Rural Voices 2/2016

02 / 2016 The Rural Youth Europe Magazine 16 Study Session – Dream it 14 Loud!

RYEurope History

General Assembly 12

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YFCU European Rally 2016

Rural Youth Europe Rural Youth Europe (RYEurope) is a European nongovernmental organisation for rural youth. Established in 1957, it is an umbrella for youth organisations working to promote and activate young people in the countryside. It provides international training possibilities and works as an intermediary between national organisations and youth organisations and public institutions at the European level.

Rural Youth Europe is a member-led organisation: democratically constituted, the organisation is led by young people for young people.

Rural Youth Europe unites 20 member organisations across 18 European countries. The membership base is over 500,000 young people who either live in rural areas or have an interest in rural life.

If your organisation is interested to join Rural Youth Europe or you would like more information about our events, please contact office@ruralyoutheurope.com or check our website www.ruralyoutheurope.com

Rural Voices Rural Voices is published by Rural Youth Europe.

Views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of Rural Youth Europe.

Text may include informal translations of statements and documents. Reproduction of articles is authorised provided the source is quoted and copies of the article are sent to Rural Youth Europe. This newsletter is published with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe and Erasmus+ of European Commission. The editors express their gratitude for all received articles and encourage every member organisation to contribute and to enrich this magazine.

SECRETARY GENERAL: Jenni Heinonen RESPONSIBLE EDITORS: Mikko Välitalo, Emma Silén ADDRESS: Karjalankatu 2A, 00520 Helsinki, Finland PHONE: + 358 45 234 5629 E-MAIL: office@rural youtheurope.com WEBSITE: www.ruralyoutheurope.com CONCEPT & LAYOUT: Júlia Hentz PHOTO-CREDITS: Rural Youth Europe, its members and participants of events

CONTENT 3 E d i t o r ’s n o t e 4 -7 G o i n g o n i n Europe 8-9 Br id g ing D i v s i t y, G r o w i n g To g e t h e r 1 0 -11 E u r o p e a n R a l l y 2 0 16 12 -13 R Y E u r o p e General A s s e m b l y 2 0 16 14 -15 S t u d y S e s s i o n – Dream it Loud!

16 L e a r n f r o m t h e past, dream about the future 17 O f f i c i a l B R E X I T statement 18 -19 G r e e t i n g s f r o m members 20 Calendar

L e a r n i n g + Fu n = R a l l y I am writing this in a train on my way back from the European Rally in Northern Ireland. I am tired but happy. I got to experience the Rally atmosphere at its best and met many new friends. The best way to spend the last week of summer holidays!

What makes these events such a great experience? All night long parties?

New friends? Or the things you learn during the workshops? I think it is the combination of all of these. Of course the purpose of the Rural Youth Europe events is to be educational and to give knowledge and skills young people need in the society.

I have a dream that in the future knowledge and skills gained during Rural Youth Europe events would be even more beneďŹ cial for the participants and widely recognised. This is something I as a board member want to take further.

Rural Youth Europe board is now working with its new future strategy. If you have any ideas or views that you think we should consider, please contact one of the board members. This is your chance to contribute to what the future events will look like!

Enjoy the last weeks of summer with this magazine!

Mikko Välitalo Board member

Our website is also mobile friendly - visit it now by scanning your mobile phone over this QR code!

C a l o r/ M a c r a n a Fe i r m e K n o w Yo u r N e i g h b o u r The 11th annual Calor / Macra na Feirme Know Your Neighbour initiative is underway and as I travel around the country to Macra na Feirme events and meetings in my role as National President, I sense an air of excitement and enthusiasm among Macra na Feirme members about the Know Your Neighbour campaign.

Macra na Feirme clubs are busy engaging and organising events which will see all ages come together to meet, celebrate, chat and party with the ultimate aim of getting to know our neighbours and build stronger communities.

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The Know Your Neighbour initiative, now in its 11th year, started at a time when the Irish economy was booming.

