CULTIVATE: International Seminar

“CULTIVATE: International seminar on creating local & national rural youth organisations and networks for inclusive & participatory rural youth policies”

Bran, Romania

12–17 October 2025

Rural Youth Europe warmly invites you to register for participating in our CULTIVATE Seminar in Romania this autumn!

Rural youth across Europe are facing persistent gaps when it comes to participation, representation, and access to opportunities. Many villages and rural communities are home to passionate young people and vibrant informal groups, yet their voices rarely reach decision-making tables. Too often, policies are designed for rural youth, but not with them. 

This seminar is an invitation to change that. Over four working days,  25 rural youth leaders, practitioners, and experts will come together to: 

• build a shared understanding of youth participation, youth power, and youth policies, 

• exchange good practices in organising and networking, 

• design models for local organisations and national rural youth networks, and 

• draft a common roadmap for inclusive youth participation in rural policy-making. 

  
  

CULTIVATE is a laboratory of ideas and practices, a space to learn from each other, to test strategies, and to imagine the structures that can give rural youth a stronger, united, and sustainable voice. Through interactive workshops, peer learning, and co-creation, participants will leave not only with inspiration but also with concrete tools, action plans, and new partnerships. By the end of the week, we aim to harvest a  CULTIVATE Roadmap, a set of network models, and a joint statement on rural youth participation – outcomes that will guide follow-up actions at local, national, and European levels. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Bran to cultivate together the future of rural youth participation. 

Participants profile

Participants must be:

• Rural youth leaders (18–30 years old) who are active in local groups, initiatives, or emerging organisations in their communities. 

• Youth workers and practitioners supporting rural youth through NGOs, informal groups, or public institutions. 

• Representatives of local or national public authorities with responsibilities in youth, education, rural development, or participation. 

• Experts and researchers with knowledge in youth participation, rural development, or policy-making. 

  
  

Travel arrangements

Each individual is responsible for booking tickets. The specific travel arrangement details will be communicated with the selected participants.

Travel Reimbursement

We will reimburse travels of maximum 250-300€ for participants, depending on the available funds.

Registration

The deadline for the Registration is 12th of September 2025.Please apply by filling in the application form. Make sure you read the info pack here. 

All selected participants will receive a participant’s information package with more details at the time of selection.

As this is a funded project taking place in cooperation with other organisations, RYE’s available places are limited to around five in total.

In case of any questions regarding the registration, please contact us at katerina.karanika@ruralyoutheurope.com.