We recommend all candidates to give complete, honest, coherent and relevant answers to all open questions, as the selection will be based on the quality of the application form.
- To create a space for dialogue between rural youth and decision-makers on the challenges and opportunities facing rural areas in Europe in order to empower rural youth to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives and communities
- To provide a learning and participation context for rural youth to engage with experts and peers on rural development issues and to develop their knowledge and skills and to promote the role of rural youth in shaping the future of Europe
- To raise awareness of the importance of rural development and to support the development of policy recommendations and proposals for improving the situation of rural youth in Europe.
- Rural youth from across Europe: young people aged 16-30 who live or come from rural areas in Europe. They could be students, workers, entrepreneurs, or activists who are passionate about rural development and want to make a difference in their communities. The underage participants may join only if they are accompanied by an adult person.
- Experts and practitioners in the field of rural youth sector: youth workers, community organizers, representatives of non-governmental organizations interested in scaling the European Youth Village program in their countries and other experts who have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing rural areas in Europe.
- Policymakers and decision-makers: representatives from the European Union, national and local governments, and other organizations involved in rural development and rural youth sector. They will be invited to participate in the summit to engage in dialogue with rural youth and to learn about their perspectives and experiences.
We recommend all candidates to give complete, honest, coherent and relevant answers to all open questions, as the selection will be based on the quality of the application form.
The event will include
- a youth-led policy lab where the participants can work on policy proposals and recommendations on how to improve the situation of rural youth in Europe,
- panel discussions with different stakeholders and decision makers,
- thematic workshops (five different circuits – details below),
- networking opportunities for young people and professionals in the field of rural youth,
- but also cultural activities and opportunities for the participants to get to know each other and to exchange their experiences and cultures.
The event will also focus on developing the vision of the rural youth ecosystem in Europe and policy recommendations and proposals for improving the situation of rural youth in Europe, as well as on scaling the European Youth Village program to a European level.
Thus, ERYS is aimed to be accompanied by monthly MeetUPs carried out online before and after the event with the aim to prepare in advance some relevant topic and/or to coordinate the effort of collecting relevant input, developing t. The mix of face to face activities, facilitated discussions and online MeetUPs will be moderated by experienced trainers and facilitators.
You can navigate between the tabs to check the full timetable of the event. The timetable (sessions and hours) can suffer changes based on the logistic challenges that may appear, confirmations from different stakeholders or other organizational aspects.
14:30 – 19:30
Check in at the hotels in Iași [Location TBD]
The event will take place in Aroneanu – one of the villages that held the European Youth Village title in 2021. The participants will be accommodated in double rooms in 3* hotels in Iași. Transfer by bus will be provided each morning and evening between the locations (15 – 20 minutes by car).
Further information and instructions will be provided to the selected participants prior the event.
20:30 – 22:30
Welcome dinner in Iași [Location TBD]
Further information and instructions will be provided to the selected participants prior the event.
07:00 – 09:30
Breakfast at the hotel
09:30 – 10:00
Organized bus transfer to Aroneanu village (the place where the event will take place)
Further information and instructions will be provided to the selected participants prior the event.
10:30 – 12:00
The official opening session of the European Rural Youth Summit
The session will also include a panel discussion. The list of panelist will be updated soon.
12:00 – 12:30
Coffee break
12:30 – 13:30
From RURAL to PLURAL – Building the vision of the rural youth ecosystem in Europe
Group work – the main result of the session will be a common vision for the rural youth ecosystem in Europe, which will be the basis of the policy recommendations and proposals that will come out after the event.
13:30 – 15:00
Lunch
15:00 – 16:00
From RURAL to PLURAL – The components of the rural youth ecosystem
Group work – Based on the components of the rural youth ecosystem, we will collect the participants’ input regarding the challenges they face at local, national and European level.
16:00 – 16:20
Coffee break
16:20 – 17:20
The European Youth Village approach in developing the rural youth ecosystem and the scaling process [Panel discussion]
During this session we will introduce the European Youth Village Program and its approach in developing the rural youth ecosystem in Europe, while also discussing about the extension of the program at European level.
One of the main results of this session is to ensure the setting up youth ecosystems around the European Youth Village concept in as many European countries as possible in the following years.
