Rural Voices

Can young people build a future in the rural communities they call home? From employment and affordable housing to access to services and social connections, young people across rural Europe face challenges that can make staying in their communities increasingly difficult.In this episode of Rural Voices, we explore the right to stay, bringing together research from the CORE project and personal experiences from across Europe.We hear from Han Wiskerke, Professor of Rural Sociology at the University of Wageningen; Lena Bloemhoff, a young dairy farmer from the Netherlands; Sheila Keeshan, volunteer from Macra na Feirme in Ireland; and Mario Béjar Fuentes from CEJA, the European Council of Young Farmers.Together, they discuss the challenges facing rural youth and explore practical solutions, from supporting young farmers and rural entrepreneurs to strengthening communities through rural youth organisations.Explore the CORE project and its research here:CORE Project: https://core-ruralinitiative.eu/Research Factsheet: https://core-ruralinitiative.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CORE_challenges-for-agrarian-and-rural-employment.pdfFull Research Report: https://core-ruralinitiative.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CORE_Report_EN.pdfThis episode was produced as part of CORE, a European project exploring challenges and solutions surrounding youth employment in rural and agricultural communities.

What does the rise of AI mean for rural young people across Europe?In this episode of Rural Voices, we're in Switzerland for the Rural Youth Europe European Rally 2026, where participants from 20 rural youth organisations across 17 countries came together to explore leadership in the age of artificial intelligence. Our Chairperson Martin sits down with Rally Chairperson Franzi to discuss why AI was chosen as this year's theme, the importance of using it responsibly and what it means to bring the European Rally back to Switzerland. Then we hear directly from Rally participants from across Europe. How is AI already helping rural young people? What are the risks of becoming too reliant on it? And where does it fit within our rural youth organisations?From farming, education and remote working to misinformation, creativity, privacy and human connection, our participants share plenty of different perspectives on where AI could take us next. The European Rally was co-funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe and Movetia. 

In this episode of Rural Voices, we return to the Powering Change – Empowering Rural Youth for Energy Communities project to explore what renewable energy looks like in practice across rural Europe.We hear from Sophie Bell in Ireland, a young farmer introducing renewable energy solutions on her farm, and Marina Sainz de la Maza Ortiz in Spain, who shares the realities of trying to establish a community-led energy project in her local area. Together, they discuss the opportunities, challenges and importance of ensuring rural communities have a voice in the energy transition.From solar-powered farming to grassroots energy activism, this episode highlights how young people are helping shape a more sustainable future for rural areas.Read our interactive guide ‘Getting Started with Rural Energy Communities’ here: https://rebrand.ly/02933e and our step-by-step guide ‘Building your own energy community’ here: https://rebrand.ly/c832ee.

In this episode we’re taking you back to the first ever European Rural Youth Forward Conference. Earlier this year, around 100 rural youth leaders and European policy-makers gathered in Piloña, Spain, for an event dedicated to strengthening rural youth policy-making across Europe.Hear from Ketrin, Spyros, Rosie, Martin and Jana from the RYE team, as they catch up with some of the conference delegates about their work ensuring rural voices are heard at a national and European level. They speak to Matías Rubio (EPA! Association), Lenka Lejčková (National Local Action Group Network of the Czech Republic), Richard Beattie (Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster) and Landry Gourdon (Familles Rurales). Links: National Local Action Group Network of the Czech Republic - 21 examples of Participation and Engagement: https://rebrand.ly/9f54d4 Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster: www.yfcu.org Familles Rurales: https://www.famillesrurales.org Find out more about the Rural Youth Forward project: https://rebrand.ly/93e0f9 The podcast is part of Rural Youth Forward project and its European Rural Youth Forward Conference event. This podcast has been produced by Rural Youth Europe with the financial support of European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and European Union.

What happens when rural youth take control of their own stories? Recorded during our 2026 Study Session on media literacy, this episode brings together voices from across Europe to challenge stereotypes, unpack misconceptions, and share real experiences of rural life. What are the hidden strengths of rural communities? And what are the misconceptions of living in rural areas? Co-produced by the participants of the Study Session, you will hear 19 different voices from across Europe sharing their thoughts. This episode was recorded at the European Youth Centre in Budapest in collaboration with the Council of Europe Youth Department. 

In this episode, part of our Powering Change: Empowering Rural Youth for Energy Communities project, we’re in Brussels with the Rural Youth Europe (RYE) Policy Committee talking all about the power of building an energy community. What are energy communities? And what are EU institution doing to support their development? Dan chats to RYE Policy Manager Adriana Borsellino, as well as energy community experts Maria Bellou from Electra Energy Cooperative and Óscar Güell from REScoop.eu. We also hear from Policy Committee members Sheila Keeshan (Ireland), Ingars Jēkabsons (Latvia), Marieke Hoehne (Germany) and Kristian Sivula (Finland).   Read our interactive guide ‘Getting Started with Rural Energy Communities’ here:  https://rebrand.ly/02933e and our step-by-step guide ‘Building your own energy community’ here: https://rebrand.ly/c832ee . You can also find out more about REScoop here: www.rescoop.eu  

It’s our last episode of 2025 and we are catching up with all the winners of this year’s Rural Youth Europe Awards. Dan chats to Jillian Kennedy from the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) about this year’s Project of the Year - the Respect Campaign. He also talks to Fabian Kogler from Rural Youth Austria, Inspirational Person of the Year, and Ewan Aitken from Strathearn JAC in Scotland, the Inspirational Club of the Year. You can also find out more about the SAYFC Big Build campaign here: www.sayfc.org/donate/sayfcs-big-build/. The podcast is part of Rural Youth Forward project with the aim of showcasing good examples of rural youth organisations, projects and leaders. This podcast has been produced by Rural Youth Europe with the financial support of European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and European Union.

In this episode we’re in Latvia for the Autumn Seminar 2025. Hosted by Latvian 4H, with support from Latvian Young Farmers, this seminar brought together rural youth leaders from across Europe. This episode is produced and presented by the participants of the Autumn Seminar and here they present to you the building blocks of a rural youth organisation. They cover our organisation’s vision and mission, the structure and governance, fundraising opportunities and how we encourage volunteer engagement. This podcast has been produced by Rural Youth Europe with the financial support of European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and European Union.

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 podcast has been produced by Rural Youth Europe with the financial support of European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and 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 podcast is part of Rural Youth Forward project and its European Rural Youth Summer Forum event. This podcast has been produced by Rural Youth Europe with the financial support of European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and European Union.