Mission to move

While we are building a changing society, we are also facing a growing health crisis. Physical inactivity is one of the biggest challenges of our time, with impacts on quality of life, healthcare needs and the economy. Sweden is one of the most sedentary countries in the world. 70% of our waking hours are spent sedentary, and both children and older people are moving less and less. Only 44% of boys and 22% of girls reach the recommended daily physical activity. Five-year-olds sit for an average of 9 hours a day - adolescents even more.

The consequences are visible in the form of reduced motor skills, increased mental health problems and a growing number of disease diagnoses linked to inactivity. Fewer and fewer children can do a somersault, tie a knot or cut with scissors. Health gaps are widening, both between different ages and geographical areas.

A rapidly growing society must address this challenge to ensure sustainable development. A socially sustainable development.

We have long tried to solve the problems of physical inactivity by doing more of the same - more recommendations, more minutes, more steps. But this has not been enough. So we need new ways of looking at movement. It's not just about quantity, it's about quality - building confidence, desire and an inner drive to move. Only when people feel confident and motivated will movement become a natural and sustainable part of life.

By bringing together actors and ideas around everyday movement, with a focus on the whole rather than on specific interventions, we create capacity for long-term change. The practical tests we conduct are part of our ambition to strengthen both people and society at large. We work to ensure that movement follows people through life: from the journey to school, through the school day, to leisure and family life - and onwards from the childcare center to independent aging.

By starting from real needs and involving those affected, we create solutions that really make a difference - here and now, but also for the future.

Locally, the project strengthens health, participation and everyday movement in the lives of residents. Regionally, collaboration models and working methods are being developed that can inspire and be used in more municipalities. Internationally, Skellefteå shows how a growing community can meet a global health challenge through collaboration and innovation - and become a role model for how physical activity can be integrated into community development.

Short term: New test environments, broader collaboration, more activities and increased awareness of the role of movement in everyday life.

Long term: That 9 out of 10 Skellefte residents have a positive relationship with physical activity by 2035.

The effects can be measured through public health data, number of participants in activities, changed habits and experiences of residents - and through their own stories about how movement has become part of everyday life.

Sustainable development requires more than good will, it is about doing, thinking long-term and working together. Mission to Move is a joint commitment between municipalities, businesses, civil society and committed residents who want to create a more mobile society.

We are building structures to test, follow up and further develop what works, with the aim that it can grow and contribute to change on a larger scale.

We are thinking long-term and aiming for 2035, because we know that sustainable results take time.

Mission to Move strengthens the vision of a sustainable place for a better everyday life by making movement a natural part of people's lives.

We focus on everyday solutions that improve both health and quality of life, and see movement as a key to people's resilience, well-being and participation in society.

By testing ideas in practice, bringing together learning and engaging more stakeholders, we create the conditions for long-term change. This contributes to a society where more people have the opportunity for a better everyday life. Now and in the future.