17:20 – 17:40
Coffee break
17:40 – 18:40
EU opportunities for (rural) young people and youth workers
Paralel workshops on different types of projects funded by the European Union through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Each workshop will also include one or two best practices as success stories of the rural youth sector in Europe.
18:40 – 19:00
Daily evaluation
19:00 – 20:30
Dinner in Aroneanu or Iași (at the hotel) [TBD]
20:30 – 22:00
Networking in Aroneanu / Free time in Iași [TBD]
Organized transfer to Iași (at the hotel) will be provided before dinner (if the dinner will be organized in Iași) or after the networking event (if the event will be organized as planned).
07:00 – 09:00
Breakfast at the hotel
09:00 – 09:30
Organized bus transfer to Aroneanu village (the place where the event will take place)
10:00 – 12:00
From RURAL to PLURAL – Setting policy recommendations and proposals for each component of the rural youth ecosystem
The session will be a youth-led policy lab where the participants will work on policy proposals and recommendations on how to improve the situation of rural youth in Europe.
12:00 – 12:30
Coffee break
12:30 – 13:30
Best practices exchange within the rural youth sector in Europe
Shared session with the participants of the National Rural Youth Summit, which takes place in paralel, between 6th and 10th of September 2023.
13:30 – 15:00
Lunch
15:00 – 16:00
Workshops [1]
There will be 5 different thematic workshop circuits the participants can chose from: ENGAGE, CONNECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE, DEVELOP. Each circuit contains 5 related workshops. The participants will choose the circuit, not the individual workshops. You can find below more information about the content of each circuit.
The list of workshops are still to be decided. Details will be sent on time to all selected participants prior the event.
16:00 – 16:20
Coffee break
16:20 – 17:20
Workshops [2]
There will be 5 different thematic workshop circuits the participants can chose from: ENGAGE, CONNECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE, DEVELOP. Each circuit contains 5 related workshops. The participants will choose the circuit, not the individual workshops. You can find below more information about the content of each circuit.
The list of workshops are still to be decided. Details will be sent on time to all selected participants prior the event.
17:20 – 17:40
Coffee break
17:40 – 18:40
Workshops [3]
There will be 5 different thematic workshop circuits the participants can chose from: ENGAGE, CONNECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE, DEVELOP. Each circuit contains 5 related workshops. The participants will choose the circuit, not the individual workshops. You can find below more information about the content of each circuit.
The list of workshops are still to be decided. Details will be sent on time to all selected participants prior the event.
18:40 – 19:00
Daily evaluation
19:00 – 20:30
Dinner in Aroneanu
20:30 – 22:30
Intercultural fair in Aroneanu
For the intercultural fair you can bring your national flag, food, sweets, drinks (non-alcoholic), leaflets about your country or any other things you want to share with others. The session will be organized as a fair, each country will have their own table/space they can use to introduce their country. You will not be able to use a projector, but you can use your own laptop if you want to show others some videos or photos. The session will be organized informally, which means that there is no allocated time slot for any country and participants will be free to explore the fair. More details will be sent to the selected participants.
22:30 – 23:00
Organized transfer to Iași
07:00 – 09:30
Breakfast at the hotel
09:30 – 10:00
Organized bus transfer to Aroneanu village (the place where the event will take place)
10:30 – 12:00
Rural Youth Talks
Through this session we want to provide a platform for the young people from rural areas to raise their voices and share their experiences and perspectives on rural youth work and rural development.
The speakers will be selected among the participants prior the event. The list of speakers will be published soon.
Shared session with the participants of the National Rural Youth Summit, which takes place in paralel, between 6th and 10th of September 2023.
12:00 – 12:30
Coffee break
12:30 – 13:30
Plenary session with decision makers and other stakeholders
Shared session with the participants of the National Rural Youth Summit, which takes place in paralel, between 6th and 10th of September 2023.
13:30 – 15:00
Lunch with decision makers [TBD]
During the lunch break the participants will be able to connect and discuss informally with the decision makers and the other panelists from the previous session.
15:00 – 16:00
Workshops [4]
There will be 5 different thematic workshop circuits the participants can chose from: ENGAGE, CONNECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE, DEVELOP. Each circuit contains 5 related workshops. The participants will choose the circuit, not the individual workshops. You can find below more information about the content of each circuit.
