As part of the ‘Rural Youth Forward’ project, in this episode we are delving into our research on the different realities and trends on rural youth participation in policy-making across Europe. Dan chats to Victor Cătălin Toma and Catalina Gurgu from the Active Development Association about their work on youth participation, as well as their flagship project - the European Youth Village programme. Find out more and read our Rural Youth Forward resources here: https://bit.ly/3MLXfmS. This project is co-funded by the European Union.

We’re at the 2025 European Rally in Slovenia. Hosted by our member organisation ZSPM - the Slovenian Rural Youth Association - this year’s rally is all about empowering young people for active participation. Why do you do rural youth work? What motivates you to give back to your local community? In this episode the participants will be interviewing each other about their own experiences. The European Rally 2025 has been co-funded by the European Union, Council of Europe and European Youth Foundation.

Recorded at the Rural Youth Europe Study Session 2025, this episode focusses on rural advocacy. What is it? How do we engage with decision makers? What are the priorities of rural youth? Listen to young people from across Europe sharing their thoughts, as well as tips on how you can start your advocacy journey. This episode was recorded at the European Youth Centre in Budapest in collaboration with the Council of Europe Youth Department.

In our final episode of 2024, Dan is joined by all the winners of this year’s Rural Youth Europe Awards, which aim to showcase the very best of rural youth across Europe. Hear from the team from Landjugend Schwoich who were responsible for this year’s Project of the Year - See Agriculture, Taste Agriculture, Experience Agriculture. Dan also chats to Teele Tõnisson from Estonian 4H, this year’s Inspirational Person of the Year, as well as Joanne Malone and Catriona Bourke, from Castlebar Macra, this year’s Inspirational Club of the Year.