Presentation on understanding and empowering young people to stay in rural place under Pillar 2B at the 12th OECD Rural Development Conference on Delivering Well-being, 24-26 September 2019, Seoul Korea. Presentation by Jane Craigie, Director of Rural Youth Project. More information: https://www.oecd.org/rural/rural-development-conference/

1. Jane Craigie, Director
Understanding & empowering young
people to stay in rural places
OECD Rural Development Conference, 25 September 2019

2. Purpose of the Rural Youth Project
We are social, join us!
An international movement for positive change to empower young people (aged 18 to 28)
to develop their leadership, enterprise and activism skills. Our ultimate goal is to make
rural places more attractive and viable for young people to build their lives and futures.

3. We are social, join us!
 Close 60% live where they do because of family ties or their
partners
 Only 13% feel they have a say in their local community
 Universal challenges – housing, income, isolation, connectivity,
mental health
 94% said digital connectivity is vital
 ‘Cool’ businesses are powerful
 72% are optimistic about their future in rural places
Our survey findings & learnings from our work

4. Our approach No1 – Rural Youth Ideas Festivals
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 3-days of talks, workshops, music, camping
 International delegates - learning & networking
 Very inspiring for young people
 A safe place to share challenges
 Recognition that they aren’t alone
 Linking young people to mentors
 Youths finding solutions together
 x2 in Scotland (2019/20), x2 in Australia (2020/21)

5. We are social, join us!
Our approach No2 – Learning journeys
 Older & young rural leaders mixed together
 Inter generational appreciation & connections
 Intense travel & learning together
 Overseas visit to ‘cool’ businesses/social enterprise
 Meeting entrepreneurs, storytellers & disrupters
 Mentoring, sharing energy & ideas
 Business models, creation & improvement

6. We are social, join us!
Amy Dunnachie, Jura,
Outer Hebrides
Our approach No3 – Story seeking & telling
 Young people sharing stories (global)
 Films, podcasts, vloggers
 Sharing stories helps other youths
 Policy-makers & community members value
case studies

7. We are social, join us!
Our approach No4 – Big Rural Ideas hackathons
 Enterprise, leadership & activism skills
 Developing business/social enterprise ideas
 Reimagining their rural places
 Mentoring & inter generational links
 Defining & developing ‘cool’ rural businesses

8. Thank You
@RYP2018
@janecraigie
www.ruralyouthproject.com
We are social, join us!