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Grounded in national policy

Friskus is built for what the municipality is already working towards. Here you can see how each step follows national policy, and how Friskus answers it.

120municipalities work with Friskus
2,890organisations published activities in the last twelve months
19,900+activities published in the last twelve months
116,000+people have a Friskus account

Figures as of September 2026.

What it takes, and what Friskus already does

National work on digital information about leisure activities points to four things that need to be in place. Friskus has built and tested them for nearly ten years.

Data is registered once, and shared

What is needed

The information must be of good quality, registered once and usable across services.

What Friskus already has

  • Clubs, municipal departments and volunteers register an activity once. It appears on friskus.com, on the municipality’s own website and on information screens.
  • Every activity has fixed fields: time, place, age, category, whether it is free, sign-up and contact person.
  • The municipality approves the organisations, so residents know who is behind each activity.
  • The information has always been open to everyone: open web pages with no login, RSS and embedding. Selected partners also fetch data through an API.

Clear value for those who contribute

What is needed

Clubs should spend their time on activities. They need to get something back for keeping the information up to date.

What Friskus already has

  • One municipal licence makes Friskus free for every club in the municipality.
  • Clubs get sign-ups, waiting lists, members, messages and volunteers in the same place as their activities.
  • The leisure account pays the membership fee straight to the club. That gives clubs a reason to be registered and up to date.
  • In the last twelve months, 2,890 organisations published nearly 20,000 activities.

Developed and tested with the users

What is needed

Solutions must be tested in practice with children and young people, parents, municipalities and volunteers, before large investments.

What Friskus already has

  • Before we built anything, we spent three years listening to several hundred children, young people and adults.
  • Every feature is tested with municipal staff, residents and local organisations.
  • 120 municipalities use Friskus, in cities and rural areas. The requirements in the municipalities’ tenders and what users tell us go straight into development, in short, iterative rounds.
  • Our project advisers support the municipalities at launch and along the way.

Responsible use of artificial intelligence

What is needed

Artificial intelligence can make information easier to find, but it can only find what has actually been registered.

What Friskus already has

  • Friskus holds structured, up-to-date data about local activities. That is the foundation AI services need.
  • Because the data is open and marked up with standardised data, search engines and AI services can already find, combine and present what is on.

Every step in step with national policy

Each year shows which policies arrived, and how Friskus answers them. The date is in front of each policy.

National policy

Laws, white papers, strategies, action plans and agreements from the authorities and the voluntary sector.

How Friskus answers

The Friskus features that answer each policy, and what we have delivered along the way.

  1. 2007

    Policy29 June 2007: The Culture Act requires municipalities to support a broad range of cultural activity, so that everyone can take part.

    FriskusThe calendar shows all the culture on offer in the municipality, and the leisure account can give tickets and membership support, so everyone can take part.

  2. 2009

    Policy18 December 2009: The Social Services Act requires the municipality to prevent social problems and strengthen community in the neighbourhood.

    FriskusNAV and the municipality use Friskus to connect residents with activities, volunteering and community nearby.

  3. 2011

    Policy24 June 2011: The Public Health Act requires municipalities to promote health and quality of life, prevent illness and support cooperation with the voluntary sector.

    FriskusClubs, the volunteer centre and municipal services work together on the same platform, and more meeting places prevent loneliness.

  4. 2016

    Policy7 June 2016: Fritidserklæringen (the leisure declaration) is signed. Every child should be able to take part regularly in at least one organised leisure activity, whatever their parents can afford.

    FriskusThe activity calendar shows what is on, and the leisure account pays the membership fee, so every child can join.

  5. 2017

    FriskusFriskus starts in Voss. For three years we travel around Norway and listen to several hundred children, young people and adults.

  6. 2018

    Policy4 May 2018: Leve hele livet (the reform for older people) asks municipalities to create activities, community and meeting places for older people, and to work systematically with volunteers.7 December 2018: The white paper on volunteering makes broad participation the main goal and points to volunteers as a natural partner for the municipality.

