For more than a year, the EYCA Youth Panel have been running the Rural Youth Project, aiming to explore young people's desires, challenges and opportunities in rural areas. Rural Youth represent a key demographic in the European landscape. Generally less engaged in youth programmes and projects than their urban counterparts, there is a need to build on already existing opportunities and identify new areas of action.

The ultimate purpose of the Rural Youth Project was to produce a set of key recommendations for EYCA members (and other youth-focused entities) to better engage with rural youth and respond to their needs. The method to reach this? Listen to & engage with rural youth. 

KEY OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT

By engaging with young people in remote areas across Europe, the Youth Panel narrowed their recommendations to five key to-do’s.

Download the final recommendations here:

As part of this project, the Youth Panel also put together a study outlining on the needs and challenges of rural youth and collected 100 ideas directly from young people in remote areas.

HOW WAS THIS ACHIEVED?

Phase I – information gathering (September-December 2023) 

To get a firm basis for later actions, the Youth Panel decided to compile a study on the current situation for Europe’s rural youth. This study relied on information from two surveys and several local direct exchanges. 

1. Surveys for EYCA members & rural youth 

A survey of EYCA’s current level of engagement in rural areas, in terms of programmes and discounts, noted the variation in levels of engagement across EYCA’s diverse membership. The differences in local demographical trends was an important component to be taken into account of in future steps.  

Likewise, a different survey gathered responses from 1563 young people in rural areas across 17 countries. The objective was to understand the challenges they face, the actions they hold importance for and their level of engagement in civic programmes and projects (that aren’t necessarily linked to EYCA). 

2. Actions in rural areas 

The Youth Panel organised a series of events in their local rural areas, to get a personal feeling as to what opportunities and barriers impact young people in rural areas. With 5 events in different countries and a variety of formats, these events reached a significant diversity of participants.

3. Rural youth report & 100 ideas

The information gathered through the surveys and local actions was integrated into the Rural Youth Report, published in March 2024. This study set the groundwork for the Youth Panel’s approach to rural youth work and allowed for a more targeted approach. EYCA members’ views on the findings were also included in the report.

The Youth Panel also decided that the broad collection of ideas that had been gathered should also be published, in the form of an unstructured list. This list has already been used by local youth groups as a starting point for building ideas.

PHASE II – SHAPING THE IDEAS (JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2024) 

1. EYCA Rural Youth Camp

A Rural Youth Camp was organised in April 2024 in rural Andalucía, Spain. It brought together 43 young people from rural areas in over 30 countries, all the way from Ireland to Azerbaijan. Over 700 people applied for the camp, showing EYCA's reach and the interest of rural youth. Many of the participants had never previously engaged in such a project.

The main purpose of this camp was to reflect on the information gathered in the previous phase and shape it into a workable roadmap for youth-focused entities. The first-hand knowledge of the participants was instrumental in producing a roadmap that allows for actions that effectively deliver on the needs of rural youth. The participants were also encouraged to identify initiatives that they can implement in their own communities as multipliers.

To get a feel of the camp, take a look at the after-movie.

2. Getting the input from EYCA members

The ideas shaped at the Rural Youth Camp were presented to member organisations during the EYCA Conference in June 2024. Integrating their feedback as grassroots entities was key to ensuring the feasibility of the final recommendations. 

3. Final recommendations

With the information collected above, the Youth Panel shaped their final recommendations. Though broad enough to be integrated in different ways according to the local dynamics of each community, these recommendations also present practical suggestions for being implemented.

They will be presented to EU decision-makers and European youth groups at a policy event on 28 October 2024 in Brussels.

Find out more about this event here