GROWING A DIGITAL RURAL COMMUNITY THROUGH THE RYP SMART VILLAGE WORDS AMBER MASLEN AND THEO GILLAN
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orn from the pandemic when disconnection, isolation and limited opportunities were exacerbated, the newly launched Rural Youth Project (RYP) Smart Village responds to a need providing more and equal opportunities for young people who live, study or work in rural and remote locations. Amber Maslen and Theo Gillan - two of the platform’s Digital Champions - teamed up to tell the story of how the RYP Smart Village was created and why they believe it is such a vital resource. This community is the first of its kind to exist in the UK, specifically for rural young people. It has been created to deal with the problems catalysed by lockdown, but the problems aren’t new. Of the resources available to those across rural Scotland, none of them have anything to do with young people. Additionally, almost no resources or large projects have been created by young people. The Rural Youth Project Smart Village is the start of change. “We believe – through sharing knowledge and skills, making opportunities more accessible, and fostering greater connections and collaborations with others - we can build strong, vibrant rural communities and local economies,” say Amber and Theo.
www.ruralyouthproject.com
WHAT IS THE RYP SMART VILLAGE? The RYP smart village is a website with many layers. It includes an opportunity map sharing the latest job opportunities and events; an embedded Discord platform - a forum where rural young people can connect and talk about the rural issues that matter to them; a Zoom room where RYP and other youth organisations or individuals can host talks and events to benefit rural young people; and numerous resources, news articles and blogs – all free and tailored to rural young people.
“The RYP smart village is an opportunity to help rural young people to think outside of the box that previously was.”
The final website has been the work of a team of designers and web developers but behind every decision made has been a team of young people – the Digital Champions – who have referred to wider research, as well as the feedback from their own communities, to determine what would be most beneficial to rural young people.
HOW DID THE DIGITAL CHAMPIONS GET INVOLVED? So, who are the Digital Champions? Well, that’s us – a team of young people from all over rural Scotland, brought together by the Rural Youth Project - from the Borders in the south to the Hebridean islands in the west and Orkney in the north. We’re from
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