Sweden is often regarded as one of Europe’s frontrunners in tackling loneliness. It backed its national strategy with substantial funding for hundreds of local initiatives. The LONELY-EU online country visit to Sweden showed that this approach also holds a lesson for policymakers.
Most projects were funded individually, with little incentive to work together. As Swedish participants noted, many organisations ended up developing similar activities in parallel. Only now, as the funding comes to an end, are stronger partnerships starting to form.
That raises a question for anyone designing a funding programme. Should it support individual projects, or should it actively encourage collaboration and shared learning between organisations?
The visit also brought a more hopeful finding. Growing evidence suggests that volunteering can reduce loneliness among the people who receive support and among the volunteers themselves.
The visit brought together Swedish organisations that work on connection from very different angles. They included Ideala Sverige, which works on volunteering, Hej främling, which focuses on everyday encounters, and SällBo, an intergenerational housing model in Helsingborg. It was co-hosted by LONELY-EU ambassadors Christian Altenius and Dragana Curovic.