The list of workshops are still to be decided. Details will be sent on time to all selected participants prior the event.
16:00 – 16:20
Coffee break
16:20 – 17:20
Workshops [5]
There will be 5 different thematic workshop circuits the participants can chose from: ENGAGE, CONNECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE, DEVELOP. Each circuit contains 5 related workshops. The participants will choose the circuit, not the individual workshops. You can find below more information about the content of each circuit.
The list of workshops are still to be decided. Details will be sent on time to all selected participants prior the event.
17:20 – 17:40
Coffee break
17:40 – 19:30
ERYS follow up and ending sessions
19:30 – 20:30
Organized transfer to Iași, where we will have a festive goodbye dinner
20:30 – 23:00
Festive goodbye dinner in Iași [Location TBD]
07:00 – 11:00
Check out before 11:00
Breakfast will be served at the hotel between 7:00 and 10:00.
The ENGAGE circuit contains thematic workshops aiming to equip the young people with participation skills and tools in order to raise the level of youth representativeness in the decision making process. The circuit will tackle subjects as participatory democracy, youth participation, European policies in the field of youth, how to develop youth policies, how to overcome barriers in youth participation etc.
The list of the workshops part of the ENGAGE circuit and the name of the facilitators will be published soon.
The CONNECT circuit contains thematic workshops aiming to connect the participants to the European Youth Village program and to develop their specific skills to replicate the program in their own communities. Thus, we expect the participants joining this circuit to be interested to become part of the extension of the program at European level. The circuit will tackle subjects as community organizing, community development, youth policy, how to make young people visible, how to build autonomous communities of young people in rural areas, how to adapt the European Youth Village program in a different country, procedures under the EYV program etc.
The list of the workshops part of the CONNECT circuit and the name of the facilitators will be published soon.
The EMPOWER circuit contains thematic workshops dedicated to youth workers, youth organizers or other youth practitioners who are working grassroots with the young people from rural areas. The main aim of this circuit is to equip the participants with skills, methods and tools to empower the rural youth and improve the quality in the rural youth sector. The circuit will tackle subjects as specific methods to empower young people, how to work with young people from rural areas, how to organize young people, how to facilitate the dialogue between young people and decision makers, non-formal education methods, challenges in rural youth working and how to overcome them etc.
The list of the workshops part of the EMPOWER circuit and the name of the facilitators will be published soon.
The INCLUDE circuit contains thematic workshops dedicated to both young people and youth practitioners who want to develop inclusive projects for the young people with fewer opportunities or from vulnerable groups. The circuit will tackle subjects as human rights, inclusion, discrimination, minorities, intersectionality, safe spaces etc.
The list of the workshops part of the INCLUDE circuit and the name of the facilitators will be published soon.
The DEVELOP circuit contains thematic workshops about young people’s wellbeing (mental health, safe spaces, healthy relationships, sexual education etc) and their personal and professional development (skill building workshops in the frameworks of the European Year of Skills).
The list of the workshops part of the DEVELOP circuit and the name of the facilitators will be published soon.
We recommend all candidates to give complete, honest, coherent and relevant answers to all open questions, as the selection will be based on the quality of the application form.
The event will take place in Aroneanu – one of the villages that held the European Youth Village title in 2021. The participants will be accommodated in double rooms in 3* hotels in Iași. Transfer by bus will be provided each morning an evening between the locations (15 – 20 minutes by car).
Iași is the main air entrance in Romanian Moldova region and its international airport has connections with a big variety of cities all over Europe.
The event is organized by the European Youth Village Program’s Governance (Active Development Association ADA and Go Free Association) and the Romanian National Agency in charge with Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps, together with the young people and the mayor’s office from Aroneanu.
Participants are entitled to receive a Youthpass certificate from the organizers, for recognition of their competence development during the activity. Read more about Youthpass here.
Participation fee: This project is financed by the participating National Agencies (NAs) of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Programme (via NET/TCA 2023). The participation fee varies from country to country and represents the co-funding. Please contact your National Agency or SALTO Resource Centre (SALTO) to learn more about the participation fee for participants from your country. The Romanian NA will not charge any extra fee.
