Issuu

The Erling-Persson Foundation supports projects within scientific research, tuition and education, and the development of children and young people. The Foundation receives applications from all over Sweden and works continually to drive development forward in its chosen areas.

ANNUAL REVIEW 2020

©Erling-Perssons Stiftelse, 2021 Photos: Carl Hjelte and Johanna Åkerberg Kassel / Söderberg Agentur, Karl Nordlund Text: Lotta Fredholm and Mattias Jersild Graphic design and production: Open Studio Stockholm Typography: Brown Pro and Sabon

CONTENTS

About the Foundation The Foundation’s background and areas of activity 2020 in brief

4 10 12

SCIENCE & RESE ARCH

IBS Schizophrenia Prostate cancer Four important projects

16 22 28 34

TUITION & EDUCATION

Universeum

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

Sparks BRIS – Children’s Rights in Society Glada Hudik Theatre Other donations

44 50 58 64

Board of Directors Grants awarded in 2020 – a selection Financial statements Sources and contact details

66 68 69 70

“We’re a big foundation with a small organisation.” Research secretary Ylva Linderson in conversation with chairman Stefan Persson.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

“WE CONSIDER IT IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, RATHER THAN JUST GOING WITH OUR HEART” The Foundation’s chairman Stefan Persson and research secretary Ylva Linderson talk about the background to the Foundation and its work, and why philanthropy is important.

Why do you, as a family, want to run a charitable foundation? The Foundation has its origins in an interest in entre preneurship and how it can contribute to social change – through research, education and initiatives aimed at children and young people. Donating to good causes is another way to try to influence society in a positive direction. It’s also exciting to find out about all the different initiatives that aim to bring about positive change, more opportunities or better treatment, and the synergies that can arise from interdisciplinary col laboration. Actually, it seems more pertinent to ask the opposite question: why would you not want to support good causes, if you can? As a family, we’re very committed to social issues and feel a responsibility to contribute to society. With its short decision paths, a foundation can sometimes act faster than other operators – allowing society to switch up a gear and bring about change more quickly and effectively when needed. But it must be seen as a complement; it can never replace public funding or the role of the state.

interest in entrepreneurship and societal change. The purpose was to promote education in entrepreneur ship and thereby a resurgence of viable enterprises. We also knew that the School consistently offered a high quality of education. Many very capable people working at H&M, for example, had gained important skills at the School over the years – which they then brought with them into the company. That experience suggested that supporting the School would also result in good added value for society in general. Right from the start it was important to take it seriously and build credibility, so it was p articularly important to familiarise ourselves with a project or an organisation and to be firmly convinced of its strength. In the area of education it was natural for us to focus our support on entrepreneurship, but the research p rojects and projects for children and young people that were added later were also chosen based on m assive personal commitment. How do you assure the quality of the projects awarded grants? After all, supporting a poor quality initiative or an initiative with a dubious reputation could damage the Foundation’s reputation. Ylva: – That’s important, of course. We carry out back ground checks and generally work with operators that are already well established. You always have to be vigilant and make sure the recipients are genuine. We also follow up the projects to ensure that the funds go to the right place and have a useful effect. Since the Foundation welcomes a broad spectrum of research applications, we have outside experts who review these. And those reviewers also come from very

How do you know that a donation will really make a difference? – Of course you can never know for sure, but our de cisions are based on much more than just a gut feeling. In some areas we can draw on our own experience and expertise, while in others we have to rely partly on advice from knowledgeable people outside of our organisation. When the Foundation was set up, the first donations were made to bodies that were already well established. The very first donation went to Stock holm School of Economics, for example, based on our

money itself makes possible? – The donation itself can be seen as a kind of seal of quality, which can also be a real benefit to the r ecipient. If someone has already demonstrated faith in an idea or a business model, it’s easier for others to be convinced. That can provide further opportunities for the recipient organisation to grow, which in turn means better results for both the recipient and the donor.

different areas of research. Largely, they also have their own experience of applied research – or to put it simply, research for the purpose of solving a specific problem. Does endeavouring to support the “right” projects mean that the Foundation never takes risks? Does it dare devote resources to new ideas? Ylva: – It’s a matter of balance, of course. A new operator with a brand new initiative for, let’s say, improving young people’s access to the job market might need to build up their credibility one step at a time. But once that trust has been built up, a foundation is better able to bear the financial risk of testing out a new approach or a new activity in the real world than a public enterprise, for example. On the research side, most ventures involve a certain degree of risk. That’s why it’s extra important to get opinions from various independent experts, and maybe also to work with other funding bodies in the evaluation, before deciding whether to fund it.

What will the Foundation look like in five or ten years’ time? Will you specialise more in a particular area, such as solving the mystery of diabetes? – We want the Foundation to help make a difference. It’s important to us that the projects awarded grants result in greater knowledge and support that improves lives in society, both in general and for the individual. That can take place at many different levels, depending on the nature of the project and of the recipient. O bviously it would be fantastic if our donations could help solve the mystery of diabetes – a disease that is unfortunately affecting more and more people – or the mystery of any other disease. That kind of curiosity and the desire to contribute to groundbreaking research, innovative ideas and support that can make a crucial difference to wellbeing in our society are important drivers within the Foundation. One thing that I would like to mention is that we are going to work on making the Foundation more visible – talking about what we do and what we want to achieve through our donations. Hopefully that will inspire others to give. This annual review is part of that work.

“Curiosity and the desire to contribute to groundbreaking research, innovative ideas and support that can make a crucial difference to wellbeing in our society are important drivers within the Foundation.”

2020 turned out to be a very special year because of the pandemic. What was the Foundation’s most important task during the year? – The most important thing was to give increased support to children and young people who had a hard time when schools and leisure activities were shut down. At an early stage we provided support to Bris and to Save the Children Sweden, who made admirable efforts to help and support children and young people in this difficult situation. We can see that the pandemic will affect the job market too. That’s why we’re also starting to support organisations such as Fryshuset, which started a new project during the year called Lampan (The Lamp) that will act as a kind of bridge between young people and employers with the aim of helping young people get into the world of work more easily.

In recent years, perhaps as the Foundation has become more mature and grown in self-confidence, its research initiatives have become a little more open to risk. That can be seen both in the greater spread of subject areas receiving support and in the fact that the organisations receiving support have a wider geographical spread than previously. And of course you also have to take into account that it is in the risk that the greatest potential benefit can be found. The Foundation’s short decision paths also make it easier to take a risk when situations arise suddenly – such as now during the pandemic, or when large numbers of refugees were coming to Sweden in 2015– 2016. In the early stages of the pandemic we were also quick to donate funds for testing activities and support for children and young people – a group hit hard by the consequences of the pandemic.

Tell us a bit about how things work at the Erling- Persson Foundation. Ylva: – You could say we’re a big foundation with a small organisation. Our decision paths are short, and the board is very engaged and monitors the projects

If you turn the question around and look at it from the perspective of those receiving the funds, what does the donation mean to the recipients – other than what the 8

closely. The research secretary – that’s me – manages the day-to-day work. So, for example, I form a link between experts and the board, take part in philanthropic networks, communicate with all the Foundation’s stakeholders and do much more besides.

– The H&M Foundation works globally to a ccelerate positive development for people and the planet. Its work is closely linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and starts from an industry perspective, including through the instigation of the Global Change Award that highlights innovation and has developed into a kind of Nobel Prize in sustainable fashion. The similarities between the foundations are that as a family we are highly committed to both: we’ve donated around SEK 4 billion to the Erling-Persson Foundation since 1999 and SEK 1.5 billion to the H&M Foundation since 2013.

What’s your view of philanthropy, Stefan? It’s a relatively unknown concept in Sweden, but presumably it might inspire others if it became better known? – I think that individuals who are engaged in philanthropy need to become a stronger voice in society and say more about what we do. It’s important that this comes across, because there are lots of foundations in Sweden that are doing a great deal. This comes across strongest when it’s the recipients’ voices that are heard, because that’s where there is the real potential to make a difference. We enable change by supporting them with capital, but it’s also important that we ourselves make our foundation visible and increase knowledge about what we do. That’s why we’re going to step up our communication efforts. They’re very good at this in the US, so there’s a lot we can learn. As a foundation we ideally want to inspire more people to give, because it’s of great benefit to society. It’s also a great pleasure to be able to follow projects at close quarters as they make a difference in areas that are close to your heart.

“We’re a big foundation with a small organisation. Our decision paths are short, and the board is very engaged and monitors the projects closely.” A number of well-known foundations exist – some in Sweden, but especially internationally. What makes the Erling-Persson Foundation stand out in particular? – I would probably say that the Foundation’s concentration on the three subject areas of research, entrepreneurship and education combined with its focus on children and young people is a unique mix that is based on the insight that knowledge improves lives. We also believe in the importance of interdisciplinary research. Drilling down into the complex links that are eventually going to control our lives and health demands the specialist knowledge of the individual researcher, but it’s clear that the most powerful contribution to change is often achieved when researchers in different subject areas combine their expertise. All the areas that the Foundation focuses on are close to our hearts as a family, so it’s natural that we want to use the Foundation to drive change and make a difference in those areas. The Foundation is built upon Erling Persson’s entrepreneurship, which came to the fore most clearly in the establishment of H&M. It’s a tradition that we want to take further.

Are there any projects or results that are particularly close to your heart, that you are particularly proud of? – Entrepreneurship, of course – but I’m also very interested in research. Especially when it’s possible to turn it into something concrete that improves people’s lives. Diabetes, cancer; there are lots of areas. At the same time, I’m very keen that the Foundation supports children, young people and their edu cation. They are our future and they will be crucial in enabling us to continue to build the knowledge s ociety. Mathematics is one of the areas that it’s important to support. It spans so many fields – research, tech, engineering and so on. It holds the key to many of our future innovations. Are all the donations initiated by applications, or does the Foundation itself also find projects that it wants to contribute to? And if so, is that something you will be doing more actively in future? – We’ll have to see. I’m not ruling anything out, but at the moment we assess incoming projects in our three main areas: scientific research, tuition and education, and children and young people. You also have another foundation, the H&M Foundation, to which the family has donated large amounts of funding. What similarities and differences are there between the two foundations? 9

THE FOUNDATION IN BRIEF

THE FOUNDATION’S BACKGROUND AND AREAS OF ACTIVITY The Erling-Persson Foundation was formed in memory of the H&M Group’s founder Erling Persson. By supporting interdisciplinary initiatives and projects that link together different sectors of society, the Foundation hopes to stimulate innovation and social benefit. Nearly 250 donations have been made to date, totalling SEK 3.5 billion.

