Participating city representative Peter Hörnemalm took the time to share some further insight into the municipality of Umeå (Sweden) and his approach to the workshop.

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What is your role and responsibilities within your municipality?

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I work in the Leisure department as Head of the section that supports clubs and non-profit organizations.

Does your municipality already have a sport and physical activity strategy?

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Since the Swedish sport is very well organized and have a clear strategy until 2025, the municipality doesn’t have its own strategy for sports. But the municipality does have a strategic document for Public Health with the particular objective of reaching the best Public Health in Sweden by the year 2020. More information on sports in Sweden can be found here

What are the biggest challenges you face to get more citizens more active?

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Many of the challenges are probably the same throughout Europe. For many different reasons our children and youth do not move enough today which leads to various problems with both physical and mental health. We have known for a long time that we need to exercise and eat well but we are still not doing this on a daily basis. That’s why we try to find new ways to work on these questions and it is also why we are now collaborating with sport for life in Canada. Specifically, we collaborate on the concept of Physical Literacy which is mentioned in WHO’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030. In addition, since we believe it’s important that all different sectors work together we have a Council for Physical Literacy in Umeå. You can find out more about what we do in Umeå here

Did Liverpool’s shared experience provide you with new insight and ideas?

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We were very impressed by the work that has been done in Liverpool. For example, the collaboration with the clubs in the city, the university and the programs for the citizens of Liverpool. We also learned a lot from the discussions with representatives from different cities and organizations, particularly in the areas of active workplaces and transports.

Why did you decide to participate in the PACTE project’s first workshop?

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It’s important to cooperate and gain more knowledge on these questions. It’s necessary to change the trend and to help our citizens become more physically literate. We also hope to get more feedback on our work and hopefully inspire others to learn more about Physical Literacy.