Oona Verveld and Clara Vikberg have just secured their first paid summer jobs. While their peers are mostly limited to entry-level positions in retail or fast-food restaurants, the 18-year-olds are some of the first among their generation to have landed a new type of role: young planetary stewards.
“Someone came up with the simple idea that, since young people clearly need jobs, why not create them?” says My Sellberg, the project manager and programme lead for regenerative development at Upplandsbygd, a non-profit based north of Stockholm. “The strongest objective was to inspire hope for the future among our young residents.”
Sweden has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the EU. About 24% of 15– to 24-year-old Swedes are classified as unemployed, compared with an EU average of about 15%. While Sweden’s figures are partly influenced by the way students seeking work are counted in the statistics, the labour market remains challenging for young people trying to gain their first professional experience. In the UK, youth unemployment has also risen sharply, reaching about 16% in late 2025, its highest level in more than a decade.
Upplandsbygd, which is funded by the five municipalities it covers and the EU, supports initiatives, funds local development projects and builds networks and knowledge – all with sustainability at their core. The organisation employs the “leader method”, a bottom-up approach used by the EU to fund local rural development projects.
“In a world where so much can feel hopeless, it’s incredibly rewarding to come up with an idea of your own and turn it into something that you genuinely feel makes a positive difference,” says Vikberg, one of 10 successful applicants to the young planetary stewards (YPS) initiative.
What makes the programme distinctive is its combination of grassroots action and structured support. Young participants are matched with local organisations – from farms to conservation groups – and receive funding of up to 40,000 Swedish krona (£4,000) per person alongside mentoring in project management. Most importantly, the project ideas come from the young people themselves.
Verveld and Vikberg’s idea was simple: to help young people more easily connect with nature through a network of educational signs dotted along walking trails. The pair were matched with Eda Lägergård, a historic children’s summer camp north of Stockholm that has welcomed generations of young people through Sweden’s tradition of holiday camps.
At Eda, children are being dropped off for the summer holidays. They will spend a week swimming in the onsite lake, playing football, canoeing or just making new friends. The Swedish “kollo” is a century-old tradition in which children and young people leave cities to spend time in nature and participate in outdoor activities. Initially it was designed as a health initiative for poor, urban children, but today it has evolved into a popular activity across socioeconomic groups.
Tore Sjöqvist, who has spent many years working at Eda, describes the history of the camp, and how valuable it is for it to get young people like Verveld and Vikberg involved. “We fought for it for several years,” he says. “To learn from young people’s perspectives.”
Thanks to the teenagers’ project, Eda’s regular information signs are being replaced by digital ones with QR codes so the information can constantly be updated.
One of the trails winds through a leafy forest, full of wildlife. The new signs will include information about the positive biodiversity benefits of leaving tree trunks in nature. Verveld and Vikberg point out one trunk in particular, which is covered in bracket fungus and nestled right next to a large ants’ nest. Another sign, further down the route, will include information about the history of Eda.
Other projects launched through the YPS scheme include: restoring biodiversity by clearing invasive species; creating habitats such as a frog pond; an oak tree inventory to strengthen their protection; building bird boxes and insect hotels; creating a new stretch of hiking trail; and running community workshops in local libraries on how to have meaningful conversations about climate and sustainability.
“During the interviews, it became clear that many of the young participants found the collaborations with local organisations particularly valuable,” Sellberg says. “Not only did they feel that their work served a real purpose, but they also gain new contacts and insights. The partnerships added an extra dimension to the programme by connecting their ideas and efforts to organisations that could put them into practice.” Upplandsbygd hopes to expand the initiative in the future.
“I have a pretty pessimistic world view,” Verveld says. “But through this project I feel that I can contribute in ways that will have an impact. I don’t just watch climate change happening, I’m somehow active in improving it later on. Both of us want to engage children and youth in their surroundings – to create an interest in nature in order to care for it.”
For Vikberg the interest for the climate started as a scout and a love for the outdoors. “Young people are often disconnected to nature. I want to spread the joy of spending time outdoors,” she says. “If you have an interest for it, you also care for it more.”