People were busy and they didn’t have the time to get to know their neighbours or participate in activities within their local community.

The objective then was to encourage people and communities to set aside a few hours over the Know Your Neighbour weekend to take part in community events and establish a support network within communities.

Eleven years later in more challenging economic times, it’s wonderful to see that our initiative is still going strong. People, now more than ever, rely on their closest neighbours for support, security and friendship.

Isolation is a serious problem not only in rural areas but urban too. It is ironic that while the country is more connected than ever before, thanks primarily to the internet and smart phones, loneliness and isolation remain huge problems for many people. The Know Your Neighbour Campaign plays a part in rectifying that. The impact a community event - regardless of size – can have on the lives of people living there should not be underestimated. A tight knit community is something that should be cherished, but we have to work for it and something as simple as a Know Your Neighbour coffee morning could be a major step towards achieving that.

I am proud to say that community involvement is a very important and strong programme area for our organisation. Macra na Feirme clubs and members the length and breadth of this country contribute significantly on both a social and economic level to our communities on a day to day basis.

Our volunteers each year, raise significant amounts of money for charity and community projects through our network of clubs right across the country through active participation and interaction at various levels within their communities.

We in Macra na Feirme are delighted to be supported in this year’s Know your Neighbour campaign by Calor. Since 1937 Calor have a long tradition of providing gas and service to its customers. As part of this campaign, Calor commissioned a research project and the findings of this provide a deeper understanding of the

challenges faced by communities. The main findings that stand out are; seven in 10 adults believe that children today feel a lesser sense of community than they themselves did growing up in Ireland while slower broadband, lack of amenities and infrastructure and fewer job opportunities are seen as barriers to rural living .

Almost half of people say that although they are friendly with their neighbours, they would not socialise with them, however according to this survey far more people in rural communities are likely to socialise with their neighbours.

Modern society is quite different to previous generations, but the community still holds a very important role in Ireland, while there is a temptation to use modern technology to speak to people, the value of face to face community meetings is unmatched. Not only is it of benefit to know your neighbours, but it is also important to be aware of issues facing in community as they impact everyone who lives there.

As the economy begins to grow again, we need to ensure that the government develops policies that address the two-tier nature of this recovery. Our concern is that the recovery to date seems very urban focused and it is not impacting on rural communities.

Community is the backbone of our society and its every important that we build relationships within communities. Whether it’s a barbeque, picnic or a family fun day, why not get together with the rest of your community and organise a Know Your Neighbour event. Any group or individual planning an event should register for an organiser’s pack at www.knowyourneighbour.ie The organiser’s pack will include helpful ideas, posters, t-shirts and balloons to help make the event successful. So get to know your neighbour!

Seán Finan Macra na Feirme National President 2015 - 2017

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Strangers to be fr iends

Rural Youth in Germany starts integration campaign Germany faces the biggest number of coming refugees since the 2nd world war. In the matter of fact, the German rural youth association (BDL) sees a special responsibility arising for everybody - in particular for organizations like itself. “We are fortunate to have

reliable voluntary structures. Many of us are already locally involved in the refugee work. Our members support the neighborly help or offer young refugees a piece of normality by group actions“, BDL-president Sebastian Schaller says.

He and all signers of the BDL-Confession “Strangers to be friends” are convinced that refugees need integration. It requires language, integration on the job market, the understanding of the legal order and our system of values. However, it also needs an open, tolerant and peaceful togetherness in the everyday life.

In addition, there must be open offers for everyone, who has escaped unfreedom and misery.

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„We encourage everyone in the rural youth: Appeal to the people who had to abandon their homelands. It is easier for us to make contact. Set the stage for these people. Involve them into our events and actions”, Schaller asks.

The BDL has summarized all of this in a short confession called “Strangers to be friends”. The youth organization invites everyone to sign it and stand up for integration.

You can learn more about the BDL-integration-campaign on the website www.fremde-werden-freunde.com.

