Good Practice - Project
The Estonian and Finnish Band Camp project
LEADER project legacies recorded by music-based cooperation between young people from Estonia and Finland.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Beneficiary type
- Non-governmental organisation
Summary
'FinEst Band Camp' was a LEADER cooperation project between Estonia and Finland offering young people a unique opportunity to combine musical development with international experiences. The project provided instruments, instructor fees and workshops to improve participants' musical skills. Cultural exchange and friendships were fostered by creating a youth band from Estonian and Finnish musicians. The project also involved participating in musical events on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia, alongside cultural activities that broadened the understanding of Finnish and Estonian cultures.
FinEst Band Camp facilitated connections between Estonian and Finnish music instructors, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing. As a virtual event, the project featured a recording night where the LEADER youth band professionally recorded their musical story. Overall, each FinEst Band Camp successfully enhanced musical skills, developed teamwork and performance through ensemble participation, cultivated international friendships and cultural understanding, inspired young people to pursue music and fostered internationalisation within participants' local communities.
Results
LEADER’s success here can be measured by the durability and sustainable impact of results. The project's legacy lives on. It helped form a new band in Saaremaaa, provided lifelong musical experiences to almost 250 young people, and ensured continued musical opportunities for future generations.
Measurable results included:
- 245 young people participated in the camps and 97 adults were involved.
- 14 band schools were established in different parts of the island during the project.
- Four international band camps (2 in Finland and 2 in Estonia).
- One virtual band camp.
- One band in Saaremaa was formed during the project.
Findings from project reflections provide additional results highlighting useful points for similar transnational cooperation (TNC) and youth funding, e.g. the sustainability of these projects hinges on their capacity to create a lasting impact, as evidenced by continued youth engagement in civic activities beyond the project's lifespan.
Promoter
Saarte Koostöökogu NGO
Funding
Total project cost: 110 000 (EUR)
EAFRD: 79 200 (EUR)
National/Regional: 19 800 (EUR)
Private/own: 11 000 (EUR)
Ressourcen
Context
Good practice approaches to youth support work in rural Europe foster the development and well-being of young people in their communities. A key aspect of these approaches is the necessity of following and measuring success, which provides a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of various initiatives. In rural Europe, where resources may be limited and access to services can be challenging, establishing clear metrics enables practitioners to identify what works best for their specific context. This data-driven approach enhances accountability and ensures that interventions are tailored to meet the unique needs of youth in different rural environments.
In the context of making rural Europe more attractive to younger generations across Europe, EU funding initiatives must be grounded in measurable objectives. By establishing clear metrics for success, e.g. youth engagement rates, employment outcomes, or community resilience indicators, EU funding bodies can assess the efficacy of projects targeting young people. These metrics enable stakeholders to understand which strategies yield positive results and warrant further investment.
LEADER projects have accumulated a considerable body of experience in youth work over the last three decades. LAGs continue to help document and understand the success factors of rural youth support through project experiences and shared best practices. A transnational cooperation (TNC) LAG initiative connecting young people from Estonia and Finland used the medium of music to expand the LEADER community’s collective knowledge base about measuring the actual rural development potential from this type of youth project funding.
Objectives
Using the arts as a rural development tool to better understand and tackle youth depopulation pressures was a core, overriding aim for the cooperation activities in this LEADER-funded project.
It would apply a music-based community development approach to providing platforms that empower rural young people and foster their confidence in civic engagement.
Success indicators would be demonstrated by increased participation among youth and the development of leadership skills through collaborative music-making, which would enhance individual capacities to advocate for their communities’ interests.
Specific objectives sought to:
- Teach young people entrepreneurship and how to promote their music and concerts.
- Create opportunities for young people to perform, developing their self-confidence and teamwork skills.
- Inspire more young people to play in a band and to continue it in the future.
- Motivate music teachers to establish professional contacts with colleagues in partner countries.
- Help young people interact more internationally and share experiences of playing music together.
Activities
Project actions focused on young people from rural areas, who had the opportunity to pursue their interests, experience creating a band, learn from cooperation, start transnational and local friendships, and communicate with young people from other parts of Europe who share the same interests.
Music teachers participated in the TNC capacity building camps with young people and peers from outside Estonia. The target group purposely involved band school instructors from the LAG areas, who could communicate and share their knowledge with one another. A network like this was formed in Saaremaa. It can be considered a critical success indicator because it represents the establishment of supportive networks that facilitate ongoing, durable dialogue and collaboration among participants. These networks not only strengthen interpersonal relationships but also promote a shared sense of identity and belonging within rural communities of common interest.
Main project activities in Saaremaa involved regular band schools, weekly instrument lessons with professional instructors and organising international band camps.
A collaborative virtual recording night took place, where the activities took place simultaneously, but virtually, in recording studios in Saaremaa (Estonia) and Evijärvi (Finland).
Project activities were designed to yield measurable outcomes in youth support work, demonstrating how stakeholders can more effectively navigate the complexities associated with rural depopulation while ensuring that resources are utilised efficiently and effectively.
Main results
LEADER’s success here can be measured by the project’s durability and sustainable impact. The project's legacy lives on. It helped form a new band in Saaremaa, provided lifelong band experience to almost 250 young people, and ensured continued musical opportunities for future generations.
Project conclusions highlighted the benefits of involving rural school pupils who are interested in music but do not study at a music school, and providing them with the opportunity to develop skills in their area of interest in their hometown.
Measurable results included:
- 245 young people participated in the camps and 97 adults were involved.
- 14 band schools were established in different parts of the island during the project.
- Four international band camps (2 in Finland and 2 in Estonia).
- One virtual band camp.
- One band in Saaremaa was put together during the project.
Participants learned about travelling to new places and travelling in a group. For many children, the camp was the first trip abroad, at least without parents.
Findings from project reflections provide more qualitative results highlighting useful points for similar TNC and youth funding, e.g. sustainability of these projects hinges on their capacity to create a lasting impact, evidenced by continued youth engagement in civic activities beyond the project's lifespan. By evaluating these indicators comprehensively, stakeholders can gain a deeper understanding of how music serves as a transformative tool for nurturing confident young leaders committed to enriching civic life for themselves and their rural communities.
Key lessons
- Music-based community development projects can serve as popular platforms for empowering young people and fostering their confidence in civic engagement.
- LEADER’s TNC projects provide opportunities for achieving local development outcomes that could not have been achieved by working alone and these results can be analysed to help inform even more scope for future synergy from TNC.
- ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.’ Good practice approaches to LAG youth support work in rural Europe hinge upon the principles of following and measuring success. These methodologies not only enhance LEADER effectiveness but also empower communities by ensuring that interventions are responsive to the realities faced by young people. Ultimately, prioritising measurable outcomes contributes significantly to building resilient rural societies capable of supporting their youth in achieving their fullest potential.
- Qualitative measures such as participant feedback can provide insights into youth empowerment goals like personal growth and enhanced self-esteem.
Terje Aus