    FriskusThe activity calendar is for all ages, and volunteer assignments make it easy to mobilise and coordinate volunteers. One licence makes Friskus free for every club.

  7. 2021

    Policy8 November 2021: The government drops a national leisure card. Instead it proposes that from 2022 municipalities can apply for the inclusion grant to cover participation fees.

    FriskusThe leisure account in Friskus pays the participation fee straight to the club. Over 45,000 children and young people have used it since 2020.

  8. 2022

    Policy1 January 2022: The child welfare reform gives municipalities more responsibility for prevention and early intervention, and the municipal council must adopt a plan for prevention.11 August 2022: Fritidserklæringen is renewed with more partners. It now also says that children and parents need information about what is on and how to sign up.23 September 2022: The long-term plan for research and higher education (Meld. St. 5) launches a mission to include more children and young people in education, work and community life.

    FriskusThe youth club, the outreach workers and the clubs show what they offer and keep in touch in Friskus, and sign-up happens where the information is.

  9. 2023

    Policy31 March 2023: The public health white paper: taking part in shared arenas in the local community lays the foundation for good mental health and quality of life, and reduces loneliness.16 June 2023: Bu trygt heime (living safely at home) asks municipalities to build lively, age-friendly communities with activities, participation and meeting places that prevent loneliness.

    FriskusFriskus is the digital meeting place that mirrors the shared arenas in the neighbourhood. Activities and volunteer assignments bring all generations together.

  10. 2024

    Policy30 April 2024: The action plan Alle inkludert!: lack of information about activities and grants is a barrier to taking part. The plan asks for a solution where local activities can be registered and shared between digital platforms.26 September 2024: The national digitalisation strategy: residents, businesses and voluntary organisations should get joined-up digital services, whoever provides them.

    FriskusActivities are registered once and appear on friskus.com, on the municipality’s website, on information screens and in the municipal app. The data is open to everyone.

  11. 2025

    Policy10 January 2025: The total preparedness white paper asks more of the population’s own preparedness and of municipal planning.1 March 2025: The mission to include children and young people starts, with the vision «Ingen barn og unge utenfor!» (no child left outside) and goals for 2035.6 June 2025: The youth white paper highlights Tønsberg’s digital leisure fund and activity calendar. It sets a provisional goal of 10 percentage points more young people in organised leisure activities.

    FriskusThe municipality sends news and preparedness messages in the Friskus municipal app. Tønsberg, highlighted in the youth white paper, runs its leisure account on Friskus.Founder Sigrid Nedkvitne receives the Norwegian Computer Society’s eHealth prize for promoting social inclusion and digital cooperation through Friskus.We start sharing activities with selected partners through an API.

  12. 2026

    Policy22 May 2026: The municipal prevention programme for children and young people awards about 519 million kroner for the first time.12 August 2026: KS and Frivillighet Norge renew their platform for cooperation between the voluntary and municipal sectors.7 October 2026: The 2027 state budget: the government proposes moving the municipalities’ share of the inclusion grant into the prevention programme.

    FriskusFriskus gives the municipality a ready tool for the prevention programme: membership support, an activity calendar and an overview of who takes part.120 municipalities work with Friskus, and nearly 20,000 activities have been published in the last twelve months.The data in Friskus has always been open to everyone, and AI services can already find and combine the activities.

The policy documents, and how Friskus answers them

Every child should be able to take part

Five policies point the same way: every child and young person should be able to take part in leisure and community life, whatever the family can afford, and the municipality should prevent problems early.

National missionLaunched 23 September 2022, started 1 March 2025

The mission to include children and young people

«include more children and young people in education, work and community life»

«Increase the share of young people who take part in organised leisure activities by 10 percentage points.»

How Friskus answers: The mission asks for broad cooperation between the public, private and voluntary sectors. Friskus puts all three on the same platform: the municipality, the residents and the local initiatives. The activity calendar shows what is on, and the leisure account removes money as a barrier, without singling anyone out.