In 1947 Erling Persson established the company that has developed into the global H&M Group we know today. In 1999 the Erling-Persson Foundation was formed in memory of his many achievements in retail and enterprise. The Foundation is financed by donations from the Persson family. The family is passionate about entrepreneurship as a positive force in society, so it was natural for the Foundation to initially focus on supporting projects aimed at developing education in this area. Before long another two areas were added, with the aim of making society better equipped for the future: support for research and for projects promoting the development of children and young people. To stimulate new ways of thinking and new solutions, the Foundation stresses the importance of meetings and collaboration. This is why it likes to support interdisciplinary ventures and projects that link together different sectors of society. The Foundation’s commitment to the projects it supports is based on confidence that the project owner has the capability to expand the boundaries of our shared knowledge and understanding, and a sure and certain belief that knowledge changes and improves lives. Nearly 250 donations have been made to date. In total, the Foundation has given SEK 3.5 billion to causes with benefits for society. The largest single donation to date, of around SEK 400 million, was made to Karolinska Institutet in 2010. The donation enabled the building of the Aula Medica, a 10,000 square metre complex providing excellent values for both research and education.

Various courses in the area of entrepreneurship have together received around SEK 700 million, with Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) as major recipients. The Foundation’s funding has also created opportunity to start education and research in a new subject area – fashion studies, through a donation of SEK 75 million. The Centre for Fashion Studies is now well established at Stockholm University. In the scientific field, research into type 1 diabetes is the area where the Foundation has made its largest contribution, amounting to around SEK 400 million to date. Significant support has also been given to research in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular d isease, antibiotic resistance and neurological disease. Fryshuset was the first children’s and young people’s organisation to receive support for its a ctivities from the Foundation. So far, Fryshuset’s p rojects have received funding from the Foundation with a total value of around SEK 170 million. This support has also contributed to Fryshuset’s development into a much appreciated centre for children and young p eople in the areas of sport, knowledge, leisure activities and more. Organisations for children and young people have together received around SEK 350 million. At the end of 2020, the donations (in monetary terms) had been allocated to the three focus areas approximately as follows: 50 percent research, 40 percent education and 10 percent children and young people.

1947

3.527

400

In 1947 Erling Persson established the company that has developed into the global H&M Group we know today. In 1999 the Erling-Persson Foundation was formed, in memory of his many achievements within retail and enterprise.

Since the Foundation was formed in 1999 it has handed out more than SEK 3.5 billion to its three focus areas.

The largest individual donation to date, of around SEK 400 million, was made to Karolinska Institutet in 2010. The donation enabled the building of the Aula Medica, a 10,000 square metre complex serving the needs of research and education.

50%

150

Up to 31 December 2020 the Foundation had granted funding to 60 projects that promote the development of children and young people, amounting to around SEK 350 million in total.

Nearly half of the total funding allocated by the Foundation – SEK 1.78 billion – has gone to research projects led by Swedish universities and colleges.

The Foundation receives more than 150 applications for project support every year. Around 100 of these are research applications.

138.5

383

Education and research in the areas of climate and the environment are important for being able to build a sustainable future. Through various initiatives the Foundation has donated SEK 138.5 million to these areas.

Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship (SSES) is a partnership between six universities and colleges in which students come together across subjects and national boundaries to collaborate on tomorrow’s innovations and businesses. Over 20 years SSES has received total support of SEK 383 million.

In 2006 the Centre for Fashion Studies was established at Stockholm University with the assistance of a donation from the Foundation (SEK 75 million in total). Since 2018 fashion studies has been an independent academic discipline at the university.

1.386

< 40%

The Foundation’s board holds regular meetings four times a year.

Over the years, nearly SEK 1.4 billion has been donated in the area of Tuition & Education. That represents around 40 percent of all donated funds.

Applications for support for research are received from all over Sweden. Just over 40 percent of all main applicants are women.

THE PAST YEAR

2020 IN BRIEF The volume of grants awarded by the Foundation remained steady. Some support was directed at countering the effects of the pandemic. At the same time, we were keen not to forget all the other initiatives. The year’s total donations of SEK 155 million were spread across more than 20 projects in our three focus areas.

The year 2020 was in many respects marked by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite fluctuations on the international stock markets and an absence of share dividends, the Foundation’s capital held up well during the year. There was therefore no reason to adjust the volume of funding awarded in 2020. However, some of the Foundation’s support was directed specifically at initiatives aimed at strengthening society’s ability to counter the effects of the pandemic in various ways. In 2020 the Foundation donated SEK 155 million, spread across more than 20 projects in its three focus areas. In spring 2020 the children’s rights organisations Bris and Save the Children Sweden were each awarded SEK 3 million to meet the increased need for support among children and young people as a direct consequence of the corona pandemic. During the period it also became increasingly clear that in many cases the needs that already existed before the pandemic had increased. Mental health problems and a lack of confidence in the future among children and young people are topics that have come up time and time again in recent years. A year of restrictions, with limited social contacts and plans put on hold, has placed an a dditional burden on many young people. In view of this, the Foundation decided to award funding to Fryshuset’s new study and careers guidance venture and to Bris’s initiative to start up physical counselling centres for young people at various locations around the country. On the research side, project proposals with a bearing on the pandemic were processed quickly during the spring. SciLifeLab in Stockholm was granted SEK 3 million for the development of sensitive and reliable

tests that measure levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV2 virus in individuals previously infected with Covid-19. In partnership with various research groups, it was possible to show that staff at Danderyd Hospital that had been infected still had broad immunity to the virus nine months after recovering. 2020 was a year in which much was overshadowed by the urgent matters dominating everything around us, and we had to remind ourselves not to forget the other issues. The Foundation also s upported research into important projects within oncology, neurology and inflammatory disease. KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has received long-term support from the Foundation for research into X-ray technology to develop computer tomography that provides better image quality more favourable for the patient than c onventional techno logy. In 2020 this development had reached a stage where the products could be sold to medical techno logy company GE Healthcare. This large company’s capacity to produce at scale means that the new technology can now be used in clinical settings. The original support for the research will therefore benefit patients in real life, through earlier and more certain diagnosis – particularly for cancer. The largest individual award in 2020 was to an educational initiative to stimulate interest in mathematics. Assisted by support of SEK 35.4 million, over two years the national science centre Universeum in Gothenburg will develop a brand new physical exhibition, new digital tools and new features in its mobile activities to communicate what is fascinating about mathematics and how it benefits all of us.

THE PAST YEAR

The year 2020 was in many respects marked by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite fluctuations on the international stock markets and an absence of share dividends, the Foundation’s capital held up well during the year. Consequently, some of the Foundation’s support was directed specifically at initiatives aimed at strengthening society’s ability to counter the effects of the pandemic in various ways.

Science &

research

SEK 9 M / 3 YEARS

THE AIM IS TO GIVE THOSE SUFFERING FROM IBS BETTER TREATMENT Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that plagues nearly a tenth of the population in the western world. Although it does not shorten life, it has a major impact on people’s lives and health. Magnus Simrén wants to take a holistic approach and develop better treatment.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is estimated to a ffect around one in ten people in the western world. Magnus Simrén, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg and doctor at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, found himself devoting his medical career to gastroentero logy from early on. “In this area IBS is a fascinating condition, because the interaction between the brain and the gut is a key aspect of the symptoms,” he says. Although IBS is common, it has been unclear why the condition arises. “We now believe that it is partly to do with what happens in the microbiome in the gut – an interaction between food, gut bacteria and the immune system,” says Magnus Simrén. In one in five people who get IBS, the condition arises after a gastrointestinal infection. “Patients might say ‘I had a stomach upset in Thailand and I’ve had stomach problems ever since’,” he says. In February this year a scientific study was published in Nature in which Belgian researchers describe a possible mechanism. In tests involving mice they introduced a gastrointestinal infection and at the same time gave the mice a certain type of food. After the mice had recovered from the infection, they were given the same food again and experienced something that resembled an allergic reaction along with pain sensitivity in the gut. “The interpretation is that the immune system is activated incorrectly when the infection takes place. Normally immune cells in the gut do not react to food, which is called oral tolerance. When they do, you get an overreaction to the foods,” says Magnus Simrén.

Last year his team was able to show that 30 p ercent of patients with IBS were infected with a s pecific bacterium called Brachyspira. In contrast, this bacterium was not found in people without IBS, as they published in Gut. “Patients also had an allergy-like activation of the gut’s immune system. Whether that is a reaction to the bacterium itself or to food, for example, is still uncertain and is something that needs to be studied further,” he says. They will now do this in the project Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A disorder caused by micro bes, leading to loss of tolerance to d ietary antigens? One part of this involves using allergy tests in the gut to investigate which foods infected individuals are sensitive to. “We’ll be using a technique similar to the prick test done on the skin for allergy testing. The difference is that we’ll be doing the test in the gut and testing locally there for substances such as soy, egg, gluten and other foods,” he says. They will also continue to map the Brachyspirainfected patients – for example as regards their symptom profile, other gut flora composition and function, and the functioning of the immune cells in the gut. In the third part of the project the researchers will attempt to restore the patients’ gut function in various trials. “Here we want to try out many different approaches. Is excluding certain foods effective? Can the Brachyspira infection be eradicated using bespoke antibiotic treatment? Or how about if we use certain drugs to block nerve function in the gut?” For this ambitious project to achieve its objective,

Research is teamwork: Magnus Simrén with colleagues Piyush Patel and Annika Lundqvist.

When researchers examined samples from patients with IBS and healthy individuals they found a specific bacterium in the gut of IBS patients. Now the infected patients will be studied further.

the financial support from the Erling-Persson Foundation is highly significant, says Magnus Simrén – emphasising that it also sends an important signal. “It’s great to see a large donor devoting resources to a condition that has not traditionally been considered worthy of attention, which may be due to the fact that it’s not life-threatening and also that it’s mainly

women that are affected. I’m pleased the Foundation is venturing to fund research into IBS, which has such a great effect on so many people’s lives over a long period – often throughout their lives, from its onset at a young age right through to the autumn of their years,” says Magnus Simrén.

20%

2 in 3

A diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is made for chronic complaints involving stomach pain combined with variation in bowel habits. Investigations suggest it is prevalent in around 20% of people.

Between 5 and 10 percent of the population are estimated to meet the diagnostic criteria for IBS. Two thirds of those affected are women and the onset of IBS usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 40, but many already suffer from it as children.

