Knowledge campaign about Sami business

In February, an awareness campaign about Sami entrepreneurship was launched, aimed at business promoters and financiers. This is to draw attention to the importance of the Sami business community for work and economic development in rural and sparsely populated areas. The campaign is run within the Arena Sami Business Development project, which is financed by, among others, the Norrbotten Region.

The information is mainly disseminated on the social media platforms Instagram and Linkedin, but also through personal contacts with business organizations in Norrbotten and upper Norrland.

“We have chosen to use social media to make it easier to share and disseminate knowledge,” says project manager Erika Unnes. We also have direct contacts with promoters and financiers.

The background to the campaign is that Sami entrepreneurs do not always feel that their businesses are reflected or prioritized in a fair way. Several reports, including those from the OECD, show how the surrounding business community is often dependent on Sami industries, culture and cultural environments.

In Sweden, the Sami business community consists mainly of small businesses, primarily in reindeer herding, tourism, the cultural sector and other rural industries. What makes Sami businesses unique is that they balance market conditions with non-market values ​​and traditional Sami knowledge. This knowledge is used both in the management of the landscape and in the production of goods and services.

– Traditional industries have developed in harmony with nature. We learn not to take more than we need and that there should be enough for future generations. Therefore, Sami values ​​and knowledge can show the way in creating sustainability in the societal transformation that is taking place due to the climate crisis, says Erika Unnes.

The Arena Sami Business Development project is run by the development company Ávki in collaboration with the Sami Education Centre, among others. Ávki, with offices in Gällivare and Jokkmokk, is owned by the Sami villages Unna Tjerusj and Gällivare Forest Sami Village.

“Our special expertise is value-driven companies, creative and cultural industries and Sami companies,” says Erika Unnes. Ávki means helping hand. We work together with entrepreneurs in their development work and are part of various networks, boards and steering groups.

Other financiers of the project are Sparbanken Nord - Framtidsbanken and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development via the Sami Parliament.