This summer we are arranging an international youth camp in Ulricehamn and the last two days we have had a pre camp to prepare for the invasion of 40 youths from Scottland, Norway, Latvia and Sweden. We have been planning different activities and workshop on the subjects concerning the European citizenship, social inclusion, cultural diversity and democracy and I think it will be a very dynamic and interesting camp in two weeks time. We were 8 people from the 4 countries who met up to make the preparations and it is interesting to see how diverse our own views on the subjects are and how many different perspectives there can be. Our Latvian friends brought up a problem in Latvia that I knew nothing about. They have different citizenships between Latvian and Russians all living in Latvia. The two citizenships does not give people the same rights but if I understood it correctly we are not talking about people considered to be illegally in the country. The Scottish mentioned the somewhat difficult situation between the English and the Scottish. What do we mean when we talk about a European citizenship and who should be included? Do we want to be Europeans and rather independent Scott’s for example? The camp is financed by the European Youth in Action program with the main goal to increase awareness and understanding between youths in Europe. I think a one-week camp like this is a great opportunity for young Europeans to meet up and experience the diversity of cultures.
Since our foreign guests had not been to Ulricehamn before we decided to show them around a bit and also to show them where different activities will take place. One of our workshop will take place at Torpa Stenhus, which is one of Sweden’s best-preserved Renaissance manors, with roots in the Middle Ages. I had never been to this place so I told Per (my Swedish colleague) that I would follow his car. Half the group joined me in my car and off we went. After 15 minutes I had lost track off Per but I had an idea where this place should be. After 40 minutes we stopped at a café to get help and two women gave me two different road descriptions (not in the same direction). I chose to go for the woman who sounded the surest of her self. One hour after leaving Ulricehamn and after several u-turns I had to admit defeat and as a last resort we stopped at a small supermarket where a friendly shop owner and a friendly shopper told us exactly how to get to Torpa Stenhus. As we an hour and a half after leaving Ulricehamn drove onto the parking at Torpa Stenhus, Per left with his group. Despite the long drive we had a lot of fun in the car though and the trip brought back memories about the Swedish shortcut.
My husband usually warns people travelling with me to be aware of the Swedish shortcut. When I first met Jochem we lived in Lund where I come from. I think I have quite a good sense of direction if I have been to a place before (no, it’s the truth!!). One night we were bicycling home and I told Jochem that I knew a shortcut. Well, basically we ended up in the outskirts of Lund and till this day I have no idea how I could make such a mistake. Jochem had only one comment; “no more Swedish shortcuts, please!”
Luckily we had time enough with the pre camp group to get all our work done and to enjoy Torpa and a bit of Ulricehamn. It was a fun group visiting here and I am sure the real camp in two weeks time will be lot of fun. I will be on holiday then but will be down to visit the group as I am planning a local holiday with my family and visiting friends. Maybe we will go to Torpa Stenhus?
May 2013
in Ulricehamn
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Swedish lion in Ulricehamn
So finally, after months of looking and searching we met him. The king of the animals! No, we did not see a lion along the Swedish highway! We saw a majestic moose. He stood there looking at us as Jochem stood on the breaks of the car and we both screamed to our terrified children “Look, a moose”. Not far from the moose a deer was strolling by and for two city people like us this was a big moment. Ever since we moved to Sweden and Ulricehamn we have been dreaming about seeing this animal that Jochem calls one of the most successful marketing lies in Sweden. All foreign tourists buy a moose sticker to put on the bumper but no one has even seen the moose in real life. Well, now we have!!!
We were in Nybrostrand this weekend to celebrate my sister Hanna’s birthday and to meet up with our South African relatives Vibeke and Travis! Naturally their visit in Sweden brought back many wonderful memories from our time in SA and I really hope we can get going on our plans for a visit to South Africa. We heard that Birthe and Kim might be heading this way as well and I hope you know where to stop when in Sweden!!!
This morning we signed the contract for a new summerhouse. Jochem bought a house he had only seen from the outside (for the 3rd time). I guess it is how it works with us. I go to viewings and Jochem gets the messages that I have found some nice property :). It is an old renovation object on a fantastic location 20 meters from a lake 15 km south of Ulricehamn. Despite quite some renovation needs it is a charming house with many rooms (I will post a picture on Friday – today I forgot to take one).