There you can download the confession; you can upload your picture and manifest your belief for a better, more colorful society.

Rural youth means lending a hand to everyone, it means to accept people as they are and come to us.

“Fear of others leads nowhere. Let us start and show everyone who is interested that rural youth offers home. Use »Strangers to be friends« to set your sign for integration and add more to it in time. It’s in our hands”, the BDL-president summons.

Community for Sustainable Innovation 1. Explain a little about the project - where did you get the idea, what is the aim of the project, what are the benefits of the project?

The project is called Community for Sustainable Innovation (COSI). The key question we are trying to address is this: HOW on earth is it possible to implement the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? This is a very difficult question.

The reason is this: To ensure one sustainable world for all 7 billion people on the planet you need to deal with topics like energy, water, foodstuff, raw material, transport, construction, the labour market, family life, gender, climate, pollution and thousands of other topics at the same time.

Thousands of stakeholders need to collaborate. As a world community’ in the 21st century - we need to launch numerous Apollo Moon Projects. Every week! We need to come up with a new format for Collective Learning & Collaboration.

3. How does one take part in the project?

Please take a look at www.globalcitizen.net.

4. What are the benefits for an individual or organisation to take part?

Hopefully the COSI project will be a stepping stone for all participating parties, and ensure a lasting collaboration. If we succeed in setting up the massive online collaboration platform we have in mind (this could be labelled as the third generation of the social media platforms) - thousands of fellow global citizens will benefit from the platform. Eventually, the platform will ensure a more sustainable world.

5. What is the duration of the project?

How is it funded?

The COSI project is funded by the European Commission and runs until the end of 2016. The SPIRE17 project (described above) is a 3 million EURO project, primarily funded by Danish foundations.

6. How many people are involved in the project at the moment? Is it mainly for organisations or individuals?

Right now we are a very small group of people, but we will increase the number by the thousands, next year.

Søren Winther Lundby

8. Where in the project life cycle are you now? What are the next steps?

2. Who can be a part of the project? What kind of profile? Worldwide or European only?

We are fired up and ready to implement.

Within the present project a small Enabler team will take the first steps. Next year we will, together with our partners, launch an even bigger project called SPIRE17 where we will gather 1000 young global talents in Denmark for 12 days. They will work on setting up the platform we have in mind. At least that is the plan. Eventually, they will all engage an additional 21 global citizens on our platform. This will leave us with 25,000 young, engaged, problemsolvers.

9. The project is about sustainability, what exactly does Sustainable Innovation mean?

Good question. This was just a phrase we came up with. What is means at the end of the day is: Let’s figure out how we can collaborate better and way more efficient to develop and implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Rural Youth Europe is a COSI partner organisation

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It has been 72 hours since I left Greenmount Campus. I have started this article, wiped it clean off and began again, more than once I might add. In the 48 hours since I was added to a Post-Rally Whatsapp group, 799 messages have been sent (up to this moment in time – I’m sure another 300 odd will be sent by the time I finish). It is said that the hardest part of a journey is the first step – so putting the procrastination tactics aside – I suppose the beginning is as good a place to start as any….

Bridging Diversity, It started with a list. A relatively simple and concise list.

1. Apply to take part in Rural Youth Europe’s Rally before the deadline. 2. Prepare for interview. 3. Do the interview.

Following a successful telephone interview, the list grows marginally more complex: 1. Get to know the team. 2. Set up a Whatsapp group.

3. Get team t-shirts. 4. Plan for International Buffet. 5. Decide on a fancy dress costume. 6.

Travel arrangements. 7. Pack. 8. Make fancy dress costume. 9. Gift for host family. 10. Rain gear. 11. Exchange Euros to Pounds. 12. Let the excitement build (think of an over eager child on Christmas Eve)!