15–20% For 15–20 percent of patients the condition comes on after a stomach infection. There is no cure, but there are various things that can be done to alleviate the symptoms.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Project Manager: Magnus Simrén, Professor of Medical Gastroenterology at the University of Gothenburg’s Institute of Medicine and Senior Consultant at the Institute of Medicine, Department of Medical Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. Title: ‘Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A disorder caused by microbes, leading to loss of tolerance to dietary antigens?’ What it involves: Researchers found the bacterium Brachyspira present in the gut in one in three IBS patients, but not in healthy individuals. They want to investigate in various ways whether this bacterium activates the gut’s immune system, making the gut sensitive to foods, and to test out various kinds of treatment. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with SEK 3 million per year for three years, totalling SEK 9 million. Read more: Nature 2021: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33442055/ Gut 2020: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33177165/ 21

SEK 15 M / 5 YEARS

CAN SCHIZOPHRENIA BE PREVENTED? Researchers believe that schizophrenia occurs when a type of cells in the brain, called microglia, are overactive. These then cut connections between nerve cells – including those that would normally be retained. Carl Sellgren Majkowitz is now to study in detail whether this can be prevented – and if so, how.

On average, one in a hundred people suffer from schizophrenia, which is a chronic psychiatric illness. Carl Sellgren Majkowitz is a researcher at Karolinska Institutet and a Senior Consultant in Psychiatry; his interest in research in this area grew out of meeting such patients over the past 15 years. “In my research I want to carry out relevant experiments in the lab to map the biological processes behind the illness, so that we can use this to improve clinical treatment,” he says. The objective of the project he is leading is to investigate why schizophrenia arises and whether it is possible to prevent it from occurring. The development of knowledge about schizophrenia at cellular level could be described as a multistage rocket. As early as 1982 the question was raised whether a lack of connections between nerve cells in the brain was behind the illness. Post mortem results indicated that individuals with schizophrenia had fewer connections between the nerve cells in the front part of the brain than individuals without schizophrenia. It then took until 2012 until researchers were able to show in tests on mice that there are specific cells in the brain, microglia, that are responsible for eliminating connections between nerve cells. And in 2019 Carl Sellgren Majkowitz made an important discovery: “Using two-dimensional cell cultures with microglia cells and nerve cells derived from patients’ skin cells, we were able to show that microglia cells from individuals with schizophrenia were more active in eliminating connections between nerve cells,” says Carl Sellgren Majkowitz. As the brain matures, its nerve cells link up. These

connections are called synapses. It is via the s ynapses that the nerve cells send signals to each other. In the late teenage years, however, it is time for the microglia cells to eliminate the connections that are not being used in order to reinforce the more important networks. In the study, which was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the researchers also made another discovery – the result of an idea that Carl Sellgren Majkowitz describes as a ‘shot from the hip’. “In another context an antibiotic called mino cycline had an inhibiting effect on these very microglia cells. We asked ourselves whether this effect might affect the risk of getting schizophrenia,” he says.

“Another aim is to find markers that make it possible to identify those at increased risk of developing schizophrenia.” They collected data from the health records of 20,000 young people who had been prescribed minocycline to treat acne in their teenage years. Those who had later been diagnosed with schizophrenia were then followed up. “We saw that the incidence of schizophrenia was significantly lower among those treated with mino cycline when compared with others,” he says. The project The rewiring of the connectome in adolescence as a target for preventing schizophre nia is now on the starting blocks. In this project the

In his corona-empty laboratory Carl Sellgren Majkowitz is planning future studies on cultured “mini-brains” to better understand how schizophrenia arises.

researchers want to create three-dimensional cell cultures – a kind of highly simplified “mini-brains” that better reflect how the brain is than the two- dimensional cultures used previously. “We are using the Nobel Prize-winning method that involves getting mature cells to return to being stem cells,” says Carl Sellgren Majkowitz. Skin cells are used as the starting material. When they are converted back into stem cells, these can in turn form the desired cell type – in this case, nerve cells and microglia cells. As a further refinement, the skin cells were taken from five pairs of identical twins where one sibling had been affected by schizophrenia but not the other. “That means that in the cultured cells we can compare how the microglia cells behave. We want to understand the process in which they eliminate connections, so we will be analysing all the active genes and the proteins formed in the cells,” he says.

This could give an indication of which genes are behind the excessive elimination. “We also want to find ways to prevent this, for example by testing minocycline on the cell cultures. Another aim is to find markers that make it possible to identify those at increased risk of developing schizo phrenia,” says Carl Sellgren Majkowitz. The work has already started but the results are likely to take a couple of years to emerge, says Carl Sellgren Majkowitz, who highlights the importance of the support from the Erling-Persson Foundation. “It’s a hugely important award that enables us to plan for the longer term. Our methods are demanding and we need to be able to employ international researchers with the expert knowledge required and ensure that they can stay in Sweden for a lengthy period,” he says.

35,000

13 –19

+/-

Schizophrenia affects around one in a hundred people. In Sweden 35,000 people are estimated to be living with schizophrenia.

The onset of the illness occurs during the late teenage years, often accompanied by psychosis. Common symptoms include delusions, hallucinations and thought disorders.

Today’s medicines often reduce the psychotic symptoms, but have no clear effect on symptoms such as cognitive impairment and lack of motivation.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Project Manager: Carl Sellgren Majkowitz leads the research group at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet and is Senior Consultant in Psychiatry for the North-west Region of Stockholm. Title: ‘The rewiring of the connectome in adolescence as a target for preventing schizophrenia’. What it involves: Using cultured three-dimensional “mini-brains”, researchers want to study how the volume of connections between nerve cells – known as synapses – are modified. This normally takes place during adolescence, and now they want to study – among other things – whether the degree of pruning can be inhibited by medical drugs. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with SEK 3 million per year for five years, totalling SEK 15 million. The project is being funded within the framework of the Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant, set up by a group of foundations. startinggrant.se Read more: Journal of Psychiatric Research 1982-83: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7187776/ Neuron 2012: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3528177/ Sellgren’s study: Nature Neuroscience 2019: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0334-7 27

SEK 6 M / 3 YEARS

ON THE HUNT FOR NEW AND SPECIFIC DRUGS TO FIGHT CANCER Maréne Landström and her colleagues discovered a cellular signalling pathway that is only active in cancer cells. Now work is underway to produce a drug that specifically targets aggressive tumour-transformed cells, while healthy cells are left alone.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men and is diagnosed in 10,000 Swedish men every year. Maréne Landström, Professor of Pathology at Umeå University and a clinical pathologist at Norrland University Hospital in Umeå, began her professional career as a nurse – where she met men who were very sick with prostate cancer. “It made a strong impression on me. Because I wanted to understand more about the disease so that I could contribute, I trained to become a doctor and researcher – which is something I’ve never regretted,” she says. Prostate cancer can be treated if discovered early, while the tumour remains within the capsule of the prostate gland. But if the cancer has spread, it is considerably more serious.

They found that a receptor on the cell surface was itself part of the signalling pathway, in that it can send part of itself into the cell nucleus. This sets off a s eries of reactions that enables the cancer cell to invade surrounding tissue. The molecule that binds to the receptor concerned is a growth factor called transforming growth factor beta, or TGF-beta for short. Researchers have shown previously that TGF-beta is formed to a greater extent in tumour cells. Men with prostate cancer who have high concentrations of TGF-beta in their blood also had a poorer prognosis than those with lower concentrations. “If we could block this specific signalling pathway in cancer cells, it could be a route to a new drug that prevents tumour cells from spreading,” says Maréne Landström. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications in 2011. A couple of years later her research group began collaborating with the national SciLifeLab Drug Discovery Development platform in Stockholm and Uppsala. The aim was to produce antibodies that could block the signalling. “They’ve been a fantastic support in the develop ment work, and when they took on our project in 2014 I felt that this really could be turned into a new drug,” she says. With the project Targeting the oncogenic TGF-beta signalling pathway – a novel cancer treat ment strategy and drug development programme the work is now moving into a new phase. From an initial 19 different candidate antibodies, by means of a series of tests the researchers have now narrowed this down to just one. To be able to

“If we could block this specific signalling pathway in cancer cells, it could be a route to a new drug that prevents tumour cells from spreading.” “Some of those whose cancer has spread only survive for six months or so once the spread has been found. It’s a cruel disease when it occurs in that form,” she says. In her research she wanted to understand why prostate cancer spreads, and just over 10 years ago she and her colleagues made a crucial discovery. “We found a signalling pathway that was only active in aggressive cancer cells and not in normal cells,” she says.

Maréne Landströms is driven by wanting to be able to do something for patients who are severely ill. “Now I have good reason to believe that our work will be useful!”

be trialled as a drug it needs to be rebuilt and tested on human cancer cells as well as in various animal models before it can be given to patients. In this work, the funding from the Erling-Persson Foundation is very welcome. “We are enormously glad to have it, since it means we can continue to employ skilled individuals in the research group. The support means that we can take the next step and develop new, improved antibodies that do not need to be given in such high concentrations,” she says. If the work progresses as planned, the first c linical trials could take place within three to four years, according to Maréne Landström. The researchers have patented the discovery and the development work is taking place in partnership with

10,000 Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in Swedish men, with around 10,000 people estimated to be given this diagnosis every year. Every year around 2,400 men die from prostate cancer.

a biotech company. The hope is that the drug will not have many side effects, since it precisely targets cancer cells. Another advantage of the new approach is that it can be used not just for prostate cancer. In 2016 Maréne Landström’s research group published in Oncotarget that they had found that the same signalling pathway is also active in a type of kidney cancer called clear cell renal cell carcinoma, for which there is currently no effective treatment. “Within the framework of the project we will attempt to develop antibodies to this type of cancer too,” says Maréne Landström, continuing: “I’ve always been driven by wanting to be able to do something for severely ill patients, and to succeed in that you have to jump in the deep end. Now I have good reason to believe that our work will be useful!”

90% If the disease has not spread it can generally be cured through a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy. Long-term survival rates are then good – generally over 90 percent.

3–5 Once the cancer has spread, the diagnosis is considerably poorer. With cancer that has spread into the bones, patients live for three to five years on average.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Project Manager: Maréne Landström, Professor of Pathology at the Department of Medical Biosciences at Umeå University and clinical pathologist at Norrland University Hospital in Umeå. Title: ‘Targeting the oncogenic TGF-beta signalling pathway – a novel cancer treatment strategy and drug development programme’. What it involves: The researchers have been able to identify a signalling pathway unique to cancer cells that spread. In the project, the researchers will evaluate an antibody that is thought to be able to block the signalling pathway – a way to specifically target cancer cells while sparing heathy cells. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with SEK 2 million per year for three years, totalling SEK 6 million. Read more: Nature Communications 2011: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21629263/ Oncotarget 2016: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27166254/ 31

Two of Maréne Landström’s colleagues Yabing Mu and Yang Zhou.

