• The PAC Network is organizing the LEADER experience exchange event "Participation of rural youth in the socioeconomic and cultural development of rural areas."
• The event was held in person at the “La Cortas de Blas” farm school (Villalba de los Alcores, Valladolid).

"Once young, forever young." The PAC Network gave voice to rural youth on February 22 at the Leader conference exchange of experiences "Participation of rural youth in socioeconomic and cultural development in rural areas ." The goal was to listen to them to understand what they want and need to feel involved in the development of their own territories.

Thanks to her, groups of young people from all over Spain gathered at the Las Cortas de Blas farm school. (Villalba de los Alcores, Valladolid) to tell how they have integrated into the Local Development Strategies (LDS) implemented in their territories, sponsored by the Local Action Groups (LAGs) of their respective localities. The meeting's objective was, above all, to foster youth leadership in the LAGs' decision-making and governance bodies. To this end, it was important to hear about their experiences and territorial activities, as well as to provide them with a meeting where they could network and replicate good practice examples from one territory to another.

The voice of the youth

The young people, through their interventions, made a series of messages clear:

• Support for rural youth must be professional and socioeconomic, but also cultural : they need leisure and culture to feel connected to the land.
• Young people must be placed in the decision-making process.
• It's much better to go directly to their territories and tell them about the aid available to them and provide them with firsthand information.

Those present demonstrated a desire to talk, take action, and network beyond the day. One of the most repeated conclusions was that, despite the lack of services and connections in rural areas, these are places with tremendous opportunities for living and working.

Likewise, the host GAL in the territory, Tierra de Campos , reported that through its projects they have managed to provide employment to up to 40% of the young population in their localities.

Program

After an institutional welcome, several speakers presented current studies on "Youth and LEADER." Through these presentations, we learned about specific projects with young people in the regions ( Actívate , for example), but also about current job opportunities and sources for young people in rural areas.

Subsequently, we heard about direct youth participation within the GALs themselves, with initiatives in the territories that seek to attract and retain young people in rural areas (the case of "Odisseu" ) and that incorporate techniques in their EDLPs to count on them.

The highlight was the presentation of good practices by rural youth, who shared firsthand the types of businesses and initiatives they had launched in their own territories, and which have been quite successful.

In the final stretch of the day, in the afternoon, those present were able to enjoy guided tours of the “Las Costas de Blas” farm school and the “Las Cortas” Cheese Factory , which also constitute two successful LEADER business models in their area and undertaken by young people.

The day also served to learn about, taste and purchase local products from the area.

The program can be found here . The event link also includes the presentations and a video recording of the event.