Inclusive Societies and Rural Development

There is not one single defined group of “young people”, but young people have diverse interests, needs and backgrounds. Inclusive societies have to consider such diversity. Youth goal 3, “Inclusive Societies” takes into account factors such as different social, religious or cultural backgrounds, gender or sexual identities. Whether young people live in big cities or smaller villages, they generally have similar needs.

However, life circumstances in rural areas can pose different challenges than for people in more urban areas, and can thus mean a double burden on those already facing other challenges. According to Eurostat data, still over 30% of the EU’s population lives in rural areas. Lacking access to broadband internet, fewer job opportunities and insufficient transport infrastructure are major concerns for rural youth. It is already the case that younger people are less likely to live in villages or small towns, making the ageing of populations in rural areas an increasing issue.

A goal that many communities have therefore set – following the European and national youth strategies – is to build the right structures and opportunities that make rural areas attractive for young people to stay or return to.

While internet access and infrastructure are slowly being addressed by many rural communities, young people in Europe feel that job opportunities are in fact rather decreasing. It has also been found that there is a bigger gender gap in employment in rural areas than in urban areas, giving even more reason for concern.

There still remains much to do for achievement of the European Youth Goals in this area. An important starting point is to keep the conversation with the young people concerned active. The EPYC project is furthermore working to highlight existing examples of good practice from the EU partner countries as inspiration for others to follow.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.