09 de June de 2021
June 8, 2021. Young people are the present and future of rural areas. They are the driving force of change and—as heirs of the land—are called to transform their territories. Hence the creation of a "Thematic Group" by the National Rural Network to bring together both the vision and proposals of young people so that, through their contributions, they can shape the implementation of the National Rural Network's Action Plan in the coming months.
- The National Rural Network (RRN) creates the thematic group "Youth and Rural Environment" with 39 experts from rural areas throughout Spain.
- Their proposals will help define the NRN's actions in the coming months on the topic of 'Youth'.
- The survey launched by the RRN for young people in rural areas has been answered by more than 1,000 people and provides a current profile of their demands and needs.
The "Youth and Rural Environment" working group was formed by 39 rural experts with diverse backgrounds (academic, institutional, scientific, associative, rural residents, etc.) and with broad representation from national territories. The group's objective is to define proposals and ideas that the RRN can implement to help meet the needs of young people living or wishing to begin a new life project in rural areas.
Survey of your needs
Simultaneously with the formation of this group, and with the aim of gathering information for defining the RRN's youth activities, the RRN launched a survey to which 1,053 responses were received during the 15 days it was open. Participation was primarily from young people under 41 years of age ( 83.5% ), more than half of whom were under 31.
What profile of rural youth in Spain does this survey draw?
- First, almost 40% of respondents live in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants.
- More than 70 % of respondents live in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.
- There is a high level of satisfaction with living in rural areas among young people under 41 years of age.
And what needs do young people demand to stay and live in rural areas?
- Employment : 32%
The majority (22.74%) attach importance to self-employment and entrepreneurship, which is why they demand specific training for entrepreneurship.
- Basic services : 15%
The most in-demand options are education and healthcare services (over 30%) and infrastructure improvements that connect with other population centers. In second place – with 14% – are demands for digitalization and access to quality internet.
- Public Administration Support: 12%
More financial aid is required from public officials, as well as assistance in accessing land and housing .
The autonomous communities with the highest participation in the survey were Aragon (20.51%) and Castile-La Mancha (20.32%) , followed by Asturias ( 12.82%), Castile and León (11.30%), and Andalusia (9.02%). The remaining regions had participation rates below 5%.
Contribution of the National Rural Network
In this survey, young people also make clear how they believe the RRN can help them. The most prominent topics are access to employment (56.4%), entrepreneurship in rural areas (49.5%), and innovation and digitalization (40.7%). For those under 41, access to housing is also one of the most relevant topics, with 39.61%.
At the thematic group meeting with the National Network of Rural Development (NRN), the 39 members presented their suggestions for consolidating all the topics derived from the survey. These include proposals such as on-site training in rural areas, also as a way to promote active tourism; the creation of regional hubs or support centers for seed projects; the creation of provincial youth networks with correspondents who act as intermediaries between the government and youth; and the implementation of scholarships for internships in rural businesses.
All of these will be analyzed to design, to the extent possible, the RRN's next actions regarding rural youth.