A final message from our outgoing Chairperson - Ketrin Kastehein

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"Dear Rural Youth Europe, I lived a double life for three years. One in English and one in Estonian."

When I tried to explain to people outside of RYE what I had been doing in Europe, it was hard enough to do it in English. Then I realized I didn't even know the words in my own language. Sometimes it really felt like a parallel universe – other friends, other jokes, other topics.

But what is RYE doing? I heard over the past three years that we have changed lives, there’s friendships also relationships formed. I know that we are standing for rural youth in spaces where beforehand we were not even considered. We give opportunities to young people to personally grow but also take back the knowledge to their member organisations.

We need to remember that the ones who are able to go to youth exchanges or events, are privileged. There is so many young people who cannot access these spaces due to several reasons but let this remind ourselves that we are not doing these things only because of ourselves or our organisations. We are aiming to contribute to the better for all rural youth and with that a better future for all. I mean all because strong rural areas mean strong communities, food security, sustainable development, and opportunities that benefit not only those who live in rural areas, but a society as a whole.

For almost a month I have not been the Chairperson of RYE anymore. I am just Ketrin from now on. But I couldn’t be just Ketrin now if it wasn't for a great team I was part of for the past three years. I started together with Fiona and Michael, then a year later we were joined by Martin, Rosie and Petter. And a year ago, when I became the Chair, we were greeted with our youngest board member Jana. I was so happy when she joined, she came and saw and now look at her, she is the Vice-Chair of RYE. But it is not only me Fiona and Michael who left. Rosie, RYE’s first Vice-Chair of internal affairs came with us. She stepped into a role which was totally new yet extremely necessary. She inherited a box which now has turned into a full department which thanks to her, Spyros and Michela has started to look more like a real thing.

Having worked together with both Martin and Petter, our new Chair and Vice-Chair, I believe that it is only the beginning of great things for RYE. They are both full of energy and ideas on how to grow and maintain this organisation.

I am gladly stepping away from RYE, when I know that the new board is such a strong and awesome bunch of people and of course, they have Spyros who essentially works endlessly so that we could have all of this and practically anything in RYE.

Enjoy the end of the year, enjoy your life, Ketrin’s out!