Reach Your Potential! Developing Youth Leadership in Rural Communities
4-11 August 2012
Żerków, Poland

Rural Youth Europe in co-operation with the Organisation for Development in Rural Areas (WSnRROW) in Poland are organising the European Rally 2012 in the western part of Poland. The European Rally 2012 will bring more than young people together from across Europe to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to take active roles in their local communities. We will explore the role of rural youth leaders, identify the needs and expectations of rural communities, and provide young people with practical leadership skills needed in managing increasingly complex rural environments. Equipping youngpeople with leadership development opportunities and hands-on resources to deal with the challenges in their communities will be a key focus.

Context

The need for youth leadership skills in rural communities is becoming increasingly important as the European economic crisis continues. Severe financial impacts are being experienced in rural communities, resulting in the cutback or closing down of many funding sources. The financial viability ofmany rural youth organisations is now in question. At the same time, rural communities across Europe are facing multiple challenges: rapid depopulation, high levels of youth exclusion, low youth participation, lack of employment opportunities and growing poverty. Rural young people are often in the position of being disadvantaged by lack of opportunities in all fields of life.

Rural Youth Europe has identified leadership capacity-building as a key way of strengthening and supporting our member organisations to better dealwith crisis. One of the biggest problems faced by rural organisations is the lack of appropriate training for youth leaders and activists. Developing the leadership and multiplier skills of our youth members is an ongoing goal for Rural Youth Europe and a key focus of the Rural Youth Europe Development Plan 2011-2013.

Aims:

• To provide youth leaders and activists from European rural youth organisations with the skills, knowledge and competencies to become effective leaders
• To support rural youth organisations through leadership capacity-building
• To exchange best practices in the effective leadership of rural youth organisations
• To strengthen the co-operation between rural youth organisations in Europe and develop future joint activities

Objectives:

• To identify key personal characteristics and qualities of effective leaders and explore different aspects of successful leadership in rural communities
• To support participants in building confidence in their leadership potential and assisting personal development of leadership competencies
• To recognise the main challenges faced by young leaders in rural communities and provide practical tools and resources to deal with these challenges
• To enable participants to provide training to other youth people in their organisations on leadership skills
• To encourage rural youth organisations to combine resources to achieve common goals on the international, national and local levels

The working methods will include interactive workshops, meetings with experts and local community representatives, and study visits. Sessions are based on non-formal education and will provide opportunities for participants to develop their skills and knowledge as well as to share their experiences.

Read more about the event

Attachments:

Rally 2012 - participant's story.pdf