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It is said that a real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Over the course of an action packed week, Young Farming Clubs of Ulster, with the support of Rural Youth Europe and Youth Action Northern Ireland, somehow managed to open most people’s eyes up to the a whole new way of thinking. Discussions and debates on racism, disability, gender and LGBT heightened our awareness of the issues that those around us face. A walking tour of Belfast with tour guides who have experienced ‘The Troubles’ first hand was a frank, realistic view of what life was like in Northern Ireland over the 30 years that the Troubles lasted.

Drama workshops encouraged us to reflect on what we learned, to step outside our comfort zones, to empathise with those, whom we had

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learned about earlier in the week and, of course, to work as part of a team. Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) – 90 participants from 17 organisations brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and different perspectives. It is said that you travel to search, and then you come back home to find yourself there. I don’t think any participant of the RYEurope Rally has returned home this week without changing, evolving, growing, learning. A lot to do in a relatively short space of time – but that is the effect that the Rally has on those who are lucky enough to attend.

Growing Together Each night the wonderful organisation team had varying degrees of entertainment organised.

From country entertainment to a BBQ and céilí, friendships which blossomed during thought provoking workshops were cemented over late night sessions. Despite the late nights, delegates were always in good spirits and enthusiastic for what each day brought.

As a teacher, I firmly believe in the old proverb that every day is a school day. During the Rally I learned more about myself and those around me than I have in a long time. “Be the change that you want to see in the World” was a mantra repeated several times last week, and it is something that I will take with me. It would be impossible to write about everything we did, or everything we saw – If I’m honest, I still haven’t processed everything we did last week.

I can say this though, in 7 of the most intense days of my life, strangers became family and that is the true beauty of the 2016 European Rally. We shared dozens of meals, hundreds of dances and thousands of laughs. There were smiles, tears, fights (over who got to cuddle baby Ernests next), debates and thought provoking exercises, but always a deep respect for those around us. It’s not the journey or the destination – but who you’re travelling with and I can honestly say that I was blessed to spend a week in Greenmount College with likeminded, thoughtful, considerate, funny, kind and intelligent young people from across Europe because of the work of Rural Youth Europe and the Young Farming Clubs of Ulster. Míle buíochas!

Helen Dempsey, Macra na Feirme

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After a great week in Greenmount Campus, it is time to reflect briefly on some of the learning outcomes of my first European Rally! Us Rally delegates from 17 different youth organisations around Europe were divided into groups of mixed nationalities to attend various workshops organised by the prep team and facilitated by YouthAction Northern Ireland.

The Rally’s main theme “Bridging Diversity, Growing Together” was immensely visible in the workshops which provided tools for various situations, for example; tackling issues of inclusion of disabled people, creating more awareness of how some negative gender stereotypes can prohibit young people from growing up to his or hers full potential, understanding what LGBT people living in rural areas might go through

European Rally 2016 without an active support network and trying to find practical means for rural youth organisations to include a more diverse range of people in their activities. By embracing the fact of how different we are as individuals, rather than imposing sameness on everyone, we can learn so much more from each other. In addition to those more global topics we learned a lot about the Troubles and how the Northern Ireland’s recent history is still present in today’s society.

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I myself, coming from Finland, which is generally seen as a fairly liberal society, found it most interesting to have conversations with people from countries where for instance same sex marriage is not allowed yet or where the LGBT matters are more of a taboo.

When engaging in group work with people who shared more of a, let’s say, conservative views (for the lack of a better word) I personally learned to express my views in a diplomatic manner whilst grasping a better understanding for the “root reasons” on why someone else might think the complete opposite on some of the case examples. Unbiased education is the key for more awareness, and leading with a positive example is the best way to promote inclusion and equal rights for everyone regardless of their background.

The European Rally in Northern Ireland also taught me that peace is something you have to actively continue to work for. One superbly eye opening workshop was held in YouthAction centre in Belfast where local youth workers divided us into groups and took us to see the North, South, East or West Belfast’s Peace Walls. The artistic murals first seemed impressive, then quite daunting with the “men in arms” imagery, since at least here in Finland we’re not used to associating those kind of images with a modern, European capital city.