Declaration7 June 2016, renewed 11 August 2022

Fritidserklæringen (the leisure declaration)

«every child should have the opportunity to take part regularly in at least one organised leisure activity together with others.»

«often need information about which leisure activities exist, where and when they happen, and how to sign up»

How Friskus answers: The activity calendar answers exactly those questions: what, where, when and how to sign up. The leisure account pays the membership fee straight to the club, so no child stands out.

Action plan30 April 2024

Alle inkludert! (2024–2026)

«Lack of information about which activities and grants exist, what taking part involves and how to sign up»

«information about local activities can be registered, presented to those interested and exchanged between digital platforms»

How Friskus answers: Leisure providers, municipal departments and volunteers register their activities in one place. The same calendar appears on friskus.com, on the municipality’s own website and on information screens, and adapts to every digital surface.

White paper6 June 2025

The youth white paper «Tro på framtida – uansett bakgrunn»

«a leisure fund, which is a digital tool for an activity calendar and payouts for membership fees, leisure activities and tickets.»

How Friskus answers: Tønsberg runs its leisure account on Friskus. The white paper reports that the number of children who receive money matches the target group, that more children take part, and that dialogue with the families has improved.

ReformIn force 1 January 2022

The child welfare reform

«One of the goals of the reform is that municipalities strengthen early intervention and prevention across all services for children and young people.»

«The municipal council itself shall adopt a plan for the municipality’s preventive work under the first paragraph.»

How Friskus answers: Prevention is about children and young people having somewhere to go. The youth club, the outreach workers and the clubs use Friskus to show what is on and keep in touch, and the leisure account pays for fees, equipment and tickets, without singling anyone out.

The policy documents, and how Friskus answers them

Older people and the whole of life

Older people should have activities, community and meeting places nearby, and the municipality should work systematically with volunteers to make it happen.

White paper4 May 2018

Leve hele livet (the reform for older people)

«Leve hele livet is a reform for activity, participation and social community.»

«In many places, cooperation with the voluntary sector has not been put into a system.»

How Friskus answers: The activity calendar is age-neutral, so the senior centre, the volunteer centre and the clubs show what they offer in the same place as everyone else. Volunteer assignments put cooperation with volunteers into a system, also around health and care services.

White paper16 June 2023

Fellesskap og meistring – Bu trygt heime (living safely at home)

«The government will help create lively and age-friendly local communities that support activity, participation and meetings between generations.»

«Activity and participation in a social community promote health and quality of life and prevent loneliness.»

How Friskus answers: Friskus brings activities, meeting places and volunteer assignments for all generations into one calendar. Older people find something to join, and young people and adults find assignments where they can help, so the generations meet.

The policy documents, and how Friskus answers them

Volunteering, public health and local community

Taking part in local communities gives better health and less loneliness. The municipality has an important role in supporting voluntary work.

White paper7 December 2018

The white paper on volunteering

«An overall goal of volunteering policy is to increase participation in voluntary organisations and voluntary work.»

«To grow and keep a lively voluntary sector, it is important that every municipality has a considered relationship with its own volunteers, and that volunteers are seen as a natural partner for dialogue and cooperation.»

How Friskus answers: Clubs handle members, sign-ups and volunteer assignments in one place, with less paperwork. Everyone can find somewhere to help, and the municipality has its own volunteers as a natural partner on the same platform.

White paper31 March 2023

The public health white paper

«The government’s overall goal is that everyone who wishes should have the opportunity to take part in voluntary organisations and voluntary work.»

«Taking part in shared arenas in the local community lays the foundation for good mental health and quality of life, and reduces loneliness.»

How Friskus answers: Volunteer assignments in Friskus are open to all ages. Clubs and departments post tasks, recruit, check credentials and coordinate in the same place. Contributing gives experience, mastery, a network and references. You meet people of all ages and learn from each other.

