MILOU-Smart start

About the micro-support

MILOU-Smart start is the micro-support that can be applied for innovative initiatives where you, with joint efforts, want to create or implement something that takes advantage of your community's opportunities.

What can you apply for support for?

The projects can, for example, involve creating activities, new networks, meeting places, and events to strengthen community and engagement to increase the area's attractiveness and residents” quality of life. The initiatives can also involve developing new ”smart" solutions for the needs of rural areas. The initiatives should be innovative, inclusive, long-term, and implemented sustainably whenever possible.

Who can apply for support? 

Applicants can be an association, company in collaboration, or another organization operating within the geography of Kustlandet. 

How do you apply for support? 

To apply for support, you should use the application form that you can download via the button below. The application is emailed to us at the address stated on the form. Decisions on support are made by Kustlandet's decision committee for micro-support. We accept applications continuously as long as there is money left to distribute. Please feel free to contact us at the office for guidance and information on when your application should be submitted to be included in the next decision meeting. 

Flivik's community center

Within the sub-activity, the village association will create a community center at the harbor in Flivik. The village association is newly formed to create community and consensus around the area's development. To be able to arrange events, activities, and meetings, the village association wants to create a common gathering place. In the area, there is an old smithy that, with minor measures, could function as a gathering place. Within the sub-activity, the village association will reinforce walls and roof structure and replace the roof of the smithy with a suitable metal roof.

Dog park in Ramsdal

Within the sub-activity, the association will establish a dog park in Ramsdal. A grassy area in the residential area will be enclosed with a fence and equipped with benches and tables. With a dog park, there is the opportunity to exercise your dogs off-leash in a safe manner, without disturbing wildlife or dog-averse individuals. The purpose is for residents in the area and nearby, as well as visitors, to have a gathering point for dog owners and interested parties, and to create joint activities.

Start-up Gamleby theater

Within the sub-activity, the cultural association will start a theater activity for children and youth in Gamleby. They will conduct theater workshops two evenings a week that will be open to everyone who wants to participate. During these meetings, they will teach theater techniques, improvisational theater, music, and filmmaking, and create sets, props, and costumes. The children and youth participating will also be involved in the creative planning. In the activity, they will use modern technology and create sketches and films that will be posted on the cultural association's YouTube. Within the sub-activity, a stage for theater performances will also be built in the cultural house.

Make Sörån accessible

Within the sub-activity, the implementers, Figeholm's community association and Söråns friends, will make the increasingly overgrown Sörån more accessible. By cutting reeds, improved water flow, biodiversity, and a better environment for wildlife will be created. During the project period, workdays for reed cutting will be conducted within an area of 1500 sqm along a stretch of about 400 m of Sörån. Overgrown waterways are a concern that many places are affected by. Therefore, Söråns Vänner will also conduct an information day about reed cutting for the public and share their experiences, and the equipment will be available for loan.

Blackstad Rock 

Within the sub-activity, the community center association will broaden its activities and test a new type of event for the community center. Within the sub-activity, they will plan and arrange a rock concert in early April 2024. It is a new genre and target group that they believe can reach a large audience. The purpose of the initiative is to test what type of events can develop the activities and secure future income for operations and the possibility of more cultural activities. After the concert is completed, the outcome will be evaluated for continued business development.

Coast of Småland

Within the sub-activity, nine actors in the tourism industry focusing on nature tourism will collaborate to increase awareness of the northern Småland coast as a destination. They want to strengthen each other and the tourism industry in the geographical area under the name ”Coast of Småland,” and in the long term broaden collaboration with more actors. They will initiate place marketing with advertising in printed media that will be distributed during the event O-ringens visitors, which will take place in Oskarshamn in the summer of 2024. A logo and website for ”Coast of Småland” will be developed with information about the companies' activities. 

Art and culture festival in Lofta

Within the sub-activity, Lofta Caffé together with Lofta Hembygdsföreningen will create a culture festival that spans from June to August 2024. There will be seven concerts and five exhibitions and artist talks with established artists at Lofta Caffé. At the local heritage association, activities will include leaf craft, candy making, and Bronze Age walks. The summer program is a test to evaluate what type of cultural events visitors appreciate the most and how the collaboration can develop.

Active Blomstermåla 

The community association Blomstergruppen wants to contribute to the development of Blomstermåla and strengthen the community. Within the sub-activity, the association will create events for young people, families with children, and the elderly to strengthen community and contribute to more activities for an attractive countryside. They will organize an EPA meeting for youth at Blomstermåla's Folkets Hus parking lot with various activities for the target group. They will arrange a family day - Blomstermåla Day with entertainment and activities for all ages. A puzzle competition will also be held in Blomstermåla during the summer. All activities are open to everyone and there will be free admission. After the events, the outcomes will be evaluated and the goal is for them to become recurring activities.

Event venue WattenWerket

Within the sub-activity, the organizers will prepare a venue in Wattenverket for cultural events, music, and lectures. The association, which already organizes the Oknö Festival, now wants to offer events also during autumn, winter, and spring, as there is a high demand for more activities. The venue has not previously been used for public events but is deemed suitable for cultural and music events. The association plans to build a stage and renovate the venue to not only arrange cultural activities themselves but also offer it to schools, associations, and music groups.

Inspiration event for girls

Within the sub-activity, Nicole Sandoval will create an inspiration event for women in Oskarshamn Municipality. The purpose is to create a place, a context for women where they can inspire and support each other to dare to take space, regardless of background and experiences. It can involve everything from being inspired to new leisure activities or starting a business. Therefore, various speakers on relevant topics will be invited to the event. After the event, the plan is to continuously organize meetings for women so that the network continues to thrive.

Children's Day in Ålem

The parent cooperative that runs the preschool ETTAN will conduct an event in Ålem with entertainment and activities aimed at children and families. The purpose of the day is partly to highlight that the parent cooperative ETTAN has existed for 35 years, but above all to make the preschool visible locally and regionally and thereby secure the preschool's future. The event is also conducted to create more fun activities for families in the countryside. After the event, the outcome will be evaluated and the long-term goal is to increase interest in the preschool and the hope is to be able to run more events for families in the area.

Archaeology Week in Sulegång

The village of Sulegång has been inhabited for a very long time. Finds from human presence from 500 years before Christ have been discovered and most likely people lived here along the waterways already in the Stone Age. Now Sulegång Nature Center and Archaeologist Michael Dahlin, together with Baggetorp's community association, want to highlight the area's historical value and strengthen the local identity through an archaeology week with courses for both beginners and experienced. During the week, cultural walks and storytelling evenings will also be organized in Sulegång and Baggetorp.

Shakespeare in the countryside 

Mönsterås Jazz and Chamber Music Association is a local organizing association that wants to broaden interest in jazz, classical music, and folk/world music. In the summer of 2024, they plan to stage a reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing – with elements of music and drama – in Pataholm's garden. The aim is to make Shakespeare more accessible to residents and visitors in the countryside, while also strengthening the area's cultural profile. The project includes planning, preparation, and marketing of the performance, and if received well, more similar productions are planned.