The tour served as a good reminder to us all how not understanding different views and beliefs can escalate things into full blown chaos. When professor Bill Rolston gave us an indepth talk about the history of the murals in Belfast and how the paintings progressed from depicting historical events to describing each side’s own political views, the message was even clearer: we must work together in order to keep the balance and peace. It is of no use in trying to silence the opposing side’s views you might not agree with them but understanding various perspectives over joint matters is the key for a peaceful living in any democratic society.

Satu Järveläinen, Team Leader, Finnish 4H Federation

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Rural Youth Europe General Assembly 2016 12

The 2016 RYEurope General Assembly was held in Stormont Parliament Buildings, just outside of Belfast on the 4th of August.

Delegates from Rural Youth Europe’s Member Organisations attended the important annual meeting which has traditionally taken place during the European Rally.

All were delighted to be welcomed to the location by Northern Irish MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Mr Robin Swann, who also happens to be a former chair or Rural Youth Europe and facilitated our use of the grand surroundings for the day.

Following some brief workshops for the participants, outgoing Chairman Lukas Helfenstein opened the meeting and welcomed the delegates. After formalities, such as the agenda having been adopted and passed, a number of presentations were made by the board relating to the ongoing work of RYEurope. These included updates on current membership, finances and member organisations visited by the board.

There was also an update on the strategic work that commenced during 2015/16 which hopes to reconfigure and confirm RYEurope’s core purpose and aims into the future. Financial reports from 2015 and a budget for 2017 were also presented, and although discussions were opened by the board with suggestions on some cost saving ideas, the overall feeling was that spending in the past has been wise and a similar approach into the future will serve RYEurope well. These reports were adopted unanimously. After a brief lunch, further

reports were presented including updates from board members on the issues affecting various regions with the most topical point being Brexit and the uncertainty in relation to how it will eventually affect all of Europe. A resolution on Brexit offering full support to the UK organisations was also adopted. The assembled delegates also adopted the updated membership guidelines and changes to RYEurope’s charter. As the meeting neared a conclusion a number of presentations were made with details of upcoming events with the Autumn Seminar in Norway and next year’s Rally in Latvia being just two that the assembly were briefed on.

Elections to Board of RYEurope that took place on the day were as follows: Chairperson: Russell Carrington (England) Vice- Chairperson: Sebastian Laßnig (Austria) Representative Group II: Julia Müller (Germany) Representative Group III: Mikko Välitalo (re-elected; Finland) Board Member for Special Interests: Geoff Thompson (Special Interest Board Member; Northern Ireland) Kätlin Merisalu (Group IV Representative; Estonia) and Paddy Delaney (Group I Representative; Ireland) remain on to complete the remainder of their two year terms.

The board elections required this year were due to a number of members finishing their terms of office including Linda Medne (Outgoing ViceChairperson) and Lukas Helfenstein (Outgoing Chairperson), both of whom have given RYEurope very significant contributions during their tenures.

Before concluding the meeting Lukas invited Alan Jagoe, President of CEJA to address the General Assembly as a partner organisation.

Finally Lukas finished by thanking all for their participation throughout the day and year before officially closing the meeting.

Paddy Delaney (on behalf of the Board of RYEurope)

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Study Session: The call for interested participants to attend the study session “Dream it Loud” took place in early 2016. The event itself took place from the 22nd to the 29th May at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, France, which is part of the Council of Europe. Over 30 participants took part in the joint Study Session between Rural Youth Europe & Youth Express Network (Y-E-N) and the topic of the Study Session was building an inclusive society for rural and urban youth. The participants came from all over Europe, meaning everybody had their own experiences and stories to share.