This week Jochem is in charge of the kids and getting out with the boat is on the planning. I just hope it doesn’t sink. It is a mahogany boat and Jochem has no clue about boats but it looks good (vanity - ha, ha) I still have one more week of work and then I am off to enjoy the Swedish summer. Swimming, canoeing, making fun excursions and seeing family and friends are on my to do list! Hope to see many of you! Ulrika
We were in Nybrostrand this weekend to celebrate my sister Hanna’s birthday and to meet up with our South African relatives Vibeke and Travis! Naturally their visit in Sweden brought back many wonderful memories from our time in SA and I really hope we can get going on our plans for a visit to South Africa. We heard that Birthe and Kim might be heading this way as well and I hope you know where to stop when in Sweden!!!
This morning we signed the contract for a new summerhouse. Jochem bought a house he had only seen from the outside (for the 3rd time). I guess it is how it works with us. I go to viewings and Jochem gets the messages that I have found some nice property :). It is an old renovation object on a fantastic location 20 meters from a lake 15 km south of Ulricehamn. Despite quite some renovation needs it is a charming house with many rooms (I will post a picture on Friday – today I forgot to take one).
This week Jochem is in charge of the kids and getting out with the boat is on the planning. I just hope it doesn’t sink. It is a mahogany boat and Jochem has no clue about boats but it looks good (vanity - ha, ha) I still have one more week of work and then I am off to enjoy the Swedish summer. Swimming, canoeing, making fun excursions and seeing family and friends are on my to do list! Hope to see many of you! Ulrika
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Can economic incentives get you pregnant?
The municipality of Ulricehamn has 22 542 inhabitants. The aim is to become 25 000 inhabitants in 2020. How do you increase the number of inhabitants in a town? Well, one way is to increase national or international immigration. Another option is to increase fertility rates.
Yesterday my sister Hanna turned 34 and naturally I called to congratulate her. She was arranging a mother – baby party at home as ALL her friends have had babies in the last year (and Hanna had fantastic little Ellen 6 months ago). I think it interesting how these things work out. Are they having a baby boom in south Sweden or is this an isolated event? We have our children later in life (average age for the first child is 29 years for women in Sweden) but currently it looks like the fertility levels in Sweden are higher then in other countries. Why is that? Is it due to the development of generous family policies? In Sweden we have very generous parental leave benefits (one year paid leave to take care of our children) subsidised childcare and high child allowances. Basically the Swedish government is using economic incentives to get more women pregnant but does this work?
Well, I had a look at what is going on around the world and how other countries are doing when it comes to fertility levels. Birth rates in the European Union are falling fast. Europe's working-age population is shrinking as fertility rates decline. It is estimated that for Europe to achieve a population replacement level, the birth rate should be 2.1 children per woman.
According to numbers from 2005 Ireland has the highest birth rate in the EU. Irish women have 1.9 children each, with the European average at 1.5. Ireland also has a relatively young population, which probably have an effect on the statistics. France says it has now probably overtaken Ireland as Europe's most fertile country, with French women having an average of two children each. What is interesting with France is the fact that France can still boast one of Europe's highest rates of female employment. Some 81% of women aged between 25 and 49 are in work, including three-quarters of those with two children.
Italy has serious fertility problems. The birth rate of Italy, at a rate of 1.23 children per woman is the second lowest in the Western world. Women rarely have more than one child.
In order to change this the Italian government decided to give a 1000-euro bonus to each newborn child. In the small town of Laviano in Italy, the mayor decided to use even stronger financial incentives to increase the birth rate in his own town. He decided to offer women 10 000 euros over a five year period for each additional baby they have.
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics did a study on how financial incentives can boost pregnancies and their results support the view that fertility responds to financial incentives and indicate that the child subsidy policies used in many countries can have a significant influence on fertility decisions. The positive birth rate figures in Sweden and France confirm this but I think one need more that financial incentives to increase fertility levels.
When I lived in the Netherlands I was surprised at the number of highly educated women who were at home with their children or who only worked part-time (just imagine the brain drain and the costs for society!!). Day care facilities were expensive and offered less quality care then Swedish day care but this was not the only reason for women (and very rarely men) to stay at home. The cultural climate differed from Sweden. Many of my friends did not feel the same trust for the social system as Swedish people tend to do. The emancipation debate took place on a totally different level and many of my friends felt that it is in a mother’s nature to care for her child. Well, our genetics should not differ too much between the countries but the cultural differences and the social heritage has a major impact on the choices people make. I also think role models play an important role, especially for women who want to make a career and combine this with family life.