FOUR IMPORTANT PROJECTS

Other donations

genes are present, however, they give protection from the toxic effect of the substances. The project has found a further ‘loss gene’ and is looking for additional drug candidates capable of killing tumour cells that lack these specific genes. The clever part is that the surrounding normal cells, which have not lost any genes, are not vulnerable to the drug. In the best of worlds, then, brutal treatment could be targeted at the cancer cells while healthy cells are spared entirely.

Cancer is one of the most common causes of illness in our society. Around a third of us will suffer from cancer at some point during our lifetime. Every day millions of aging or damaged cells are cleared out of our body, and newly formed cells take their place to perform the body’s functions. The body has an amazing capacity to compensate for lost cells and recognises when cells have been replenished again. The balance between the accelerator and the brake in cell growth is regulated by complex interaction between our genes. If the activity of the growth-regulating genes is disturbed, with a braking gene losing its braking power or a growth-stimulating gene becoming overactive, the risk of a cancer forming is increased. Healthcare is getting better at diagnosing and treating cancers as we learn more about the mechanisms behind how they occur. Great progress has been made in treating cancer, but despite this the therapies are not effective in certain patients. In recent years, therefore, researchers have increasingly focused on trying to find treatments that are tailored to the individual patient. In 2020 the Erling-Persson Foundation granted funding to various projects that all aim in different ways to achieve more personalised treatments for cancer. The hope is that new treatments will be more precise, have fewer side effects and be more effective.

PROTEIN MAPS SHOW THE WAY TO TREATMENT Janne Lehtiö, Uppsala University SEK 7.5 M / 3 YEARS At Karolinska Institutet, Janne L ehtiö’s research group is working on another strategy for finding personalised treatments for cancer. The tendency of cancer cells to make mistakes when copying the genetic material to the daughter cells leads not just to the loss of genes, but also to the occurrence of new gene combinations. If the new gene combinations can be read by the machinery in the cell which produces proteins – using the genes as a template – then new proteins may arise. These new proteins, known as neoantigens, are thus not present in the healthy cells. Attempts are therefore being made to find active ingredients for drugs that are able to attack the cancer cells via these neoantigens. To find neoantigens, Lehtiö’s research group has characterised the entire set of proteins expressed by two types of leukaemia: acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The aim is to use the information about the proteinstructures, in combination with genetic markers and blood markers, to identify subgroups of these types of leukaemia and be able to tailor treatment to the specific characteristics of the subgroup. This work enables patient groups with different prognoses and differences in sensitivity to drugs to be identified.

LOST GENES COULD BE ACHILLES HEEL Tobias Sjöblom, Uppsala University SEK 9 M / 3 YEARS Tobias Sjöblom at Uppsala University is working on such a new method. It is hoped that the method will target cancer cells using drugs that focus on the genetic changes that can arise when cancer cells multiply. The background to this is that cancer cells – which, among other things, are characterised by more or less uninhibited growth – also become worse at transferring p erfect copies of the genetic material to the daughter cells. Often various genes, or parts of genes, are lost along the way. The research group has shown that there are substances which effectively kill tumour cells that have lost a specific gene during the development of colorectal cancer. So long as healthy

THE RIGHT DRUG, AT THE RIGHT TIME, IN THE RIGHT DOSE, TO THE RIGHT PERSON Christel Bergström, Uppsala University SEK 9 M / 3 YEARS Knowing which drug is effective against a certain type of cancer, or in the fight against another disease, is of course essential if patients are to be given treatment that works. For the drug to be of most benefit and at the same time have as

FOUR IMPORTANT PROJECTS

few side effects as possible, it is also important to adjust the dose and the preparation to the individual patient. Many important medical drugs are not suitable for children. They are available for adults, in tablets of a strength far too high for small b odies. Often, therefore, tablets have to be broken up to be given to children – making it difficult to give a precise dose without the assistance of care staff. Christel Bergström is a pharmacist and researcher at Uppsala University. Christel’s research group wants to make safe preparations of drugs so that the right dose can be given safely also to children. This issue most notably concerns children with cancer or neurological diseases. Among other things, the group has developed a method based on 3D printing that allows individually tailored doses of drugs to be produced. Their hope is that in the future, children will not only receive the right dose of their drug but will also not have to spend as much time in the hospital during their treatment. LIVING MEANS MORE THAN JUST SURVIVING Edwin Jager, Linköping University SEK 10 M / 3 YEARS When treating a serious illness the main aim is, of course, to get the person well again – preferably with as few side effects and setbacks as possible. We often equate ‘getting well’ with being free from acute illness. For many people, however, a period of rehabilitation is also needed before they can once again live as they did before becoming ill. The coronavirus pandemic has made us aware that rehabilitation can take a long time and require a lot of effort – both mentally and physically. One noticeable and very common lingering effect of illness is muscle weakness. In 2020 the Erling-Persson Foundation awarded funding to a materials research project that hopes to contribute to helping people with muscle weakness get mobile again more quickly in the future. In a collaboration between Linköping University (LiU) and the University of Borås, led by Edwin Jager of LiU, research is being carried out into new functional materials. The materials can be spun and woven into textiles, which in turn can react to electrical voltages so that the textile fibres contract like a muscle. One potential application of the functional materials is to design a textile-based soft “exoskeleton” that can improve mobility in patients

with muscle weakness. The team is developing new fibres as well as techniques for spinning these into yarn, and in parallel is developing various methods for weaving the yarns into textiles.

Tuition &

Education

SEK 35.4 M / 2 YEARS

ALL CHILDREN DESERVE TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD WITH A GOOD LEVEL OF SELF-CONFIDENCE AND A GOOD SELF-IMAGE Universeum describes how it is working to open doors that help people understand things. With its focus on applied mathematics, they hope both to create greater self-confidence among young people and contribute to knowledge that can solve many of society’s sustainability challenges. CEO Carina Halvord and Development Director Björn Edlund, tell us a bit about Universeum and its applied mathematics initiative. How did the idea come about? Carina: – Sweden is in the middle of the transition to a sustainable society, in line with the UN’s Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Many of the challenges this involves can be solved using mathe matics. Mathematics forms the basis of so much, and undoubtedly underlies the innovation and success of Swedish industry. But now several surveys show that many students enrolled in engineering programmes are unable to cope with their courses. One of the r easons is that their maths skills are not up to the job. It’s a problem that goes back to much earlier – sometimes right back to primary school. The idea for an applied mathematics initiative originated quite simply from a clear needs analysis. Some time ago, we created the ‘Love Chemistry’ initiative for more or less the same reasons. It was based on the fact that nine p ercent of the country’s 15-year-olds were not getting a pass grade in chemistry at school. Many felt scared or turned off by the very idea of chemistry. As Sweden’s national science centre and one of the 10 most visited experiences in Sweden, at U niverseum we have great opportunities to help resolve such problems. Of the nearly 600,000 people who explore Universeum every year, a full 70,000 are school students and teachers. Research shows that the best way to support school students is to support parents and teachers at the same time, and to offer complementary learning environments outside of school.

Björn: –Yes, and actually it’s not primarily about the fact that university students have problems. We b elieve in lifelong learning that starts early. Mathematics can alienate children already at a young age. You could see mathematics as a language – but one that is inde pendent of national borders. In that respect, it differs from other languages. What’s more, children who

“Research shows that the best way to support school students is to support parents and teachers at the same time.” for various reasons acquire an early aversion to the language of maths will also go through school with a low level of self-confidence. As a result, they never really do themselves justice – which leads to other choices in life that could actually have been avoided. The ‘Applied Mathematics’ initiative is an approach that hopes to bring about change by working on the root of the problem. How did you come to apply for a donation from the Erling-Persson Foundation? Carina: –Over the years we’ve learnt to run Uni verseum’s activities standing on our own two feet. When we start a major new initiative or take a new approach, however, we always need outside support, so we work systematically to look for such opportunities – including from private foundations. In this case we knew that the Erling-Persson Foundation had given great d onations in other contexts.

Carina Halvord, CEO of Universeum.

So this was the first time you had applied? Carina: –No, we’d made an application once before. But this was the first time that our application was successful. And it feels great! Do you remember how you felt when you were told? Carina: –Yes, absolutely. I can remember exactly where I was. It was just before the Christmas holidays and we really couldn’t have had a better end to the working year. It means an incredible amount to us. To be told we were getting such a fantastic donation – SEK 35 million – was incredible. It will enable us to do what we wanted to do, in full. I could barely contain myself – I was calling my colleagues within seconds! Björn: –And not that many seconds! I was overjoyed too, of course. I know exactly what a crucial decision this will be for many children. It’s like Carina says – the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. What effects do you think ‘Applied Mathematics’ could have from a social perspective? Björn: –Universeum has a mission of popular education, encompassing everyone in society. In this case we can see – and we’ve known this for many years – that it’s a great challenge for the average Swedish school to get everyone to keep up. Part of that is b ecause schools are not based on individuals. What’s more, in many areas they’re still based on purely instrumental learning.

“Many students on university engineering courses do not have adequate mathematics skills. It’s a problem that goes back to much earlier – sometimes right back to primary school.” In short, that means that children may hide their problems with maths for a great many years. They’ve learnt how to deal with certain challenges in the curriculum in technical terms, but they haven’t really understood. When it gets to a point where they can’t hide that any more, they feel completely exposed. Most of us would also lose interest in that situation. We know that. We believe that there is a massive social benefit to be gained by beginning to work actively to ensure that doesn’t have to happen. And we have a few other things in our toolbox too. I don’t think I’m the right person to talk about the values in that context, but

I imagine we can expect increased interest in mathe matics – and thus better maths skills – to contribute to very definite social gains. Carina: –We have extremely high expectations as regards the long-term effect. We look at it in very broad terms: not just that more people can do maths and succeed at school, and move on in various directions, but also in a much broader perspective. More people will go through school and out into the wider world with a good level of self-confidence and selfworth. All c hildren are worthy of that. What difference do you think it could make for the children, at an individual level? Carina: –I can give an example from another venture that we called The Power of the Young. It’s about giving more children a better basis for completing their compulsory schooling with a full set of passes, so that they can move on to upper secondary level. We had a meeting at Universeum in which both school students and school staff participated, and two gangling 15-year-old boys came along. They more or less said: “Maths – oh, we would have failed that. We weren’t going to the lessons. But then we became part of The Power of the Young, and got to rebuild our common room. That’s when we suddenly realised that maths... well, that we needed to be able to do some sums if we were going to do building work. It was so much fun!” So then, from the age of around 14, they could see the point of maths and got a pass in the subject. They liked it and enjoyed doing it. These lads then applied for a building course at vocational college. That’s when you feel it makes a real difference. They probably wouldn’t have applied to college at all if they hadn’t left school with a full set of passes. We’ve also had some fantastic letters from upper secondary students who write “I learnt more during two weeks at Universeum than in nine years of school”. Björn: –Something that has made an impression on me is individuals who have completed courses with us or taken part in one of our training packages. People who have come up to me afterwards and said: “I spent my entire time at school thinking I was stupid because I didn’t understand maths. But I wasn’t stupid at all – it was just that my brain worked in a different way. I couldn’t think in the way that people wanted me to. Now that you’ve shown me other ways, I get exactly what it’s about.”