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The Study Session proved to be a huge success with participants being actively involved in studying the European social charter, exploring social rights, taking part in workshops and sharing personal experiences. Field trips to various organisations throughout Strasbourg showed just how effective existing facilities are and how to build and use tools which could benefit the various organisations being represented at local levels. The Study Session was implemented in an informal way with a ‘hands on’ approach. The participants were broken down into smaller groups throughout the week to allow for working on various tasks and projects.

Throughout the week we worked on ways to improve access to social rights at the local level by first of all looking at barriers and issues local organisations might be facing and how to tackle those problems. Close bonds were formed throughout the week, which hopefully will lead to many long term friendships. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to gather together with likeminded people from all walks of life with one common goal, which I can safely say we achieved in the short time provided. Let’s hope that we see the changes at a local level in time to come.

Siobhán Gallagher, South Leitrim Club of Macra Na Feirme

Dream it Loud!

K a r i n a Tr a u e r, L andju gend Ö sterreich: Going back to normal life after the Study Session was so surreal. It’s so weird that one week can change a life so much. I feel like leaving behind so many things in Strasbourg. And so many people.

People I didn’t even know some weeks ago. I experienced and learnt a lot in Strasbourg. Not only about social rights, but also about many different cultures and about myself. Meeting new people is always enriching. All the different experiences and points of view allow people to overcome their prejudices and to be openminded. When we want to build an inclusive society, this is the first thing we have to work on.

I am really grateful that I was allowed to take part in this adventure.

Raili Laas, Noor teühing Ee sti 4H (E sto nian 4H): The Study Session was excellent. We learnt and experienced a lot. Even though the sessions were a bit hard sometimes, I think all of us had wonderful time there. I am so happy I had the opportunity to participate in this event. I made a lot of new contacts there and I hope we keep in touch in the future.

Laila Gamst, 4H Norge (Nor wegian 4H): Yikes, trying to save the world again?

I was a bit sceptical in the start of the Study Session. As I come from a very well developed country it was hard to “complain” about our issues in front of countries where the infrastructure is so bad that not all the people have clean water or even housing.

And, yes, there are still such contrasts within Europe. Some of the participants came from countries so different from Norway that it was hard to imagine their reality. But I think that is a big part of why the Study Session was so rewarding.

The week was not just the theory young people and their rights, it was mostly simulations, games, reflections and long nights staying up talking and discussing with the other participants. “Dreaming really loudly”. Sharing experiences and destroying stereotypes. You could feel the barriers falling the longer into the week we got. In the end of the Study Session we had formed a wonderful network of people, no one the same as the other, who all wanted to go back using all the knowledge and experience we had gathered.

This week taught me that we still have a lot to fight for. But now we have the tools.

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Rural Youth Europe turns 60 years next year, and we want to take this chance to look back on what has happened during six decades in Europe. We have started already now, as there are a lot of information and material to go through. The #throwbackthursday pictures that are posted on our social media channels every now and then are usually something that has been found in one of the huge archive boxes at the Rural Youth Europe office.

Learn from the past, dream about the future 16

So what do we want to achieve with this quite ambitious project? Well, first of all we want to understand where we come from, and how traditions that we still follow were born. Where does the Rally bell come from? Why were there activities separately for boys and girls at the Rallies in the 1960’s? Why are there no members from southern Europe anymore? How did the economic crisis in 2008 affect us and the rest of Europe? These questions, and many more, are just waiting for us to go exploring and finding an answer to them.

Secondly, when working with strategies for the future it is good to always keep an eye in the rear mirror and to be aware of why certain things have happened. This is probably what the 4Hers call “learning by doing”. We want to learn, and of course avoid making the same mistakes that we possibly have made before. New mistakes are better than repeated mistakes, right?

Thirdly, we believe that knowing our history can make our identity even stronger. All of us have an idea of what it means to belong to the Rural Youth Europe family. Though, we have noticed it is difficult to put these ideas into words. We would therefore want to be able to provide our members and participants with glimpses from the history so that creating our own perceptions based on both history and own experiences is possible.

