Jane Segerblom
The National Audit Office released yesterday, March 5, 2024, their review of the General Heritage Fund. The National Audit Office proposes to liquidate the fund due to the shortcomings found by the audit. The Youth Sobriety Association believes that a phase-out is too drastic.
In the review, various shortcomings are pointed out, such as that the controls are insufficient, or that the fund receives more money than it has time to distribute. As a conclusion, the National Audit Office presents a proposal to dismantle the fund and replace it with something else. The Association of Youth Sobriety welcomes the audit and is confident that its findings will be taken into account by the Chamber of Deputies, which is responsible for the fund, but that the national audit reaches a much too drastic conclusion that is not in proportion to the actual problem.
“This disappoints us, it is a lazy way out of not having to deal with the problems that exist and the proposal is too far-reaching. This is problematic because the fund is an extremely important source of funding for children and youth activities throughout the country,” says Jane Segerblom , chairman of the Youth Sobriety Association.
The association emphasizes that the results of the review should be taken seriously, but opposes the idea that the fund should be wound up. Instead, we believe that the problems raised by the review should be addressed in a way that preserves and strengthens the fund’s ability to contribute to society.
“In a time of increasingly tough economic conditions, where children and young people in already vulnerable environments are affected the most, there should be a great interest in ensuring that projects that contribute to the conditions of children and young people rest stably.” Says Simon Elfström Schönbeck, vice chairman of the Youth Sobriety Association
The Youth Sobriety Association believes that the proposal to close the General Heritage Fund needs to be seen in the light of the challenges that civil society is currently facing.
“The government has reduced funds for public education, carried out an investigation into political lotteries that operate under the same conditions as the remaining public benefit lotteries, and not least started investing in a heavily criticized Leisure Card for young people, which unfortunately are completely misdirected funds. All of this creates an environment where non-profit forces have to struggle in a constant stream of adversity. The proposal for the liquidation of the Heritage Fund is another such setback,” says Jane Segerblom, chairperson of the Youth Sobriety Association
For a very long time, the government grants for non-profit youth activities have remained untouched. This has resulted in a steady flow of financial resources as more and more organizations are established and share the same pie. This increases the need for more resources for children and young people. The National Audit Office’s review shows that the resources are there but obviously not enough, the answer should then reasonably not be to liquidate the fund.
The Youth Sobriety Association calls on the Chamber of Commerce, which is responsible for the fund, to carefully consider the review’s findings and work towards solutions that improve the fund’s effectiveness. Furthermore, urge the government to completely reject the National Audit Office’s proposal for winding down. It is high time to develop the Allmänna Arvsfonden, not dismantle it!
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