That’s the aim of our activities: to open doors. Doors that are not entirely obvious, but that help people understand things. I often think of that “I thought I was stupid”. It says an incredible amount about what we can actually change for people.

With Universeum’s ways of working and platforms – and this donation – we can get more and more people to feel smart at doing sums. That’s a fantastic thing. It genuinely secures the future!

18%

10%

In a survey carried out by YouGov in 2021, one in five young men (18 percent) chose “engineer” as their dream job. Mathematics is the backbone of these courses.

Every year around 10 percent of students finish their compulsory schooling without a pass in maths.

80% 80 percent of those on engineering foundation courses have parents who completed higher education. Only a fraction of children from families with a lower level of education get one of the higher grades in maths.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Recipient: Universeum – a foundation-owned national science centre. With its own building, digital portal and wide range of activities alongside programmes for teachers and school students, Universeum gives children and adults an opportunity to explore the world through science and technology and to act for a sustainable world. Universeum’s building in Gothenburg is one of Sweden’s 10 most visited experiences. Title: ‘Applied Mathematics’ What it involves: An initiative aimed at enabling children and adults to improve their maths skills. The project will develop a unique learning environment and programmes linked to applied mathematics that involve school students, teachers and parents. Three platforms will be used – their own building, the digital portal and a mobile platform. The overall aim is to strengthen mathematics as a basis for innovation and entrepreneurship that leads to sustainable growth. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with MSEK 35.4 over two years.

Development

of Children

SEK 4 M / 3 YEARS

FROM THE AGE OF 11 MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE NO LEISURE ACTIVITIES. WE HELP THEM FIND SOMETHING THEY’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT. The founder of Sparks App carried out two years of research to find out why many young people had no leisure activities. Alexandra Krook reached the conclusion that their needs were not being matched by how clubs and various leisure activities currently work. Now she has launched a solution together with the young people themselves. Alexandra Krook, CEO and founder of Sparks Generation, tell us a bit about yourself and why the Sparks App is needed. It started when I saw some research showing how important meaningful leisure activities are for young people’s development. They are highly significant for a sense of community and meaning, and are an important piece of the puzzle in young people’s mental health. But the older children and young people get, the more they drop their leisure activities. The group that somehow ends up socially excluded just gets bigger and bigger, from the age of 11 upwards. At the same time, reports by anti-bullying organisation Friends show that young people feel isolated at school. This takes place in parallel with digital and social media becoming incredibly important at this age – so imagine if we could use these channels to get more people to find leisure activities that give them enjoyment and a feeling of community with others.

Together with the young people, we developed a model. First and foremost, they said that we needed to go on digital and social media – because that’s where they find inspiration and discover things. That’s their world: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok. And Twitch, which many guys – gamers – use. That’s where you can sow the seed: ‘Oh, you can do pottery. That looks cool!’. But then perhaps their self-esteem or self-confidence crumbles and they think ‘I wouldn’t dare do that’. That’s why they suggested we make how-to videos. They want to know what clay is, where it comes from, how sticky they will get, and so on. We also realised that there has to be a shared function. Then it’s easier to get a friend on board. Once the research and the model were complete, I presented the results to the Erling-Persson Foundation. I told them I wanted to build a non-profit organisation that uses digital social media to get young people to find out about and try out a range of activities. That’s when we got our first donation, which was what made it possible to form Sparks Generation and start a smallscale test.

The solution is an app, then? No, the solution is not just an app. It’s a bit more complex than that. We’ve carried out a lot of work to understand why so many drop their leisure activities, or never start any. I spent more than two years researching to understand why people didn’t have any activities and I wanted to get the young people to develop a solution to the problem themselves. In total, more than a hundred young people took part in focus groups, interviews and workshops in Flen, Södertälje and Danderyd to answer questions such as ‘Why don’t you have any leisure activities?’, ‘What should we do about that?’ and ‘What would get you to start doing pottery, or to want to try volleyball or something like that?’

So first you got a donation for testing out Sparks Generation and whether the basic idea was viable? Yes. In phase one we were joined by the Swedish Volleyball Federation, World Archery Sweden and a few others. And it worked: the young people watched our YouTube videos, for instance. Then they went and signed up to our very simple website. About 1,000 continued all the way to trying out activities, at more than 20 locations around Sweden. And that led to many of them asking about more activities to try out.

Alexandra Krook, CEO and founder of Sparks Generation.

societal level? There are very clear effects at an individual level and at local level. Perhaps also even higher up, at a system level. At an individual level, research shows that young people who get into meaningful leisure activities have a greater sense of enjoyment, motivation and purpose. They have a more positive attitude to the future and get better grades. They are more likely to stay away from drugs and alcohol. So already there we can contribute to young people getting on the right track. There are also effects at a municipal level. Firstly, young people feel more included in society. They notice that there are things on offer and that there are p eople making an effort to help them find something. The activities offered are wide-ranging. It’s not just sport – there’s also art, culture, nature, coding and so on. Now we’re also looking into the possibility of adding work experience in various jobs. We don’t judge and we don’t say one thing is better than something else. There’s room for all interests here, so it’s a very inclusive service in that sense. At a system level we also have an influence. By getting the young people to complete our Sparks s urvey, we can map their interests. We call it the Sparks Chart: it shows what the young people in the municipality are passionate about and what they want to try out. The Sparks Chart can be used to adapt the range of leisure activities on offer to match demand. The head of leisure and cultural services in Upplands Bro said something like: “How many young people sign up to become club members through the Sparks app isn’t the most important thing. The important thing is that young people try things out and at the same time do something inspiring and fun, right here and now.” I agree. If we can get more young people doing something other than parking themselves in front of a screen as soon as school is out, or perhaps hanging around town not doing anything at all, and instead go and try out, say, producing music – then that’s good for everyone. It’s good for the young people, it’s good for various places around town and it’s good for society in general. It has an effect at all levels.

It became very clear that their needs are not being matched by how clubs and various leisure activities currently work. Up till now, nearly all of them have run try-it-out sessions at the same time. There was an enormous range of activities to try out for one week in August, but then nothing. If you look at how consumer products are now marketed, it’s based more and more on ‘campaigning every day’. They’ve learnt to display what they have to offer the whole time. In the same way, young people need to find out everything that’s happening right now. They have fairly short planning horizons. We realised we needed to find out more, so we formulated a new project to carry out a new round of research and develop the method and the platform further. We made a further application and the funding was awarded. Are you working with young people in this phase too? We had just over 20 young people involved throughout our development work. They were able to influence everything, from the design and text to the structure and functionality. The service is quite like Snapchat and Instagram. Users might not actually know what they’re looking for – instead they want to browse around and see what’s on offer. A broad, relevant offering is incredibly important for making the service feel attractive. That’s why we need to make it extremely easy for clubs, youth centres, libraries, and music and arts schools to add on everything they have to offer. Thanks to the donation from the Erling-Persson Foundation we were able to engage PwC Experience Center, which specialises in this kind of design and development. Has the Sparks App already launched? Yes, we have a pilot up and running in Upplands Bro municipality. It was launched in mid-October and it’s marketed by local young people of upper secondary school age. They go into the schools and tell young people about it in their way: “Hi, find something you’re passionate about! Whatever you think is important. It might be theatre or maths, or space, or whatever. You can find everything that’s going on where you live right here.”

Does the app only have activities to try out or can people register for things like short courses as well? We’ve started with try-it-out sessions. But now lots of organisations want to offer free courses – so that people can book four pottery sessions at an art school, for example. Right now we’re in the process of developing this functionality. But since we’re aimed directly at young people between the ages of 10 and 16, it won’t be possible to buy anything via us. If those that have tried something want to join the club, it’s up to the leaders of that club to provide information on times, costs etc. that is aimed at the young people’s parents and guardians.

Are there any results you can tell us about? In the secondary schools we visited, 40 percent of the young people sign up to an account straight away. 30 percent of them have already tried out some kind of activity. The service is growing all the time. More young people try something new and more of them try out more than one activity. The next phase is to take it out to other municipalities. We’ll be ready to do that very soon. You’ve already mentioned how important it is for the individual that they have meaningful leisure activities. What’s the potential significance of that at an overall 48

Having got off the ground thanks to donations, will Sparks then be able to finance itself? In the longer term Sparks has to be able to keep going without any grants or donations. Although we’re a non-profit organisation, we need to have a sustainable business model and be able to finance ourselves. It’s free for any club to come on board, but the municipality pays a licensing fee to use the app and a cost for ambassadors. So they pay for the visits our Sparks ambassadors make to the schools. The goal is to have at least 15 municipalities in the app within three years. Then we’ll be able to stand on our own two feet. In the longer term, I can envisage Sparks being developed in three different dimensions. We’ll move up the age groups and provide an offering for those at upper secondary level. And also to adults – we want to find new interests too. As adults, we may even be prepared to pay for it. Then we’ll have a business model in which adult Sparks users help finance the free offering for young people – a kind of intergenerational sponsorship. I also hope to be able to include young people with differing abilities, so that Sparks can help match their needs. It’s largely a matter of bringing in a wider offering. The technical side can always be solved.

for each municipality to have its own digital marketing department that develops apps. Some have actually tried to do that type of thing, but people have always underestimated how important the marketing is and that technical development has to take place all the time. My idea is that instead of each municipality developing its own app, they can use us instead. Then they don’t have to do the development work or invest in the technology. If they work with us, the costs can be shared between everyone who comes on board. The more municipalities that join us, the cheaper it will be. How come you are putting so much commitment into Sparks, a non-profit organisation? I realised how important it is to have meaningful leisure activities. And digitalisation can make the ‘leisure activi ties sector’ much more effective. Do you remember how it felt when you found out that the Sparks App had been awarded the donation? It was 9.50 in the morning on 5 March 2020. I was sitting on a train down to Skåne, on my way to a meeting with the City of Malmö. The train was packed – strict corona rules hadn’t been brought in yet – and I got an email from the Foundation saying they had awarded us a grant. I quickly wrote back and said ‘I’m sitting on a train, but if I wasn’t I’d be jumping up and down in the corridor whooping!’ That’s how it felt – it was awesome. And incredibly important.

