RIO: Rörelsefolkhögskolornas Intresseorganisaiton - The Interest Organization for Popular Movement Folk High Schools

Who we are?

RIO is the umbrella organization for the 112 Swedish folk high schools owned by civil society organizations. The mission of RIO is to promote and monitor the interests of the civil society folk high schools and through their activities contribute to the strengthening and development of democracy.

What we do?

RIO’s main mission is to promote and monitor the interests of the 112 folk high schools and through their activities contribute to the development strengthening of democracy.
RIO also help and support the members to develop their schools.
RIO’s long-term work is to support activities that contribute to strengthening a developing democracy to contribute to making it possible for people to influence their life situation and create participative involvement in societal development to contribute to leveling educational gaps and raising the level of education and cultural awareness in society, and to contribute to broadening the interest for and increase participation in cultural life.
RIO together with the umbrella organization the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and the Swedish Adult Education Association (SAEA) form Folkbildningsrådet, the Swedish National Council of Adult Education.

The international work is also collaborated with Swedish National council of Adult Education.

Our best practices

• OED – Outreach, Empowerment, Diversity, 2012-2014, network together with EAEA and 15 other organizations
• Folk high schools as centers for global transition, 2012-2014, together with 12 Nordic organizations
• AE-PRO European Adult Education (Young) Professionals Learning Platform, 2014-2016, together with 8 partners
• Inkludera Mera, a project where 31 Swedish folk high schools collaborated to create methods aimed to prevent racism and xenophobia with the purpose to create an inclusive and non-racial community based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The project was funded by the Swedish Inheritance Fund, and implemented together with four national folk high school organizations.
• Members of RIO contributed to the creation of the New Report on Folk High Schools and Active Citizenship in Europe  as part of the ERASMUS+ project PROMOCITI