Oona Verveld and Clara Vikberg, both 18, have secured their first paid summer jobs as young planetary stewards in Sweden, a country with one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the EU. While their peers often take entry-level retail or fast-food positions, Verveld and Vikberg are part of a new initiative that combines employment with environmental action.
Programme origins and objectives
My Sellberg, project manager and programme lead for regenerative development at Upplandsbygd, a non-profit north of Stockholm, explained the simple idea behind the young planetary stewards (YPS) initiative: “Someone came up with the simple idea that, since young people clearly need jobs, why not create them? The strongest objective was to inspire hope for the future among our young residents.”
Sweden's youth unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds stands at about 24%, compared with an EU average of about 15%. In the UK, youth unemployment reached about 16% in late 2025, its highest level in more than a decade.
How the YPS programme works
Upplandsbygd, funded by five municipalities and the EU, uses the “leader method,” a bottom-up approach for rural development. The YPS programme matches young participants with local organisations such as farms and conservation groups, providing funding of up to 40,000 Swedish krona (£4,000) per person and mentoring in project management. The project ideas come from the young people themselves.
Verveld and Vikberg's idea was to create a network of educational signs along walking trails to help young people connect with nature. They were matched with Eda Lägergård, a historic children's summer camp north of Stockholm that has hosted generations through Sweden's “kollo” tradition of holiday camps.
Project implementation at Eda Lägergård
At Eda, children spend a week swimming, playing football, canoeing and making friends. The camp dates back to 1913. Tore Sjöqvist, who has worked at Eda for many years, said: “We fought for it for several years. 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, allowing constant updates. One trail winds through a leafy forest; new signs include information about the biodiversity benefits of leaving tree trunks in nature, such as a trunk covered in bracket fungus next to a large ants' nest. Another sign will cover Eda's history.
Other YPS projects and impact
Other projects launched through YPS include restoring biodiversity by clearing invasive species, creating habitats like a frog pond, an oak tree inventory to strengthen protection, building bird boxes and insect hotels, creating a new hiking trail, and running community workshops on climate and sustainability conversations.
“During the interviews, it became clear that many of the young participants found the collaborations with local organisations particularly valuable,” Sellberg said. “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.
Participants' perspectives
“I have a pretty pessimistic world view,” Verveld said. “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.”
Vikberg, whose interest in climate started as a scout, added: “Young people are often disconnected to nature. I want to spread the joy of spending time outdoors. If you have an interest for it, you also care for it more.”