But shouldn’t the municipalities take responsibility for this themselves – making sure that young people find the activities that are available? That’s a good point, but I’m not sure that it’s efficient

43%

61–84%

9–12

The percentage of all 13-year-old girls in Sweden that spend more than three hours a day on their mobiles.

Influencers have a young audience: 61 percent of 9- to 12-year-olds and 84 percent of 13- to 16-year-olds follow channels on YouTube. They are used to spontaneous inspiration and switch focus quickly.

A 2014 survey asked young people in Stockholm between the ages of 13 and 19 how many leisure activities they would like to have if they could choose. The response of 9–12 a week suggests that many would engage in a leisure activity if only they could find one that suited them.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Recipient: Sparks Generation – a non-profit organisation that uses to digital channels to help youth activity providers reach out and young people find activities. Title: ‘Sparks App’ – a project aimed at helping young people spend their leisure time meaningfully. What it involves: sparksapp.se is a free app that lets young people see what activities are on offer and sign up straight away to try out activities locally. Activities are presented in an inspiring and easily accessible way. The app is now being tested in a pilot project with Upplands Bro municipality. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with SEK 4 million over three years. 49

Bris secretary-general Magnus Jägerskog and social worker Somaya Ghanem, who are working to establish Bris counselling centres.

SEK 7.5 M / 2.5 YEARS

BRIS COUNSELLING CENTRES STRENGTHEN OUR SUPPORT CHAIN AND ALLOW US TO STAY AT THE CHILD’S SIDE FOR LONGER Bris – Children’s Rights in Society has long worked to provide digital information and support online or by phone. Now physical counselling centres will enable vulnerable children and young people to get more in-depth support. The counselling centres are part of Bris’s development towards covering a much wider geographical area, among other things. Secretary-general Magnus Jägerskog and social worker Somaya Ghanem are working to establish Bris counselling centres. So how are Sweden’s young people feeling right now? Magnus: –Sweden is in many ways an extremely good country in which to grow up and spend your childhood. But at the same time, many children have mental health problems. We are also seeing a growing alienation affecting many. The past year has been a very special one and for children who already had mental health problems or were in a vulnerable situation before the pandemic, it’s been tough. We’ve never given support to as many children as we did in 2020. Most of all, there’s been an increase in calls about problems such as anxiety and depression. And I think these are going to increase even more in 2021.

Increasing alienation also contributes. More polarisation and growing gaps. That’s dangerous for many different reasons. From a children’s rights perspective, it results in children not being given the conditions for a good start in life. It’s also important to work for equal opportunities at school and access to an equal world. Somaya: –At an overall level, it’s a question of how we build our society and which resources we put into what. How we invest in schools and welfare. It’s about political decisions. Cuts affect children – that’s just a fact. But we also see that child and adolescent psychiatry has become more specialised. In some cases, that results in higher entry barriers and makes it harder to get help. Magnus: –Yes, being able to tell someone is the first step towards change. That’s one of Bris’s most important roles: to be there for children who need to tell someone how they really feel.

“Being able to tell someone is the first step to change. One of Bris’s most important roles is to be there for children who need to tell someone how they’re feeling.”

What has the pandemic meant for children and young people in Sweden? Magnus: –I don’t think anyone really knows the full answer to that yet. For many, I think it will have been a strange period but that they still come through well. For others, it may have major consequences related to mental health, vulnerability and schooling. Children who were already having a tough time in some way before are finding things even worse. The fact that the number of calls we received about anxiety, family conflict and violence increased substantially in 2020 indicates that. We know that many children need

So more and more children are having mental health problems. Why do you think that’s the case? Magnus: –That’s a broad question. In a shortterm perspective the pandemic is having an effect, of course – but in the longer term various social factors are involved. For example, there’s a close link between how you feel and how you’re doing at school.

someone to talk to. To meet that need we extended our opening hours and boosted our staffing numbers last year – which we were able to do using support from the Erling-Persson Foundation, among others. Just very recently we started staying open 24 hours a day.

when it opened in 1980. From all the contacts we’ve had with children, it’s become very clear how crucial it is that they get support for their situation in life. We can’t replace what society does, but we can supplement it. Bris is on the child’s side and the child must be able to rely on the fact that we always will be, whatever the matter. And I believe those who come into contact with us do feel that. We’re a non-profit organisation and I think that’s crucial.

And now you’re starting Bris counselling centres. What does that involve? Somaya: –Bris has offices in Stockholm, G othenburg, Malmö, Umeå and Linköping. Those can be developed into counselling centres where young people can quite simply meet us, and each other, in person. Plus we can also arrange family mediation, talks and training there. This donation will enable us to open counselling centres at all five offices: Stockholm and Malmö in the spring, Gothenburg and Linköping in the autumn, and then Umeå towards the end of the year – in November/December.

So you’re going to start Bris counselling centres in five cities. What will happen then – will there be more? Magnus: –We don’t see this as a project. The donation will go towards starting a new line of activities that will stay in place for a long time. It’s one part of a fairly extensive development of our activities, one purpose of which is to cover a much wider geographical area.

“Now we can go along with young people who say ‘I want someone to help me talk to my social worker because they’re not listening to me’.”

Magnus: –Bris counselling centres will be a regional link in a long chain of support. If the first links are digital information and support by phone or online, the counselling centres will allow us to provide more in-depth support and to meet people in person. Now we can pick up on what people want, so if a young person says, for example, ‘I want someone to help me talk to my social worker because they’re not listening to me’, we can come along with them. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Somaya: –It’s very much in development. We don’t have all the answers in advance. We don’t know exactly which children will come to the counselling centres or what kind of problems they’ll have. We can guess and we have theories, but we won’t know until we’re actually up and running.

So there are children and young people who need help to get help? Magnus: –Yes, definitely. It’s not always easy for a child to navigate and find their way through all of society’s functions. We can play an important part in guiding children as to where they can turn. Last year calls to Bris about child and adolescent psychiatry were up 44 percent and calls about health among school students increased by 18 percent. Children are telling us how difficult it is to get contact and support. Processes have been put on hold and so on.

Part of the donation is also to go towards holding an international conference in Stockholm. What is that, and when will it be? Magnus: –There’s a global organisation called Child Helpline International. It’s an umbrella organisation for 180 helplines in 140 countries. Bris was involved in founding it in 2003. In September 2020 Bris was to have hosted Child Helpline International’s tenth international conference. It was postponed because of the effects of the pandemic, but we hope we’ll finally be able to hold it in September 2022. The theme of the conference is ‘Countdown to 2030’ – in other words, the UN Sustainable Develop ment Goals. We’ll discuss what we as children’s rights organisations can do to contribute to the goals being achieved. Around 250 participants from more than a hundred countries will come here. The international conference will conclude with the ‘Stockholm Declaration’ – collective recommendations by the helplines to the governments of the world regarding what needs to be done to reduce the vulnerability of children by 2030.

What does that say about our society? Somaya: –When the Convention on the Rights of the Child became part of Swedish law, this set out even more clearly that society is to meet children’s needs in respect of health and a good situation in life. That’s a big undertaking. And while it’s true that the state has responsibility for this, we need to have more people involved if we can. Magnus: –There are gaps in society’s support. Bris has been working to strengthen children’s rights since 1971. Our helpline was one of the first in the world

For the original date we had booked Queen Silvia of Sweden, the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children Dr Najat Maalla M’jid, and Klas Bergling of the Tim Bergling Foundation. We’re now working to enable them to come for the new date instead.

tion on the Rights of the Child fully, we need to help as many people as possible. As I said, not every child has someone who will take the time, who will listen, who can give them guidance and support. And then, of course, it’s extremely important that young people are aware that we exist and know that they can rely on us to be on their side. Among secondary school aged children, just over 95 percent are aware of us. Last year 31,497 young people contacted us. With Bris drop-in centres we’ll be able to help them even more.

How do Bris and other helplines make a difference for children and young people? Somaya: –If society is to be able to live up the Conven-

16%

2020

1 in 3

In 2020 Bris had 31,497 therapeutic contacts with children up to the age of 18. That’s an increase of 16 percent on 2019.

During the year children’s access to protective factors, such as safe social contexts and relationships with those their own age and safe adults outside the home, has been limited. At the same time, risk factors for vulnerability have increased as many parents have lost their jobs or otherwise been affected by economic uncertainty or a deterioration in their financial situation as a result of the pandemic.

In July 2020 just less than a third of Sweden’s regions were able to offer an appointment for an initial assessment within child and adolescent psychiatry within the time frame set out in the care guarantee.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Recipient: Bris – Children’s Rights in Society. One of Sweden’s leading children’s rights organisations, started in 1971. Offers professional support to all children up to 18 years old, and targeted support for children and families in particularly vulnerable situations. In 2020 Bris had 31,497 therapeutic contacts with children via chat, phone and email. Title: Bris counselling centres and holding of the tenth conference of Child Helpline International. What it involves: Support activities involving local counselling centres, so that Bris can go further in helping children in vulnerable situations than it has been able to do to date. The donation also covers support for Bris to host the tenth conference of Child Helpline International. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the Bris counselling centres project with SEK 6.5 million over two and a half years. Bris has also been awarded a donation of SEK 1 million towards hosting the tenth conference of Child Helpline International.

From left (back row): Nicklas Hillberg, Emma Örtlund, Alexander Rådlund. From left (front row): Ida Johansson, Pär Johansson, Kitty Jonsson.

SEK 5 M / 3 YEARS

WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE THINGS TOGETHER, PREJUDICES TURN INTO UNDERSTANDING AND FRIENDSHIP Glada Hudik Theatre is bringing together children from special school and mainstream school, showing both children and adults that prejudices can be overcome. Pär Johansson hopes to create role models and show that there is hope of a brighter future in a better society.

Pär Johansson, business manager at Glada Hudik Theatre, tell us a bit about the background to the project ‘Tillsammans’, which means ‘Together’. We were getting signals from various schools that the special school and mainstream school were not doing things together. For example, they don’t celebrate the end of term together when they break up for the summer or Christmas holidays, and have very few activities together. So we looked into this more closely. It proved to be a general problem all over Sweden.

also need to work on convincing the adults that it’s not something strange. We need to practice what we preach; show children that there is nothing strange about differences. Otherwise it won’t be sustainable. So theatre can counteract prejudice? Yes – above all, theatre is a very concrete way to bring about integration. That may sound quite clichéd, but nonetheless it’s what we’re doing. It’s based on h uman beings meeting each other. When you experience things together, fears and prejudice turn into understanding and friendship.

In what sense do you think it’s a problem? Because segregation is associated with prejudice. People have prejudices about all kinds of things – myself included. In the long run it’s a problem for society, not something that only affects young people with Down’s syndrome. Human encounters create understanding. And when you gain an understanding of each other, prejudices fall away.

