned when the possible legal limitations relating to the rural development program are known and the size of its own funding frame is known.

The assumption is that venture funding will be competed for. The expectation is that the funding available will not suffice to cover all applicants. In that case, the Administrative Board of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu will prioritise the applications on the basis of the focus areas of its development program and the selection criteria given above. Priority will be given to business ventures and those development ventures which directly create new employment opportunities.

On the basis of the experience gained during this programming period when assessing funding applications, special attention will be paid on the organising of the financial administration, bookkeeping, availability of private funding, liquidity of the venture, and the content-related implementation of the venture. Temporary funding of ventures will not form a problem, if the present practice (temporary municipal venture loans) is implemented in the period of 2007–2013 as well.

The risk analyses of the ventures of the programming period of 2000–2006 and the means to minimise the risks in the period of 2007–2013 are presented on page 103.

1.3 Selected goals

1.3.1 Goals and measures of the development program:

The goal of the Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu development program is to keep the Pohjois-Kymenlaakso countryside inhabited and viable and to increase the well-being of the people in the area. The means to reach this goal include creating new opportunities of finding livelihood; and they also include nurturing the positive aspects related to rural life and especially to moving to the countryside, to the well-being and assistance services in the villages, to the leisure services and the living environment. The development plan and its goals are implemented by all ventures funded by Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu (its own Leader funding frame) as well as by matters implemented with other funding.

The goals listed below are set with the assumption that the public subsidy of Pohjois-Kymen kasvu is 5.125 million euros (incl. EU, state and municipal funds). If the frame falls below the target applied for, the target values of the goals will be lowered. The monitoring of the goals is handled, in addition to the official indicator form, with an indicator form from Kasvu. In addition still, the monitoring of the operation of any activating ventures and the office is done with an indicator form from the office, beside the official indicator forms.

Table 1. Table on goals of the Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu development program, itemised according to the sections in the program (a summary of goals in attachment 5, presented per axis and action in the rural development program)

Goals 2007-2013

1.3 Residents’ ideas for the contents of the program of Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu ry

Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu collected tentative venture ideas for the new development program from the residents of its rural operational area. Tentative venture ideas were created in theme groups which worked out practical actions, after a SWOT analysis, to utilise the strengths of the present and the opportunities of the future and to avert the present weaknesses and future threats. In addition, tentative venture ideas were collected in public events, with a survey through the post, the district-level discussion forum Seutukäräjät (“district court”), and via the Internet site. The total number of tentative venture ideas climbed up to 206.

The tentative venture ideas have been initially grouped as examples according to the axes and actions of the rural development program. The operative team keeps the complete list of the tentative venture ideas as a separate document. Issues intended to be promoted during the next programming period but for which the Leader funding frame is not available, are in a separate list kept by the operative team.

Axis 1: Improving competitiveness for farming and forestry

5.3.1.2 Requirements on actions for restructuring and developing physical capital and promoting innovation

• Action 123 Increasing value of agricultural and forestry products:
  business and development ventures:
  • processing natural products, much material to be collected, networking, marketing etc.
  • processing of functional foods
  • developing local specialties of farms, mills etc., networked marketing of local domestic products (wines, jams, bread, flour, caps, shirts, rugs etc.)
  • preproject study of energy-related enterprising: mapping the entrepreneurs, an energy-enterprising circle to cover the complete chain from the forest to the forestry services and consumers
  • local heat-related enterprising ventures as development ventures which drive up the operation in one boiler house
  • a lobbying venture to develop biofuels: eg. increasing the farming of oliferous plants required for eco-diesel; training for farmers, networking, facts for decision makers to set taxation in order; for the research and development of equipment
  • power companies basing their operation on the production and use of biofuels
  • wood processing, new products, pure firewood grown in pure soil for America

• Action 124 Cooperation between agriculture and food industry and forestry to develop new products, methods and technologies
  business and development ventures:
  • developing the technologies for eco-energy (production and use based on local raw materials)
  • developing the technologies (based on local raw materials) for businesses in the food industry

Axis 2: Improving the state of the environment and countryside

5.3.2.1 Requirements on actions on sustainable use of agricultural land

• Action 214 Environmental subsidies of agriculture, special subsidy agreements of environmental subsidies: managing traditional biotypes in cases where the applicant is not an individual farmer
  • a unified village landscape where landowners are parties other than farmers: activation, counseling, creation of management plans, writing agreements (eg. with village associations as applicants)

