In October 2020, in an article of Coyote*, the online magazine published by the partnership between the European Commission and Council of Europe in the field of youth, Anna Lodeserto reminded us of the important role that rural society continues to play in Europe. This is especially relevant when it comes to life decisions made by young people and their transition to adulthood. Due to various social, economic, cultural, demographic, geographic or environmental factors, and despite the commitment of the European Union, the disparities in living standards of young people between urban and rural areas continue to increase. It is therefore important to support rural youth and to ensure equality between young people from all backgrounds.[1]
*(Oh! By the way, did you know that Rural Youth Europe had collaborated on the publishing of the #30 issue of Coyote? )
Read more about Anna Lodeserto’s article here>>>
YOUTH GOAL NUMBER 6
This is what the 11 European Youth Goals included in the EU Youth Strategy is all about. Defined in a dialogue involving young people from all over Europe in 2017 and 2018, The Youth Goals “summarise the issues that affect young people in Europe and the political priorities that are important to them. The Youth Goals show in which areas change still has to happen so that young people in Europe can use their full potential.”[2]
Among these 11 goals, is Goal no. 6 dedicated to supporting rural youth. Entitled “Moving Rural Youth Forward”, it aims at creating conditions which enable young people to fulfill their potential in rural areas[3]. In particular, Anna Lodeserto explains that “the European Youth Goal no. 6 aims at improving conditions, educational and otherwise, of young people in rural areas in a holistic perspective, which includes the participation sphere, employability, cultural diversity and policy dimension at the grass-roots level”[4].
In the perspective of raising awareness of the impact of rural youth’s efforts to engage in civil society on a European level, Rural Youth Europe is now engaged into a project called “Together Thursdays”.
See more about our 2021 projects here >>
TOGETHER THURSDAYS: A PROJECT IN PURSUIT OF GOAL 6
Together Thursdays is a project funded by the European Parliaments Communications programme and aims at raising awareness of the European institutions’ impact on the lives of rural youth, while promoting the active citizenship by giving a voice to the issues faced by rural youth in Europe.
Where we aim to carry the voice of rural youth to the ears of the decisionmakers, and by connecting the real-life stories of the rural youth to the polices, we are able to make a difference in the future of rural areas.
At the core of the project is the Rural Realities Form. The form is an online form where we encourage rural youth and rural youth organisations to answer questions about the barriers that they have found affect rural youths’ opportunities to participate in their local, regional, national and international democratic life. The form works as a mapping of the issues that rural youth struggle with, alongside highlighting some of the ways the rural communities have overcome and are working on overcoming their limitations. In consequence it will help for our communication to really speak for and to rural youth, in relation to issues they are facing in their lives.
📌 The form will soon be made available on our communications channels. Stay tuned!
Another activity included in the TT project is the Policy Work Advisory Committee (PWAC). The Committee is a space where the concerns of rural youth within our network will be discussed in connection with European level initiatives and policies related to rural lives. It will function as an expert group that will support the Together Thursdays project as workshop facilitators, give guidance on how to approach rural youth and support communication with the partners. The group will also feed into and contribute to RYEurope’s policy work.
💡 Do not hesitate to reach out to one of our board members or to the office team (communications@ruralyoutheurope.com) if you have any question regarding the project.
[1] Council of Europe, Coyote: Moving rural youth forward: The light shed by the Youth Goal. Retrieved on 01.03.2020 from https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/coyote-magazine/moving-rural-youth-forward
[2] Youth Goals, Youth Goals. Retrieved on 01.03.2020 from https://youth-goals.eu
[3] Youth Goals, Youth Goal 6. Retrieved on 01.03.2020 from https://youth-goals.eu/yg6
[4] Council of Europe, Coyote: Moving rural youth forward: The light shed by the Youth Goal. Retrieved on 01.03.2020 from https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/coyote-magazine/moving-rural-youth-forward
This blog is part of the Together Thursdays project, co funded by the European Union.
