In Iceland, a local action organized within VMA This allowed for the opening of a space for dialogue focused on a simple and decisive question: What makes a society truly livable for young people in rural areas? Around the table were nine young people aged 16 to 20, two members of the VMA team involved in the initiative, and a national decision-maker. Ingvar Þóroddsson, member of the Icelandic Parliament. The objective was not to produce an abstract debate, but to bring to light concrete realities and credible avenues for improvement.
The meeting was structured around a participatory format (Word Café) that allowed for discussion beyond simply stating the facts. The young people first described the situation as they experienced it, then identified what needed to change, before considering how to achieve this. This process yielded particularly useful material: prioritized needs, acknowledged territorial tensions, and solutions formulated in accessible language.
One key lesson emerges clearly: inequalities in access to infrastructure and services directly influence the desire to stay, return, or settle in rural areas. mobility emerged as a key issue, particularly regarding the state of certain roads deemed both degraded and dangerous, and the need to consider long-term planning (with infrastructure such as road tunnels, considered essential in certain areas of the North and East). housingdescribed as extremely costly, this adds to the equation and weighs on young people's ability to plan for the future. Finally, access to health needs — particularly in the face of acute and serious situations — has been mentioned as a point of weakness, along with job diversification: several young people feel that the local market offers too few options, which fuels departures.
The second area of focus confirmed a very strong territorial disparity: access to services is perceived as significantly better in Akureyri than in the smaller towns of the North and East. The discussions revealed a two-tiered rural landscape. Regarding healthcare, young people mentioned the gradual closure of some pharmacies in small towns, the concentration of hospital services in large urban centers, and limited weekday services in rural communities. They also highlighted the lack of access to essential professionals such as... Psychologists and certain specialized services. Behind these observations lies a clearly defined risk: the loss of attractiveness small communities, with the fear that residents will eventually leave due to a lack of accessible services.
On the third theme, the young people emphasized what constitutes a high quality of life in rural areas beyond infrastructure: the ability to learn, to thrive, and to feel respected. Several mentioned an insufficient supply of training and higher education in the North, and a strong expectation surrounding the development of distance learning, particularly due to the high cost of housing in Reykjavik and the limitations of distance learning options for certain courses. Discussions also addressed the existence of prejudicesituations of exclusion and harassment in rural areas, as well as the need to strengthen available support in small communities, where isolation can exacerbate vulnerabilities.
The presence of a member of the Icelandic Parliament gave the meeting a special dimension: it allowed young people's voices to be connected to direct political input, and the strength of their proposals to be tested. Above all, the Word Café demonstrated that young people do not simply express difficulties; they also generate ideas for organization and pragmatic solutions, with a constant focus on feasibility.
To maintain an operational record, several approaches emerge and can inform the rest of the work:
- Strengthen the accessibility of services in small communities via mobile solutions (specialists traveling regularly, scheduled presence on “fixed days”).
- Planning the infrastructure with a logic of security and territorial continuity (roads, structuring works), by setting higher requirements on the quality of the works.
- Develop the range of distance learning and education programs, and better distribute educational and VET opportunities according to territorial needs.
- Putting inclusion at the centerby equipping rural communities against exclusion, harassment and prejudice, and by strengthening local support.