• Action 216 Non-production investments: founding multi-impact wetlands, initial clearing and fencing of traditional biotypes
  • initial clearing and fencing in areas where there are the traditional biotype management plan and agreement in place
  • founding of possible wetlands

Axis 3: Improving quality of life in rural areas and diversification of the rural economy

5.3.3.1 Requirements on actions for diversifying the rural economy

• Action 311 Diversification of farms (extending economic activities outside agriculture)
  business and development ventures:
  • eco-energy cooperatives and companies: processing the produce of the farm: field and forest (ethanol, eco-diesel, wood, sun, wind, geothermal heat, inverters etc.)
  • alternative forms of energy: eco-energy enterprising: heating and traffic (eg. wood chip, eco-diesel enterprising)
  • ”water sheiks”
  • nursing care farms for different target groups (”nature therapy”) as business ventures: marginalised youth, drug abusers, those in rehabilitation due to reasons of mental health, the elderly
  • diversified entrepreneuring
  • village lumber jacks
  • forestry services entrepreneurs
  • winter storage for boats etc.
  • farm tourism: eg. investments on and development of cabin accommodation
  • investments on B&B or higher level accommodation (inn-type operation, rides on horse carriages, learning about the everyday life on a farm etc.)
  • entrepreneurship on nature tourism
  • specialising in eco-tourism

• Action 312 Starting and developing micro-level enterprises (under 10 man-yrs)
  Business ventures:
  • pet hotels, small animal homes (personalised services for all pets)
  • enterprising in the field of culture, enterprising in the field of leisure services
  • supporting the existing cooperatives in their development work
  • ”marketing contractor”: outsourcing the marketing of small scale businesses and cooperatives to professionals
  • ”modern village smiths”
  • boat janitor, storage (empty rooms for good use), transportation services for boats (channel on wheels from lake to lake)
  • helper for rent, summer house caretaker, village helper, repairman, IT-janitor (IT specialist)
  • stand-in services / skilled specialists of the countryside, multiskilled people
  • security services
  • domestic services, domestic cleaning persons etc.
  • enterprising in the field of forestry services (eg. counseling and contracting)
  • building maintenance services
  • multiple services on wheels, domestic services are taken to the villages so that the elderly can live at home as long as possible
  • nursing care services for children, the elderly and other special groups
  • local service and repair of agricultural equipment
  • restoration specialist
  • enterprising in the field of tourism (nature tourism, accommodation etc.)

Industry-related ventures to promote micro-level enterprising

•  
  • activating micro-level enterprising, networking and counseling and training on business subsidy systems
  • new ideas for the reuse of farm buildings: the services should be of first class, training in the villages
  • a venture on nursing care services (eg. map the accommodations suitable for the purpose in the villages as well as the entrepreneurs: possible investments as business subsidies)
  • a networking venture of entrepreneurs in the field of well-being: eg. possibly establishing a nursing care cooperative
  • a venture on hired-hand services, village or cabin janitors: info circle for possible entrepreneurs, mapping of customers, joint marketing
  • a venture on a new type of enterprising: eg. a farm gas station (eco-diesel, ethanol), village smith or artistic forging
  • making more effective the marketing of small (1–3 persons) businesses
  • networking of those with manual skills: product development, individual models, local or home-produced materials, a forwarding organisation for the products
  • supporting entrepreneurship: creating micro-level enterprising networks and training them (business subsidies etc.) across municipal boundaries, counseling of micro-level businesses
  • business tutors, mentoring
  • self-sustaining village in power production (heat, traffic, electricity etc.), eco-lifestyle village
  • natural entrepreneur networks (natural = the entrepreneurs trust one another, their principles or values and attitudes are similar, their cooperation is straight-forward and easy)
  • gather professional builders (electrician, tile layer, bricklayer, carpenter etc.), extend to provide building services, turn-key principle to give the customer a ready-made house

• Action 313 Promoting tourist industry
  pre-venture studies:
  • clarifying the target groups of village tourism (people from the capital area, foreign groups from the area of St Petersburg etc.)
  • clarifying the tourism-related needs of the business guests of the local companies
  • tentative clarification of the existing accommodation capacity of the area

development ventures:

• venture to market the villages: joint marketing of several villages, make the supply visible using the Internet and direct marketing
• developing an Internet service portal: compile a data base on entrepreneurs concentrating on village tourism; the portal would contain information on entrepreneurs who offer accommodation, catering etc. services for the customer to choose from and to select the desired products and services
• building up the Kymenlaakso-theme: collect all services under one umbrella brand or concept
• networking of entrepreneurs in the line of tourism (accommodation-catering-program services)
• travel to villages for seminars and conferences: the village could create a conference package
• productisation of the rich history and culture of the area
• Russia in Pohjois-Kymenlaakso: eg. Russian menus, Russian history, ie. how Russia has impacted the history and culture of this area; the present day: what do we get from Russia today:
• raising the culinary traditions of the Kymenlaakso area
• productisation of snow shoe hikes
• developing nursing care/health tourism
• developing tourism to the wilderness
• nature tourism: noting nature tourism in connection of village tourism; eg. horse trails
• travel package around high-quality cultural events: accommodation, transportation, catering and program services for groups
• joint marketing of the nature tourism, village tourism etc. of the area
• travel ring/trip package  –models for villages
• guided village tours
• venture to develop and network eco-tourism communal investments (in the service of tourism)
• non-profit investments in tourism (trails for horseback riding, hiking, skiing):
• visitor docks for boats along the waterways, slides for lowering boats in
• snow mobile routes, cooperation of land owners

5.3.3.2 Requirements on actions relating to improving the quality of life in rural areas

• Action 321 Basic services for industries and the rural population (developing the basic services in the rural areas)
  • putting together and testing the ”services on wheels” operational model: village halls (+ even customer homes) form bases for mobile services: creating the network, marketing, try-outs in refurbished village halls (eg. mobile centrifugal apparatus for juice, beautician’s services, health care, banking, etc.)
  • a venture for forwarding village services: a register of producers of different services per village into the Internet, and a physical office for dispatching the services
  • a trial venture on the implementation of the rural development program: so called odd jobs in villages (incl. landscape management tasks)
  • continuous updating of the contact information of the service providers in the villages as the village plans are updated
  • networking of cooperative entrepreneurs and village services
  • possibly gym type exercising for the elderly and other recreational activities
  • improve the transportation services, transportation of persons and goods, car pools

leisure services (guarantee continuity and impacts on employment):

• venture on village services and hobbies of the young
• leisure activities for young adults
• cultural, sports and other hobbies
• courses on handicrafts and arts, marketed abroad as well
• guided tours into the wild, camps in the nature
• improving of nature know-how, eg. immigrants, tourists
• actions to maintain the mobility of the aging people by guided exercising (map, train, implement)
• orienteering on horseback: orienteering maps and terrains + starting point; field with a water outlet for those orienteering on horseback
• revitalising the youth’s interest in folk dancing

culture:

• productising of cultural events and travel packages, related ventures
• making drama possible as a hobby
• revitalising the dance hall culture
• subsidised cultural experiences in villages
• beach concerts, beach nights
• deeper information on the history of the parish (music, exhibitions, pictures, etc.)
• pr-work for country culture: highlighting the united area

communal investments:

• near-by sites for sports in the villages (beaches, sports fields)
• building/basic refurbishing of multi-functional service centers in the villages
• pedestrian and bike routes in the villages: more economical applications
• hike trail with exercising possibilities and experiences for people of all ages

• Action 322 Developing villages
  village planning:
  • creating village plans and updating the old ones with new sections:
  • finding committed leisure coaches for the needs of the villages, updating the village plans respectively
  • cooperation plans of village committees and associations
  • village zoning
  • venture to create a village plan for children and the young, create commitment among children and the young to help develop their home village
  • boxes for suggestions in the villages

regional networking:

•  
  • boosting cooperation between players in the same field
  • a common cultural coordinator who puts all the information together, the Internet pages (creators, events, exhibitions etc.)
  • a marketing venture to support the coordinating of events, networking (harmonising of time tables)
  • a joint marketing venture for Pohjois-Kymenlaakso rural areas
  • creative cultural circle with people who have expertise
  • networking the existing nature hikes and forest paths: development of operation, marketing
  • drama and plays: eg. local summer theatres networking and marketing jointly
  • joint Internet pages, eg. the ”the seven villages”- “ the kuntaseiska”,
  • an information pool on those with know-how: could give handicraft up for sale
  • practical cooperation among associations in Pohjois-Kymenlaakso
  • a regional networking venture: 1. seminar among “the seven villages” of “kuntaseiska”, what do we have where 2. the participants to visit one another 3. disregard of municipal boundaries, open events
  • different villages made visible in turns: presenting their activities, marketing the village

the young:

