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Briefly in English

The archipelago project Stepping Stones - Development plans for small islands started in September 2008 and ended on 31 October 2009. The PDF file can be viewed with Adobe Reader.

• Stepping Stones-projektets slutrapport (final report in Swedish, PDF)

About the project

The aim of the project is to develop the archipelago with a special emphasis on small islands that are without a permanent road connection with the mainland.

The islands of the project are Borstö (Nagu, Väståboland), Nötö (Nagu, Väståboland), Palva (Velkua, Naantali), Ruotsalainen (Rymättylä, Naantali) and Vänö (Dragsfjärd, Kimitoön).

These islands in Turku archipelago belong, since 1.9.2009, to new bigger unions of municipalities. The project will try to increase the islander's possibilities to influence and develop their environment. The basic idea is that the islanders should be encouraged to take active part in the new communities.

Village plans are going to be done in four or five so called pilot islands. The local islanders are doing their village plans together with the project leader and executive manager of FÖSS, National Association of Finnish Islands, Kristin Mattsson.

A model of participating will be tested on the islands which are part of the pilot project. The aim is to spread the model, and in the future, to get more islands apart from the islands in Turku archipelago, interested in making development plans. In this way both national money and the EU-money for regional development can be used on small islands.

Stepping Stones is also going to establish a centre where islanders get support in developing the archipelago. This work is especially important now because of ongoing structural changes, e.g. incorporations of municipalities. The purpose is to get the voices of the small islands heard and to make their needs visible in the new bigger municipalities. The inhabitants of the small islands should have a real possibility to influence on the decisions that are being made in the own merger municipality too.

The project is supported by Leader and Svenska kulturfonden.

What is a village plan?

A Village plan is not intended to be "set in stone", nor detail every move and project planned for the village, but more a route-plan which provides direction for a group of people to use and develop the thinking further, delivering what is required and thereby making the plan a reality.

A Village Plan would benefit the whole island. The Plan would be built up using local opinion and represent the ideals on an array of subjects such as planning, environment, transport etc. The plan for example could include call for better ferry services to and from the islands, better health care, better fishing possibilities and so on.

The term Stepping Stones

The term Stepping Stones has its roots in biology and ecology. The term often refers to something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

Stepping stones are smaller, unconnected areas of preserved or restored habitat, originally intended to promote bird and insect movement. These small areas, between bigger areas where organisms are capable to survive, are called stepping stones. Stepping Stones form patches on witch the organisms can move from one environment to another. Stepping Stones are often surrounded by disturbed or built landscape. Islands can be seen as such small areas or habitats, and bridges, networking; projects can be seen as stepping stones.

Steering Committee

Sami Heinonen
I samma båt – Samassa veneessä rf ry

Pirjo Hoffström
FÖSS, National Association of Finnish Islands

Martti Jaanto
Pro Saaristo ry

Raimo Lehtimaa
Velkuan saaristolaisyhdistys ry

Tauno Linkoranta
Varsinais-Suomen Kylät ry – Egentliga Finlands Byar rf

Kristin Mattsson
Stepping Stones Project Leader

Mikaela Venberg
Vänö Vänner rf

Veera Väisänen
Nötö Hembygdsförening rf