Planting Ideas, Cultivating the Future

Last week, more then 100 young people from almost 20 different youth organisations came together in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, to take part in the European Rural Youth Summer Forum, our European Rally 2025!

This year’s Rally, entitled “Planting Ideas, Cultivating the Future,” was hosted together with our Member Organisation ZSPM – Slovenian Rural Youth Association. The event was co-funded by Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and European Youth Foundation of Council of Europe. The week-long event focused on empowering young people for active participation in shaping rural policy and building stronger rural communities. 

Over the course of seven dynamic days, participants took part in a range of interactive workshops and intercultural exchanges. Sessions explored the concept, benefits, and challenges of rural youth participation, as well as the internal structures and activities of rural youth organisations across Europe. 

At the start of the week, participants explored the different forms and levels of youth participation, sharing experiences from their own regions and discussing both the impact participation can have, the barriers that often prevent it and the essential conditions needed to enable meaningful engagement. They also presented their home organisations, learning from each other and identifying opportunities for future collaboration. 

A major focus was on understanding the core elements of rural youth organisations. Participants critically reflected on their own organisations’ structures, exploring different membership models and activities. They acknowledged the role and impact of youth work and non-formal education in empowering rural youth, learning the differences between policy and advocacy, while at the same time unlocking the potential of international collaboration.  

In the following days, attention turned to the challenges rural youth organisations face. Through group work, participants learned how to identify and structure issues, express them clearly, and link them to potential solutions, an important step toward advocacy and solution-building.  

However, the event wasn’t all workshops and discussions. It also provided rich opportunities for intercultural exchange, from an international buffet to excursions around Slovenia, and an unforgettable experience of spending time with host families from rural communities. These experiences strengthened solidarity and the sense of community belonging among rural youth, reminding everyone that although contexts may differ, many hopes, challenges, and dreams are the same. 

The event concluded with a dialogue with policy-makers, where invited panelists from the European, national, and local levels shared their insights on how to ensure that rural youth can meaningfully participate in policy-making. Participants engaged directly with stakeholders, asking thought-provoking questions about agriculture, rural development and youth participation, exploring what concrete steps are being taken. This final session brought together everything the event had been about: engagement, empowerment, and connection. It offered a platform for young people to speak up and have their voices heard directly with those in positions of influence. 

The European Rally 2025 was more than an event; it was a seedbed of ideas, connections, and actions. United by shared values and a commitment to get involved, participants left inspired to take their work further, bringing with them not just new knowledge and skills, but also renewed energy, friendships, and a common vision. The 2025 Rally has truly planted seeds that will continue to grow within individuals, within organisations, and within rural communities across Europe! 

The event was possible because of the financial support from the European Union and Council of Europe through European Youth Foundation.