•  
  • committing the young to the countryside from the point of view of entrepreneurship (in the countryside, there are opportunities for entrepreneurs, potential people to move after graduation)
  • events for the young, eg. some kind of annual fair
  • introducing old working methods to the young
  • camps, including activities like paddling, games, play, sauna and swimming
  • drama (not only directing the younger ones!)
  • maintaining the prerequisites for active youth work in the village
  • acquainting the young with the traditional handicrafts, eg. workshops

living and moving to the countryside:

•  
  • welcome to the village: developing the reception services for new inhabitants, receiving the new inhabitants, first homes after moving, marketing the location
  • arranging Country home –events: open doors in villages, new and overhauled homes for perusal, supply of housing lots and other activities
  • housing fair of old homes
  • Fix the Kausala blocks: the residents in the Kausala blocks would work out block features for themselves; each block would get a name along the theme, and the characteristics would be highlighted: block of traditions, block of commerce, block of museums, block of rural ways
  • village tutor who guides those who move in to start a good life in the village
  • highlighting the country living by the River Kymijoki
  • encourage corrals (small ones with a few horses only) to move into empty farming centers in the rural areas

interaction between the rural and urban areas:

•  
  • camps for children, also children from the Capital to the country camps
  • cultural exchange with the nearby areas
  • networking venture: village associations and city district associations (with the regional center program)

communal investments:

•  
  • basic refurbishing of village halls: overhauls needed for operation where the operation has impacts on industries
  • common recreation locations
  • skating rinks in villages, eg. on a field, a baseball field, play ground
  • swimming beaches shared by villages
  • building of high-speed network connections (telecommunications)
  • old fashioned milk container pick-up spots rebuilt in every village
  • youth centers in the outlying villages (there are young people but not places for them to meet in)

• Action 323 Maintaining and nurturing the cultural and environmental heritage of the rural areas
  cultural heritage:
  • traditional local dialect of Pohjois-Kymenlaakso (training / saving the information)
  • increased appreciation of the Kymenlaakso culture and identity
  • village histories, village books, incl. also the dreams of the future (can be in electronic form if there is no funding available for printed versions)
  • the starting point for cultural work must be the utilisation of the local history and cultural heritage
  • keeping the old traditions related to horses
  • saving traditional handicrafts (sleigh blankets etc.), models
  • saving models for garments and different working techniques
  • collecting the cultural history on a CD
  • maintaining the traditional country skills: harvesting and threshing rye using the traditional methods
  • the River Pohjois-Kymijoki event (culture of cinema, culture of log floating with the related phenomena, collecting and saving information on these cultures)
  • environmental heritage:
  • a venture to restore the country landscape: managing the cultivated country landscape, strengthening and maintaining the country image
  • restoring water courses (shores becoming eutrophic, settling pools, wetlands)
  • restoring the old recreational sites: hill top swings, round game sites, village beaches, village hills
  • restoring the water routes: eg. Kimola channel
  • creating a database on traditional landscapes, traditional yards and historical gardens in the villages
  • pre-venture study of a type of activity: "pappilan ryytimaan kunnostus" - “restoring the herb garden at the vicarage”
  • waste management (development outside the population centers, a training video for the young/adults, information, skills and ease for the managing of waste, reutilisation as art/for benefit
  • environmental art in connection of events
  • self-built set-ups for public utility services: try out different ways
  • rural population centers comfortable, cherish the special features: focus on children and the young
  • restoring the cultivated landscape in the villages
  • help the villages in environmental protection and in planning the landscape management work
  • villages to map the ecologically valuable items and to create plans to manage them
  • a venture on ”the most beautiful road in Finland” (from Kelopirtti to Paljakka)
  • reaping reeds, dredging, protection of water courses
  • landscape management in outlying areas: roadside landscapes and landscapes by watercourses
  • utilisation of the rural development program in the management of public commodities (eg. landscape)
  • communal investments:
  • basic refurbishment of local buildings of cultural and historical value
  • restoring of natural environments of special landscape value
  • restoring of old recreational areas: locations open for all, recreational areas in the villages
  • making the roadside landscapes by the villages more interesting (environmental art, space art, lighting fixtures to highlight)
  • green zones in villages, parks, play grounds
  • restoring old yards (plants, cowsheds)