Cooperation platformRenewed 12 August 2026, first signed 2011

KS and Frivillighet Norge: platform for cooperation

«Municipalities and county authorities have an important role in facilitating the voluntary sector.»

«an overview of what voluntary organisations offer in the municipality, and ways to make contact and share information within the municipality»

How Friskus answers: One municipal licence makes Friskus free for every club in the municipality. The municipality gets an overview of what is on, and the clubs get a direct line to the municipality. Cooperation and coordination happen in the same place.

The policy documents, and how Friskus answers them

The laws the municipality works under

Three laws give the municipality a duty to promote health, culture and community, and to work with the voluntary sector.

Law24 June 2011, in force 1 January 2012

The Public Health Act

«The municipality shall support cooperation with the voluntary sector.»

«promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health problems, discrimination and loneliness»

How Friskus answers: Friskus is the tool for cooperation with the voluntary sector: clubs, the volunteer centre and municipal services use the same platform. Activities and volunteer assignments give residents more communities, which prevents loneliness.

Law29 June 2007, in force 1 August 2007

The Culture Act

«so that everyone can have the opportunity to take part in cultural activities and experience a variety of cultural expression»

«The county and the municipality shall provide financial, organisational, informational and other relevant means and measures that promote and support a broad range of cultural activity regionally and locally.»

How Friskus answers: The culture on offer in the municipality becomes visible in one calendar, from the arts school and the library to choirs, bands and concerts. That is an informational measure in practice. The leisure account can give free tickets and money for fees, so everyone can take part.

Law18 December 2009, in force 1 January 2010

The Social Services Act

«promote the transition to work, social inclusion and active participation in society»

«The municipality shall seek to create conditions that develop and strengthen community and solidarity in the neighbourhood.»

How Friskus answers: NAV and the municipality use Friskus to connect residents with activities, volunteer assignments and community nearby. The calendar spreads information about what is on in the municipality to everyone.

The policy documents, and how Friskus answers them

Preparedness and digital services

The municipality must reach residents when it matters, and services should fit together for residents, businesses and voluntary organisations.

White paper10 January 2025

The total preparedness white paper

«Greater demands are placed on the population’s own preparedness.»

«Municipalities must plan systematically for major incidents where society depends on resources finding each other.»

«Voluntary organisations are an indispensable part of Norway’s preparedness system.»

How Friskus answers: The municipality sends news and preparedness messages with notifications in the Friskus municipal app, a channel residents already use every day, as a local supplement to the national emergency alerts. The app also has its own page with preparedness information. The volunteers are already registered and the clubs can check their credentials, so resources and people find each other fast.

National strategy26 September 2024

Fremtidens digitale Norge (2024–2030)

«They should experience joined-up and coherent digital services, regardless of who provides them.»

«voluntary organisations should spend as much time as possible creating activity and as little as possible on paperwork»

How Friskus answers: Activities, volunteering, membership support and messages from the municipality sit in one service. Clubs handle sign-ups, waiting lists, members and payments without extra paperwork.

How we have worked

  • Listening first. Before we built anything, we spent three years travelling around Norway and listening to several hundred children, young people and adults.
  • Three user groups. Every feature is tested with municipal staff, residents and local organisations, because a solution only works if all three use it.
  • Built from the municipality’s plans. We start from national policy and the municipality’s own plans, and build the tools the plans call for.
  • Measured in real use. Since 2020, over 45,000 children and young people have used the leisure account, and residents visit Friskus several hundred thousand times a year to find what is on nearby. 120 partner municipalities use and develop Friskus every day.

What this means for the budget

The municipal prevention programme for children and young people was set up in 2026 and awarded about 519 million kroner in May. In the 2027 budget the government proposes moving the whole municipal share of the inclusion grant into it. The money becomes more flexible, and the municipality decides locally how to reach children and young people. Friskus gives the municipality a ready tool to bring children and young people into activities and community, with the features that are needed, such as paying out membership support and seeing who takes part.

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