Looking at fertility rates in Sweden in the last years one could say that economic incentives will get you pregnant but that is only telling half the story. Good quality childcare, a generation of women who showed us the way (thank you mum!) and a soft culture where men are included in the upbringing of their children are just as important as financial incentives. Maybe we cannot use (any extra) financial incentives to increase the fertility levels in Ulricehamn but maybe we can use financial incentives to attract new inhabitants. What if the municipality offered a (financial?) bonus for people who attract new inhabitants?
As for the baby boom in my sisters’ surroundings I think nothing has a bigger impact on fertility levels then friends having babies. Luckily, with 3 kids at home, I think I have become immune to the baby virus:)!
Yesterday my sister Hanna turned 34 and naturally I called to congratulate her. She was arranging a mother – baby party at home as ALL her friends have had babies in the last year (and Hanna had fantastic little Ellen 6 months ago). I think it interesting how these things work out. Are they having a baby boom in south Sweden or is this an isolated event? We have our children later in life (average age for the first child is 29 years for women in Sweden) but currently it looks like the fertility levels in Sweden are higher then in other countries. Why is that? Is it due to the development of generous family policies? In Sweden we have very generous parental leave benefits (one year paid leave to take care of our children) subsidised childcare and high child allowances. Basically the Swedish government is using economic incentives to get more women pregnant but does this work?
Well, I had a look at what is going on around the world and how other countries are doing when it comes to fertility levels. Birth rates in the European Union are falling fast. Europe's working-age population is shrinking as fertility rates decline. It is estimated that for Europe to achieve a population replacement level, the birth rate should be 2.1 children per woman.
According to numbers from 2005 Ireland has the highest birth rate in the EU. Irish women have 1.9 children each, with the European average at 1.5. Ireland also has a relatively young population, which probably have an effect on the statistics. France says it has now probably overtaken Ireland as Europe's most fertile country, with French women having an average of two children each. What is interesting with France is the fact that France can still boast one of Europe's highest rates of female employment. Some 81% of women aged between 25 and 49 are in work, including three-quarters of those with two children.
Italy has serious fertility problems. The birth rate of Italy, at a rate of 1.23 children per woman is the second lowest in the Western world. Women rarely have more than one child.
In order to change this the Italian government decided to give a 1000-euro bonus to each newborn child. In the small town of Laviano in Italy, the mayor decided to use even stronger financial incentives to increase the birth rate in his own town. He decided to offer women 10 000 euros over a five year period for each additional baby they have.
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics did a study on how financial incentives can boost pregnancies and their results support the view that fertility responds to financial incentives and indicate that the child subsidy policies used in many countries can have a significant influence on fertility decisions. The positive birth rate figures in Sweden and France confirm this but I think one need more that financial incentives to increase fertility levels.
When I lived in the Netherlands I was surprised at the number of highly educated women who were at home with their children or who only worked part-time (just imagine the brain drain and the costs for society!!). Day care facilities were expensive and offered less quality care then Swedish day care but this was not the only reason for women (and very rarely men) to stay at home. The cultural climate differed from Sweden. Many of my friends did not feel the same trust for the social system as Swedish people tend to do. The emancipation debate took place on a totally different level and many of my friends felt that it is in a mother’s nature to care for her child. Well, our genetics should not differ too much between the countries but the cultural differences and the social heritage has a major impact on the choices people make. I also think role models play an important role, especially for women who want to make a career and combine this with family life.
Looking at fertility rates in Sweden in the last years one could say that economic incentives will get you pregnant but that is only telling half the story. Good quality childcare, a generation of women who showed us the way (thank you mum!) and a soft culture where men are included in the upbringing of their children are just as important as financial incentives. Maybe we cannot use (any extra) financial incentives to increase the fertility levels in Ulricehamn but maybe we can use financial incentives to attract new inhabitants. What if the municipality offered a (financial?) bonus for people who attract new inhabitants?
As for the baby boom in my sisters’ surroundings I think nothing has a bigger impact on fertility levels then friends having babies. Luckily, with 3 kids at home, I think I have become immune to the baby virus:)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)