I came across the Rural Youth Project in this week’s Farmers Weekly, a small paragraph on p.8, and this led me to their website. In short the RYP is a research project that aims to better understand the current ‘aspirations, opportunities and challenges’ of young people (18-28), mostly in Scotland but also in England, Wales, Australia, Austria and the USA, for comparative purposes, and I for one will be very interested to see their results as it goes forward. Led by Jane Craigie Marketing the project’s website provides a range of features to involve young people. There is currently an online survey and the project aims to film a series of vlogs featuring young rural people and the challenges they face living in rural areas. The survey covers a number of topics, from education and training to transport, aspirations to local services and broadband to employment opportunities.
The project even has plans for a ‘Rural Youth Ideas Festival’, which will be held on a farm in central Scotland from 20th-22nd July. The event will be free of charge and delegates will be selected for it on the basis of their ‘leadership potential’ and drive for enacting positive change in their rural community.
For more information or if you are aged 18-28 and would like to complete their survey visit www.ruralyouthproject.com .
thinkingcountry.com 