For ten years, Joanna Persson has worked with Leader – from administration at the Swedish Board of Agriculture to her current role as an administrator and project coach at Leader Östra Skåne and Leader Skåne Mitt Nordväst. Over the years, she has encountered countless people, ideas, and projects – and has come to realize that the job is anything but monotonous.
Here, Joanna talks about the regulatory jungle that confronted her in the beginning, the project she still remembers fondly, and why working with local development continues to surprise and inspire after ten years.
Do you remember your first time within Leader – what surprised you the most about the job?
I remember my first time as an administrator of Leader at the Swedish Board of Agriculture. There, the administration involved reviewing the processing that a leader administrator had done of certain controls, as well as checking and documenting certain parts that need to be handled according to EU requirements for the managing authority for the support. I remember how overwhelming I found all the regulations that one needed to relate to. A jungle of heavy regulations and directives – I was not prepared for that!
What has made you stay for ten years?
It is undoubtedly the variety in the work of being able to take part in different projects; no day at work is boring! Each project has its unique structure and its own conditions based on where it is intended to be implemented. It is inspiring to be a part of local development and to see small ideas grow and develop into large and significant efforts for the countryside both locally, regionally, nationally, and sometimes internationally.
Then there is also something special about the pride in seeing people build something based on their shared idea. The Leader method and leader projects are a good example of how community in the countryside does not have to stay in the local area but can inspire many to either do the same thing or something similar.
Is there any project or meeting from these years that you remember particularly well? Why?
One project that I particularly remember is a project where a local heritage association was to establish a hiking trail between the villages in the surrounding area. The application itself was not so complicated or extensive, but at that time I was the administrator of payment applications, and then the focus shifted.
This project was led by a group of people whose average age was 85 years, which was a bit challenging since everything had to be handled digitally. I clearly remember how I found it challenging at the time to explain which documents were approved for disbursing money and which were not; for example, they could not understand why they did not receive compensation for the beer served with the grilled lunch sausage during their workdays. At that moment, it was challenging, but now with perspective, I look back on that project fondly. Just think of the energy this project group must have had to be able to bring the project to fruition! Because they did, they achieved all their goals, and the project yielded the results they had expected and more. Wonderful indeed!
What do you think many do not know about the job as a leader administrator?
Above all, I want to debunk the myth that it is ”monotonous and boring” to be an administrator. As a leader administrator, it is a constant development work to stay updated with everything in the environment that can affect the work: updated rules or working methods based on the guidelines from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (since they are the managing authority), local follow-ups of the leader areas' achievement of their local development strategies that affect which types of projects need to be prioritized, the various challenges of the projects along the way as the projects are implemented (we all remember the price increase on, for example, building materials during the Corona pandemic when everyone was building wooden decks and home pools instead of flying abroad) and not to forget, changes within the municipalities' organizations and also the political situation that actually governs the direction. Daily challenges can be anything from valuing a used mobile stage, to calculating reasonableness in complicated expenses related to an application, or understanding the difference between a project and regular operations for the one running the project. Much bureaucracy but also a lot of thought experiments, ingenuity, and problem-solving – things that contribute to an exciting everyday life.
You meet many people with ideas – what have you learned from them over the years?
That it is stagnant in the countryside – that is probably the biggest prejudice that is repeatedly debunked through the work with the leader method! It may seem like it is stagnant, but in that stillness, dissatisfaction is born which leads to motivation and collective strength to change, develop, and create conditions for the opposite together.
What is special about the leader method compared to other ways of working with local development?
I would say that it is the local knowledge and grassroots perspective. In the local boards sit representatives from the non-profit, private, and public sectors who have a clear connection to the area and their competencies and experiences constitute a broad bank of understanding for the specific area's opportunities and challenges.
The people who live and work in a place know best the conditions and areas for improvement of that place that give them the conditions to, in broad cooperation between non-profit, private, and public forces, be able to build projects that become long-term and sustainable over time.
If you were to give advice to someone who is walking around with an idea for their community – what would you say?
Contact your leader office! All ideas are welcome and each office can help with tips and advice to get support for their idea. It may not always fit as a leader project, but then the leader office has knowledge of where to turn with their idea to other funding opportunities.
And finally: what are you most proud of after ten years with Leader?
I am proud to see what Leader contributes to, both locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Furthermore, I feel proud when someone – whom I did not expect – says that they have heard of Leader and wonders if their perception of it is correct. Many times when I have explained what I work with, I get responses: Wow, that sounds like so much fun! And I am proud to be able to answer yes to that statement and actually mean it.