It sounds so easy when you say it. Are there even any obstacles? Yes, prejudices are the most obvious obstacle. But I maintain that those who get to meet youngsters with Down’s syndrome at school don’t tend to become prejudiced about people with disabilities as easily. Or if you have a teacher with a foreign background, you don’t tend to become hostile to foreigners as e asily. At the same time, it’s not enough just to address young people. We need to carry out a very fundamental process of rooting these ideas among school principals, teachers and parents, because they also have prejudices. There are also obstacles to do with bad conscience. You think about everything you haven’t done and doubt that it can even be done. So we have to show that there is hope – that it’s perfectly possible to change things. It’s about putting the conditions in place and showing good examples. It’s not that hard if you dare to let go and give people a chance to meet. We think ‘Together’ will be a model that spurs

“We need to practice what we preach. Show children that there is nothing strange about difference. Otherwise it won’t be sustainable.” It shouldn’t be the case that one minute you’re sitting in a classroom talking about diversity, inclusion and how everyone is of equal value, and the next you have separate end-of-term celebrations. Children are not born with prejudices. They generally get them from adults. So in parallel, we

PÄR JOHANSSON

“It shouldn’t be the case that one minute you’re sitting in a classroom talking about diversity, inclusion and how everyone is of equal value, and the next you have separate end-of-term celebrations. Children are not born with prejudices. They generally get them from adults.”

people on and shows others how they can take the initiative, dare to cross boundaries and achieve change.

It struck me then that it’s easy to be good in t heory. It’s easy to create a set of values using all the best words. But reality is something else. After the third commercial, we went out and told people that Ica was to start recruiting. There was complete silence. Those around us realised that the commercials weren’t just a trick by the c ompany to be liked. Today Ica employs 1,700 people with disabilities. That, to me, is a concrete example. Mats has become a role model. Now we have many young people with Down’s syndrome coming to us on study trips who want to become the new Ica Jerry. We have to create role models. And show that there is hope of a bright future. It’s the same thing with ‘Together’.

Tell us a bit about how ‘Together’ is going to work. It starts locally here in Hudiksvall and will g radually lead to a tour around Sweden. The project is being implemented in three stages, each lasting a year. Four children from mainstream school and four children from special school will follow each other for three years – just like we mix professionals and amateurs at Glada Hudik Theatre. In the first year they will produce a musical t heatre show. The work and roles will be distributed so that everyone can do it. If you’re good at singing, then you sing. You do what you’re good at. In the second year they will perform their piece for all of the schools in Hudiksvall municipality. In the third year they will give talks to other pupils about what it was like working together. The entire project will be filmed and will become a documentary. Hopefully the documentary will do the same job as the talks, but reaching even more people. We think these stages will show that it’s not that strange – it’s just a matter of finding common denomi nators.

“The entire project will be filmed. Hopefully the film will do the same job as the talks, but reaching even more people.” Do you see the ‘Together’ project as a test, or will it be followed by ‘Together 2’ and so on? Obviously we want to start by testing out the concept. After all, you start a project to see whether you can get it established or if it will end up being something temporary. But of course I hope that there will be many more ‘Togethers’.

It is your aim for special schools to be abolished? For everyone to go to the same school? No, it’s a really good thing to have special school and mainstream school. I don’t believe all children should be together in the same classroom. That can easily r esult in chaos. However, I do believe in a more inclusive school, from all perspectives. That would form the foundations of a better society.

It’s been some time since you found out that ‘ Together’ had been awarded a donation. Do you remember how it felt? Yes, it was a joy! But also a little bit of delight mixed with terror. We had worked incredibly hard on the application, to make it as good as possible and explain why ‘Together’ is important and worth supporting. And when you do that, of course, you have to ask yourself all those questions first. Are we thinking along the right lines? So when I got told, it was those thoughts that were going through my head first. But that was only for a moment – after that you just want to get things moving.

Moving from the perspective of society to that of individuals, what do you think it will be like for those involved to be part of ‘Together’? Obviously that’s hard to say. But I’m thinking about when we worked with the supermarket Ica and they created the character of Ica Jerry. He was played by a guy called Mats. I’ll never forget when they showed the first commercial. It felt like the whole of Sweden had been turned upside down. There was a huge amount of criticism from people who thought it was wrong to have someone with Down’s syndrome in a commercial. After the second commercial, I was so unsure as to whether I had done the right thing that I called Mats’ mum. Straightaway she told me: “When Mats was born, the first thing I heard was that I had given birth to a monster child. They said the best thing I could do was give him up. The fact that today he can be happy and proud is a victory. So keep at it!”

And have you now got things moving? We’re currently in the planning phase. Last week I met with scriptwriters and those responsible for the music. Unfortunately, the pandemic has put a stop to a lot of things. Our region, Gävleborg, has been hit hard by the virus. Schools’ primary focus has had to be on managing that. It’s difficult for them to focus on new things in those circumstances, so we’ve left them in peace to get on with it for a while.

How did you find out that the Foundation existed and that you could apply for a donation? The first time I heard mention of the Erling-Persson Foundation was 10 years ago. I was giving a talk at Fryshuset and I asked how they financed their p rojects, and that’s when they told me about the Foundation. After that we worked with Karl-Johan Persson, who had supported us privately for our most recent film, Catwalk. He also told us that the Foundation existed and that we could apply for a donation. When we got the idea for the ‘Together’ project we made an application. And now we’ve got it. It feels amazing that the project can become a reality!

For those of us whose work involves bringing people together, the pandemic really is a very obvious obstacle. It’s difficult to rehearse a theatre production over Zoom. But there’s nothing we can do about that. Yes, let’s hope things can get going again soon. What are you most looking forward to grappling with? I really can’t wait to meet our actors again. To be able to see people and work together in person, and be in the element where we are at our very best.

10,612

According to a study, 10 minutes’ conversation between a person from the majority community and one from a marginalised group in the community can counter prejudices towards the marginalised group. The effect could be measured several months after the conversation.

Around one percent of all students of compulsory school age attend a special school. The percentage has varied over the years. In the 2017/2018 academic year there were 10,612 students at special schools.

According to Gordon Allport’s ‘contact h ypothesis’, four conditions must be provided in order to reduce prejudice: equal status, common goals, cooperation and institutional support. Later research shows that prejudice reduces even if not all four conditions are met.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Recipient: Glada Hudik Theatre – a theatre group set up in 1996. Title: ‘Tillsammans’ (‘Together’) What it involves: A project for integration between mainstream school and special school aimed at increasing understanding and reducing prejudice. The project includes a theatre performance involving eight students (aged 10–12) from mainstream and special schools,a documentary film, a tour of talks and follow-up. Funding: The Erling-Persson Foundation is supporting the project with SEK 5 million over three years.

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

Activity / sport / school

will work with the school staff to create positive and inclusive environments in the school playground too, and will also encourage local clubs to work with the schools.

We know that mental and physical health go hand in hand with people feeling good and being able to develop. But health and wellbeing are not evenly distributed across society. Our increasingly screen-dependent lives also seem to be reinforcing the tendency towards a general increase in health problems among young people. The Foundation is involved in various projects aimed at giving c hildren and young people the right conditions for an active, healthy life. H elping young people find meaningful leisure activities and lowering the entry barriers for participation are aims shared by several organisations that the Foundation supports.

Support in a worrying time of crisis

Children and young people with differing abilities struggle with the same issues as other young people, including issues surrounding identity, self-worth and the state of the world. We also know that people with disabilities have a greater than average risk of suffering discrimination. They also generally have poorer mental health than the average population. The ability to ask for help in protecting themselves and safeguarding their rights can vary greatly between individuals. For a child who is very dependent, it can be almost impossible. At the same time, the opportunity to talk to someone from outside about what they are thinking or have experienced can be crucial for their mental wellbeing in the short and long term. For hearing youngsters there are well-established helplines they can contact, but for a long time there was no such option for deaf or hearing-impaired young people.

GENERATION PEP SEK 5 M / 3 YEARS Among many other things, Generation Pep uses nationwide campaigns, local pop-up events and school programmes to encourage people to enjoy being active and increase awareness of what we all need to feel good. Through methodical, longterm work to influence people the organisation works for these matters to be integrated into our daily lives. Every year it publishes the Pep Report (in partnership with the SOM Institute) which reports facts concerning young people’s health habits. To make it easier for people to make healthy life choices, the organisation works with its network of partners to produce such things as activity materials for schools, well-priced sportswear, and appealing healthy alternatives to sweets. The organisation has received support from the Erling-Persson Foundation on two occasions.

SVERIGES DÖVAS UNGDOMSFÖRBUND (SWEDISH ASSOCIATION FOR DEAF YOUTH) SEK 100,000 / 1 YEAR That’s why in 2017 the Swedish Association for Deaf Youth started its sign-language service BOUJT for children and young people. Today it is the only helpline aimed at deaf and hearing- impaired children and young people in Sweden. Specially trained volunteers meet the young people directly and support them via chat or video calls. Questions can also be asked by email or in a d igital question box, where people can also read questions others have asked. BOUJT also offers courses for adults, so that they can provide better support for this target group.

DJURGÅRDENS SKOL IF SPORTS CLUB SEK 3 M / 3 YEARS The sports club Djurgårdens Skol IF started its activities in 2020, realising that sport needed to use outreach activities to engage young people and become aware of what is stopping them from joining in. To really become part of children’s daily lives, they determined that the activities had to take place where the children were and be integrated into the school environment. In 2021 they expect to be able to offer sports activities at around 20 schools following directly on from the school day. The focus will be on making all students feel welcome to take part in activities that are fun to do, guided by fair values. Performance will be secondary. The head of sports at the school

Support when children suffer illness

Being ill and spending long periods in hospital is not something we want to associate with childhood. Nonetheless, children sometimes become seriously ill or have long-term illnesses.

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

The situations they find themselves in are often a cause of great stress to the children and their families, but being ill can also be monotonous and boring. A young life is put on hold, and possibly no one really knows how long. At such times entertainment or distraction can be particularly welcome, or perhaps the opportunity to experience something really special.

pportunity to gain new insights. Direct meetings o between the students and young people enable the youngsters to find out how to get into higher education, while the students find out what it’s like to be new to a country and perhaps have a different cultural background to the majority population. The long-term aim is to contribute to a s ociety in which fewer young people are excluded and in which more students enter working life as inclusive colleagues, managers and citizens.

CLOWNMEDICIN SEK 1.055 M / 1 YEAR Clownmedicin provides professional clowns who visit sick children and their families in hospital. The aim is to spread joy and make life easier for the children, their siblings and parents and the staff, so that their time in the hospital is not as hard.