Accommodation and food: Food, accommodation, premises and trainers fee are to be covered by the Romanian NA.
Travel reimbursement: Please contact your National Agency (NA) or SALTO Resource Centre (SALTO) in order to know whether they would support your travel costs. If yes, after being selected, get in touch with your NA or SALTO again to learn more about the overall procedure to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses. If not, in some particular cases aiming to ensure a wider representation the Romanian NA may cover the traveling costs.
The travelling costs to the location for Romanian participants represents co-funding and will not be covered by the organizers.
The Romanian National Agency
Contact person: Andrei Popescu
E-mail: andrei.popescu@anpcdefp.ro
Phone: +40212010722
Young people in rural areas face a variety of challenges and difficulties that often go unaddressed by local, national, and European authorities. Existing public policies are NOT SUCCESFULL in addressing the needs of rural youth, and the rural youth sector is largely invisible. The lack of dialogue between RURAL young people and the local, national or European authorities results in policies being set without their input.
The European Youth Village program seeks to address this by fostering a dialogue between community members and institutional actors, and empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their future. The program is designed to address the specific challenges and needs of rural youth and offers a fresh perspective in the rural youth sector.
Most of existing programs for rural youth in Europe are focused on agriculture and start-ups. Moreover, most of the time, decision makers lack an intersection approach on rural youth, and they can’t understand why promoting and supporting the rural youth participation is important. When we built the European Youth Village program our focus was on creating a culture of participation in rural areas, empowering rural youth, and building learning and inclusive opportunities, while promoting an intersection approach in all policies and at all levels.
European Youth Village serves as a positive model of community organizing for rural youth and can be replicated internationally.
Our goal is to create opportunities for the young people from rural areas in their villages, to promote the development of the rural youth ecosystem by organizing the young people and fostering collaboration between the young people and the decision-makers, while also strengthening the public youth policies at all levels.
Everything started with a title: The European Youth Village of the year.
The „European Youth Village” title is given by the Governance of the program to the villages or rural communities which wish and plan to make real changes in the youth life, taking into consideration their local challenges, as well as the program’s main priorities.
During the year in which the rural communities will hold this title, all activities, projects, events, or actions that will be organized at local level will aim to increase the participation of the young people and to develop a culture of participation at local level in order to solve the problems that directly affects them.
By participating in the program, young people become more aware of their local resources, they become more visible and readier to act strategically and to create the change they want in their community.
Basically, groups of young people are applying for the title for their communities and then, through community development and community organizing they start reaching decision making and solve concrete problems that young people are facing at local level.
So far young people convinced their local authorities to build youth centres, to have dedicated funding programs for youth, they organized hundreds of learning opportunities for their peers and these are just few examples of what the program successfully managed to bring to the local communities.
So far 15 villages from Romania had this title and now we just open the call for groups of young people who would like to take this title for their villages in 2024. Moreover, we plan to extend the program at European level, so villages from all over Europe to be able to apply for the title in 2025.
Over time, the program began to mean more than just a title, and the intervention plan expanded to the entire rural youth ecosystem:
- The Rural Youth Summit – is a national event, held in a village, which brings together young people from rural areas, decision makers and representatives of youth organizations from all over the country.
- During the last year’s summit, within the European Year of Youth, we have also officially released the The White Charter of Rural Youth which is a strategic document which aims to contribute to the development of young people and the entire rural youth ecosystem in Romania. Following a research carried out at national level, young people proposed a set of strategic directions that local, county, regional, national and European public authorities should constantly follow.
The charter itself is a best practice example on how to build grassroots policies together with the young people and I hope it will be an inspiration for everyone to develop strategic frameworks for supporting the development of the rural youth ecosystem in their countries and at European level.
- The Rural Youth Awards – is a national event aiming to give visibility to the young people from rural areas and to recognize their participation in their community. At the same time, we celebrate the rural youth work, and we acknowledge the best practices from the rural youth sector.
- The Informal Network of the Young People from Rural Area (RITM) – is an informal network aiming to raise the level of representativeness of young people from rural areas in the decision-making process, at local, regional, national, and European level.
- The (n)GoRural Platform – is a network of organizations and informal groups of young people aiming to support the rural youth sector and the rural youth work.
