Involving & motivating rural young people

In many cases, there is a lack of social activities in the countryside - especially for young people. There are not many initiatives - and if any, they are on a local level. The international level seems too far away, somehow alien and unreachable to young people in rural areas. Are they just not interested in international projects? Or is it just difficult to get young people on board for any activity? As a rural youth worker, what can you do?

Have direct contact with the young people

• You can make as many leaflets and posters as you want, but this alone won't be enough to get young people on board your project. It gives them the information, but most likely a personal chat would be more efficient if you what to find out what the young people's interests are or what their reasons are for not participating.
• Organise an open door activity and attract the young people with a concert, free computer gaming, a competition with prizes,... and at the same time talk to them about 'going international'.

Go where the young people are

• Maybe you don't want to reach the 'same old' young people who already come to all your activities. To catch new target groups, you should go where they are.
• Go out to schools and talk about your international activities in class. Or, if the young people you are aiming for are online a lot, find them in the virtual world.
• You could also surprise them after school: give them some action, show them what kind of activities you do, do a promotion stunt.

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Keep it interesting and link into the young people's world

• When you are recruiting young participants for your activities, they are probably not so interested in the educational value of international projects. Make sure you show them the fun side of it as well, next to the interesting challenges of such a project.
• If you make information material, make sure to appeal to young people (or ask them to make your info material!). Use slogans with expressions that young people use, use their language, give yourself a young and crazy style. Use people, pictures or videos from other projects.
• If you are targeting special groups, you need special tailor-made approaches (e.g. to get minority youth on board, or young people with disabilities,...). Show the young people what is in it for them.

Young people are not an island

• Young people do not decide alone if they will come to your (international) activities. It will also depend on their friends and family.
• You can think of ways to convince the kids' families about the benefits of international projects, that you will get European funding for it and that you are skilled youth workers taking them on interesting projects.
• Also ask the young people who are already interested and committed to bring their friends to the activities or camps. Peer contact often works.

Peer-to-peer communication

• Instead of a youth worker (adult) trying to get young people on board, they might be more open to a message coming from peers. Ask participants of a previous international activity to talk about their experiences. This is highly motivating for others and spreads the international fire.
• Or bring a current EVS volunteer from another country to your youth organisation or to the schools in your area. They can talk about their experiences and make other young people think about doing something similar.
• Intercultural effect! Do some recording / filming of intercultural things as well as international groups and have a prize for the best video within your local rural youth club. Invite the whole community to the prize ceremony.

Building up step-by-step

• If international projects are a new thing in your area, young people probably need to warm up to this possibility. Organise international clubs and explain what kind of international activities and opportunities exist. Organise an international evening with intercultural games to give them a taste.
• You can also bring the international dimension to the local community e.g. by organising an international folk dancing festival, bringing in EVS volunteers, etc. to make people gradually more open towards international people and topics.
• If there is an international youth project happening in your region, try to get your rural youth organisation involved - to meet the foreign youngsters - at least for an evening, an excursion during the day...so that they see what it's like and become motivated to organise similar activities themselves!

A useful tool for you to work on the participation of young people in rural areas is the 'Revised European Charter on the participation of young people in local and regional life' of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe. Available from www.coe.int/congress/ or download it below.

Do you have other tips on how to get young people from rural areas involved in international projects? Add them below on this page (log in with your SALTO username or create a new one)

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