TOP10 of 100 ideas for rural youth

The rural youth project of the Youth Panel of theEuropean Youth Card Association seeks to produce a roadmap for members of youth-focused entities to better engage with rural youth by listening to and interacting with rural youth. 100 proposals young rural people from all over Europe were gleaned.

Our selection of the top 10 in relation to projects carried out in the field:

1. Inclusion and networking: Advocate for inclusion so that rural youth feel part of a network, possibly through activities focused on youth activism and advocacy.
2. Youth organisations: Establish youth organisations in rural areas to foster a sense of community and provide a platform for collective action.
3. Involvement in decision-making: Providing rural youth with the right to participate in decision-making processes, laws and opportunities in their communities.
4. European funding: seek more European funding to support initiatives that benefit rural youth, promote development and create more opportunities.
5. Participation in decision-making: Involving rural youth in decision-making processes, taking into account their opinions and perspectives on social issues and community development.
6. Youth representation in politics: communicating with rural youth and implementing their proposals, ensuring their representation in politics and providing adequate transport and connections to cities.
7. National or European youth organisations: create organisations at national or European level with youth centres and active leaders in cities, encouraging the formation of such groups.
8. Creation of youth groups: Promote the creation of youth groups responsible for projects and initiatives, giving responsibility and confidence to young minds.
9. Youth centres and networking: Establish youth centres in interconnected municipalities to create a network. Consider developing an app for youth volunteers with reward systems.
10. Youth Associations: Encourage the creation of youth associations to foster community engagement and provide opportunities for collaboration.

Rural youth face unique challenges. While housing and intergenerational diversity are evident in both rural and urban areas, reliable transportation systems, accessible public infrastructure, and extracurricular cultural activities are just some of the more common barriers faced by people in remote areas.

Rural development has thus become a key objective of the European institutions. The policy proposals of the Hungarian Presidency, ongoing projects such as the European Commission's Rural Pact and ongoing research by the Council of Europe clearly focus on the opportunities and needs of young people in rural areas.

For over a year, the EYCA Youth Panel has been running the Rural Youth project, which aims to explore the desires, challenges and opportunities of young people in rural areas.

The October 28, Anna Strolenberg, Member of the European Parliament and member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, and Babis Papaioannou, responsible for youth policy and programmes at the European Commission, will listen to participants at a meeting planned for this purpose in Brussels.