Shaping RYEurope

I am writing this on the train home from another excellent Rural Youth Europe board meeting, this time held up in Edinburgh in Scotland!
It was a very busy weekend and we crammed a lot of activity into 2 days, including meeting up with local members, the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC).
We discussed many things at the board meeting and heard updates from the regional board members about news from all member organisations.  Future funding is a concern for many organisations and we talked about ways we could help and provide support.  We also talked about how important it is to communicate the benefits of being a member of Rural Youth Europe – which is partly why this blog is also important.
We decided on plans for the General Assembly in August in Austria, and agreed to make some more videos to help promote Rural Youth Europe and some more of its activities.
When we met up with SAYFC it was good to hear first-hand from some of their members what their expectations of Rural Youth Europe are and why they find being a member so useful.  This was very helpful for our discussions about the way Rural Youth Europe communicates with its member organisations and their members.
At the end of the weekend we had some fun with the new Rural Youth Europe branded umbrellas trying to make some funny photos with the backdrop of Edinburgh – check out our Facebook page to see them!
It was really refreshing to spend some time away and work with my friends on the board as they are such energetic, passionate and creative people.  We are a great team and it really feels like we are shaping our organisation for the future.
Russ
Board Member for Group 1 (UK & Ireland)