Apart from diving into ten huge boxes of photos, annual reports and cute stuffed animals from the Rally in 1991 we have also conducted interviews with former Secretary Generals. We have learnt about funding challenges, about board work and about being flexible and arranging events that reflect what the world and society look like. During the 60’s there were events and discussions about girls and women in society, in the 90’s events about a united Europe were on the agenda. This shows that Rural Youth Europe always has been identifying what might be needed for giving our members and participants at events the best tools to handle a changing world.

Emma Silén Media and Communications Coordinator Rural Youth Europe

Finnish 4H members collected 600 000 kg of plastic waste from f a r m s t h i s s u m m e r. T h i s recycling project has offered summer jobs for young people for over 4 0 years. G ood jo b!

Yo u n g Fa r m e r s ’ C l u b s o f U l s t e r h o s t E u r o p e a n R a l l y 2 0 16

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The Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) hosted the European Rally from 30th July to 6th August which saw over 100 young people from rural Europe travelling to Northern Ireland for an intensive week long programme of leadership, teamwork, education and intercultural experience.

The theme for this year – which was chosen by the YFCU - was ‘Bridging Diversity, Growing Together’ and this was reflected throughout all activities and visits during the Rally week.

The event was sponsored by Danske Bank with support from DAERA, The Ulster Farmers’ Union, Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, Rural Youth Europe, Erasmus and Jim Nicholson MEP. President of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, Roberta Simmons commented, “We as an organisation were delighted that young people from throughout Europe came together to look at the issue of ‘Bridging Diversity, Growing Together’ as we played host to the European Rally. In a packed week of activities, visits and discussion forums; teams representing rural youth organisations from as far afield as Latvia, Sweden and Germany all visited. The European Rally is a significant event and was a great opportunity for us to showcase not only our Association and industry but also to showcase Northern Ireland to the teams from all over Europe.

A royally awesome natio nal 4H - camp!

The Norwegian national 4H-camp was on the 23rd to 30th of August held in Oslo. This year it was held in our beloved capital, and the venue was no less than the Norwegian Royal Farm Estate - a 500 acres dairy farm that used to be the official summer residence for the King. This summer however, the royals “vacated the premises” and made room for 1300 Norwegian 4H-campers.

During the week, the participants got to participate in activities like sailing, fishing, first aid, folk dance and much more. There were also visits to the city centre for different team building activities and excursions, and the evenings consisted of entertainment, concerts and dances. On the last day, the camp was open for visitors with stands and activities like popcorn making in a bathtub and smoothie bicycling. Many of the 4H-members also participated in what can be said to be one of the biggest volleyball tournaments in Norway, with no less than 69 teams and 600 members involved.

Throughout the week many friendships have been made, summer flirts have evolved, several Pokemon eggs have been hatched on long walks to the showers, and awesome memories are surely now in our hearts forever. The week was definitely “worthy of a King”!”

2-9 October 2016, Norway Think, love, move, do!

The aim of the autumn seminar is to discover how everybody regardless of background can be included in youth organisations.

This will be done through workshops about social inclusion, practical problem solving and raising awareness about inclusion for all.

AUTUMN SEMINAR 2 0 16

Calendar S T U DY SESSION 2 0 17

14-21 May 2017, Budapest, Hungary Voices for Life Organised in cooperation with NSU/Nordic Youth Associations The aim of the study session is for the participants to learn to promote intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence in Europe.

Tallinn, Estonia The conference will be organised for key people in the Rural Youth Europe member organisations and is preliminary planned for August/ September 2017. The event would include our General Assembly 2017.

EUROPEAN R A L LY 2 0 17

CO N FER EN CE 2017

6-13 August 2017, Ligatnes parish, “Ratnieki�, Latvia The European Rally empowers and unites European rural youth in a time when much change around us in the societies. And of course participants will also experience each other and the hosting cultures and have a lot of fun! Follow our webpage for updates and registration procedure.

Austria

AUTUMN SEMINAR 2 0 17