• Action 331 Training and know-how
  • Marketing training for the villages: under the theme of marketing the location
  • information to the people on the opportunities of cooperative activities
  • entrepreneur training for professionals in social welfare and health and players in the third sector
  • training in village planning in one’s own area, and a venture to support village associations in the planning of the economy and living
  • project training (if not with Sepra)
  • training for the young to decrease the polluting of nature
  • support and training to make Internet pages and update village plans
  • creating a strong culture for the older age groups to use the Internet

Axis 4: Leader

• Action 421 Inter-regional and international development work
  international cooperation:
  • specialists (a single narrow sector) in different countries, cooperation networks, business cooperation
  • putting together a nature village tour package based on peaceful nature and relaxed being
  • putting together a farm tour package based on the normal everyday life on a farm (eg. ecological travel for the Central-Europeans)
  • increasing the use of biofuels in Finland, good practices in use in Germany to adopt in Finland
  • putting together a network of Europeans interested in herbal dyes (collectors, dyers, handicraftsmen, sales organisation etc.)
  • cultural cooperation: creating networks of high-quality cultural events in the area, kindling cooperation with the corresponding foreign events (training, developing the events for foreign customers, product testing, marketing…)
  • an international development venture for village functions: eg. 10 villages from 3 countries
  • training in the usefulness of the forest: handicrafts out of natural materials (and cultivated plants), collecting materials, product development
  • a venture to train entrepreneurs in the field of tourism who want to enter the Central-European market: significance of nature and ecology oriented thinking for tourism, the needs of foreign tourists, etc.
  • exchange of best practices between micro-level entrepreneurs and family entrepreneurs in Central Europe, joint product development, marketing
  • a venture to provide globalisation training for and to develop small enterprises operating close to natural and national parks in the fields of accommodation, catering, guidance etc.
  • international nature guide venture: international trainee exchange
  • technique swaps of handicraftsmen, information exchange of artists working with reeds and willow twigs
  • development and marketing of hunting and fishing packages for foreigners
  • guided nature tours for foreigners: picking berries and mushrooms, fishing, cross-country skiing on ready-made tracks: packaging of Pohjois-Kymi skiing tracks, advertising them abroad
  • a mentor village from Central Europe or Finland: learning the language etc.
  • cooperation with the village committee of Iitti twin municipality Sor-From (Norway) or a corresponding body, and another Nordic and eg. an Estonian village committee: multinational villages and industries

Interregional ventures:

•  
  • a training package on project work with eg. Sepra: project planning, management etc.
  • training the elected persons of the operative teams in the locations of a couple of teams
  • a training venture for small tourist/food enterprises
  • a village planning venture with eg. Sepra
  • the River Kymijoki: a tourist venture together with Sepra
  • outdoor recreation routes (incl. horseback riding and snowmobiling routes): activating, planning, negotiating with landowners together with eg. Sepra

• Action 431 Operating fund
  • office of the operative team: activating ventures 2007–2013

1.5 Funding of the program

For the programming period of 2007–2013, Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu is applying for 5.125 million euros (incl. EU, state, municipal funds) for a funding frame as far as the public subsidies are concerned. When the private funding of the total programming period, 35% (about 2.7 million euros) is added to this, we get up to about 7.8 million euros in the total funding frame. Divided evenly per year, for the public subsidies, this makes about 732142 euros, and for the total funding frame, about 1 126 373 euros.

In the spring and summer of 2005, Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu held negotiations with the municipalities in its operational area about the municipal funding of the operative team for the programming period 2007–2013. Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu got written commitments from six municipalities concerning the municipal funding. (The written commitments concerning the municipal funding are attached to this program document.) In addition, the operative team has municipal funding available, unused in the ALMA program. The final amount of it will be known after the Employment and Economical Development Centre has made the last decisions on the final payments on the ventures late in the year 2006. The main part of this can be used to supplement the municipal funding of the programming period 2007–2013. If necessary, additional funding will be negotiated with the municipalities when the size of the funding frame available for Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu is known definitely (during the programming period of 2000–2006, the municipalities granted Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu an additional municipal sum of 250 000 euros).