FRYSHUSET SEK 15 M / 3 YEARS Helping young people find their goals and drivers is something that the Fryshuset Foundation does through many of its activities. As part of the Lamp project, a new activity is being started that is specifically aimed at young people’s route from school into working life. To this end, Fryshuset is starting a study and careers guidance centre with national reach – a complement to the activities that currently go on locally. The aim is to show young people realistic paths into study and work, so that they don’t get stuck in passivity and exclusion.

MIN STORA DAG (MY SPECIAL DAY) SEK 1 M / 1 YEAR The organisation Min Stora Dag (My Special Day) also works to give pleasure to children with serious illnesses and diagnoses. It’s concept is all about making the children’s dreams come true. On their special day the child gets to experience something they have dreamed of doing or gets to meet someone they admire, or to have fun with others who know what it’s like to be in their situation.

MENTOR SWEDEN SEK 3.6 M / 2 YEARS The organisation Mentor has a vision of a world in which young people are allowed to grow and develop healthily. Mentor works in various ways to achieve this vision, its target group being young people aged from 13 to 17. In the individual mentor ing programme the young person gets their own mentor to talk things over with – whether its something big or small doesn’t matter – for up to a year. The young people who have taken part generally say that it improved their self-esteem and that they feel more inspired for the future. Mentor also organises job inspiration activities for groups of young people, as well as courses for parents that deal with what it’s like to be young today.

Support for finding the way to the future

How do you know what you want to do in your future career? And how can you achieve your goal? These are big questions, and many young people feel lost when they think about the future. The support they need to find their way varies. Some may find motivation to get through school if supported in identifying their long-term goal, while others already know what their goal is but need guidance in understanding how they might get there. MITT LIVS VAL (CHOICE OF A LIFETIME) SEK 300,000 / 2 YEARS Mitt Livs Val (Choice of a Lifetime) wants to inspire and motivate n ewly arrived young people aged from 16 to 20 to continue with their studies. The organisation recruits students at universities and colleges to help do this. The idea is that it gives both the youngsters and the students an

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STEFAN PERSSON Chairman of the Board. Born 1947. 1969 – 1973 Stockholm University and Lund University. 1976 – 1982 Country Manager for H&M in the UK and responsible for H&M’s expansion abroad. 1982 – 1998 President and CEO of H&M. 1998 –2020 Chairman of the Board at H&M. Other board positions in family companies.

ELISABETH TAMM Board member. Born 1947.

CHARLOTTE SÖDERSTRÖM Board member. Born 1977.

Elisabeth has degrees in law and business administration from Uppsala University. After a period as a notary she was employed at the Swedish Tax Agency in Stockholm. She has also been head of tax and family law at Carnegie and Ålandsbanken.

Charlotte read market e conomics at IIU. Up until the age of 21 she was active as a competition rider in equestrian sports and today she runs the Stuteri Arch stud farm in Skåne in Southern Sweden. The stud farm breeds, trains and sells jumping horses and in 2018 the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (Fédération Equestre Internationale – FEI) named her as its Owner of the Year. Charlotte is also project manager for the sponsorship project H&M Loves Horses.

Elisabeth is chair of or holds other positions of responsibility at a number of foundations, including the Alba Langenskiöld Foundation that is associated with publishing house Langenskiöld, the Foundation for the Astrid Lindgren Children’s H ospital, the Tranås Säteri Foundation and Sällskapet för Makarna Malmqvists minne.

Board member at family companies and of Haga Gårdsförvaltning.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SIGBRIT FRANKE Board member. Born 1942.

TOM PERSSON Board member. Born 1985.

Sigbrit completed a doctorate in 1975 at the Department of Education at Umeå University. In 1978 she became a lecturer and in 1982 a professor of education. For the 1987/1988 academic year she was a guest professor at UC Berkeley. Sigbrit was appointed vice-chancellor of Umeå University in 1992 and in 1999 became head of the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education.

From 2008 to 2016 Tom studied at the European Business School and Metropolitan Film School in London. He subsequently worked on the production and financing of TV and film projects. Since 2016 Tom has run the investment company CoMade, operating in the media industry. Alongside his own company he works with around 10 other companies in film, tele vision and sound.

Board positions: Socialvetenskapliga forskningsrådet (SFR) (Swedish Research Council for Social Sciences); Stiftelsen för miljöstrategisk forskning (MISTRA) (Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research); Utbildningsvetenskapliga kommittén, Vetenskapsrådet (chair) (the Swedish Research Council’s Committee for Educational Sciences); Forskningsrådet för arbetsliv och socialvetenskap (FAS) (Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare); the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at Karolinska Institutet; Akademiska Hus (state-owned property company for universities and colleges); Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (the Royal Dramatic Theatre) (chair); Lifco AB; the Supreme Education Council, Qatar; the educational and cultural foundation Längmanska kulturfonden (chair); Erik och Göran Ennerfelts stiftelse (a foundation that supports international study for young people); Stenas stiftelse för kultur och forskning (the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture) (chair of the Donations Committee); Umeå University (UmU); Gymnastik och Idrottshögskolan (the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences). Senior advisor to the management of Stockholm University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Umeå University and the University of Skövde.Special commissioner: En ny lärarutbildning.

Board member at family companies as well as, among others, the boards of Breakable Films AB, Unlimited stories AB, Soundtelling, Art & Bob AB and Naudio AB.

MARI-ANNE CRONSIOE OREFORS Co-opted board member. Born 1957. Mari-Anne has a degree in economics from Stockholm University. After graduating she worked for five years in H&M’s buying department. From 1985 to 2020 Mari-Anne had a key role at the Ramsbury family office as accounts and administrative manager. Mari-Anne was involved in the formation of the Erling-Persson Foundation and has also been part of the H&M Foundation since it was established in 2007. Mari-Anne is on the board of the H&M Foundation and has been responsible for running the accounting and administrative side of the Erling-Persson Foundation during its first 20 years.

2020

GRANTS AWARDED A selection

SCIENCE & RESE ARCH

TOTAL

KTH/SciLifeLab, Sophia Hober Linköping University, Edwin Jager University of Gothenburg, Magnus Simrén Uppsala University, Tobias Sjöblom Uppsala University, Christel Bergström Karolinska Institutet, Janne Lehtiö Umeå University, Maréne Landström Karolinska Institutet, Carl Sellgren Majkowitz

SEK 3 m SEK 10 m SEK 9 m SEK 9 m SEK 9 m SEK 7.5 m SEK 6 m SEK 15 m

TERM

1 year 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 5 years

DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

Save the Children Sweden SEK 3 m 1 year BRIS, support for extra needs resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic SEK 3 m 1 year BRIS – Children’s Rights in Society SEK 7.5 m 2.5 years Sparks Generation SEK 4 m 3 years Mentor Sweden SEK 3.6 m 2 years Min Stora Dag (My Special Day) SEK 1 m 1 year Clownmedicin SEK 1.055 m 1 year Fryshuset SEK 15 m 3 years Mitt Livs Val (Choice of a Lifetime) SEK 300,000 2 years Djurgårdens IF sports club SEK 3 m 3 years Sveriges Dövas ungdomsförbund (Swedish Association for Deaf Youth) SEK 100,000 1 year Glada Hudik Theatre SEK 5 m 3 years TUITION & EDUCATION

Stiftelsen Korsvägen / Universeum (National science centre of Sweden) SEK 35.4 m Stiftelsen Forskning & Framsteg SEK 300,000

2 years 1 year

2020

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS The Erling-Persson Foundation*

SEK M INCOME STATEMENT 1 JAN–31 DEC

Operating profit Income from securities Interest income Net profit for the year

2020

2019

48 105 5 158

-9 79 4 74

ASSETS, 31 DEC

Non-current financial assets Current assets Total assets

1,738 644 2,382

1,880 656 2,536

EQUIT Y AND LIABILITIES, 31 DEC

Equity Liabilities** Total equity and liabilities

1,722 1,719 660 817 2,382 2,536

OTHER KEY FIGURES

Awards made Accumulated awards since 1999 Awards paid out during the year

155 3,528 312

* In spring 2021 the Board of Directors resolved to change the name from the Erling-Persson Family Foundation to the Erling-Persson Foundation. ** Refers to sums awarded but not yet paid out.

245 3,373 236

SOURCES UNIVERSEUM – APPLIED MATHEMATICS Ämnesläraren: Så kan fler lyckas med matematiken https://bit.ly/2Q40Q2L Göteborgsposten: Svenska elevers matematikkunskaper en varningsklocka https://bit.ly/2Q3MJum Dagens Industri: Bättre matte, inte platser, löser ingenjörsbristen https://bit.ly/3bc9IKX My Newsdesk.com: Jobben som unga svenskar drömmer om - entreprenör, ingenjör och psykolog i topp! https://bit.ly/3fcQvKG Dagens Nyheter: Ras i mattekunskaper hot mot klimatomställningen https://bit.ly/3eyKB7c SPARKS GENERATION – SPARKS APP Internetstiftelsen: Svenskarna och internet 2016; Barn och unga storanvändare https://bit.ly/3ewT2Qw Dagens Nyheter: Torftigare fritid för flickor och fattiga https://bit.ly/3hfGuic Forskning.se: Så behåller vi tonårstjejerna i föreningsidrotten https://bit.ly/3txed9y Unglivsstil.org: Vilka organiserade fritidsaktiviteter vill barn/ungdomar utöva på sin fritid? https://bit.ly/3hHp1Qa BRIS COUNSELLING CENTRES Bris.se: Första året med pandemin; Om barns mående och utsatthet https://bit.ly/2QYasg9 Vårdfokus.se: Så många får komma till bup i tid https://bit.ly/2RInBtr SVT News: BUP:s väntetider i Umeå har blivit längre under coronapandemin https://bit.ly/3hjMhDt Aftonbladet: Långa köer till Barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin https://bit.ly/2Rb2EHL GL ADA HUDIK THEATRE – ‘TILLSAMMANS’ (‘TOGETHER’) Swedish National Agency for Education: Fler elever i grundsärskolan läsåret 2017/18 https://bit.ly/3tBLWyx Science Magazine: Durably reducing transphobia: A field experiment on door-to-door canvassing https://bit.ly/3fayzA2 Cambridge University Press: The contact hypothesis re-evaluated https://bit.ly/2Q36Fxq

CONTACT Ylva Linderson, Research Secretary ylva.linderson@erlingperssonsstiftelse.se Kristina Stenvinkel, Communications stenvinkel@ramsbury.se The Erling-Persson Foundation Drottninggatan 50 Box 1421, SE-111 84 Stockholm, Sweden erlingperssonsstiftelse.se

erlingperssonsstiftelse.se