Strengthening rural youth policies: Insights from Serbia
How can regions create better opportunities for young people living in rural areas? This question was at the heart of the last Steering Group Meeting of the RuralYouthFuture project, held on 30th June – 1st July, hosted by the Regional Development Agency Bačka in Serbia. The project team and regional stakeholders from seven European regions came together to exchange experiences, explore inspiring local initiatives and assess how interregional cooperation is already contributing to stronger youth policies and more resilient rural communities.
Learning from regions, inspiring better policies
A central part of the meeting was the round-table discussion with stakeholders from the Bačka region, which provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the challenges facing young people in rural areas and explore how successful approaches from across Europe could be adapted to the local context.
By bringing together regional authorities, public institutions, youth organisations and other key stakeholders, the discussion fostered dialogue on strengthening existing youth policies, developing new partnerships and identifying practical solutions that respond to the needs of rural communities.
Participants also explored inspiring good practices from Spain, Latvia and Bulgaria, alongside the wider collection of initiatives identified throughout the RuralYouthFuture project. These examples demonstrated how local innovation and interregional learning can support more effective youth policies, encourage knowledge transfer and create new opportunities for young people living in rural areas.
From policy learning to territorial impact
A key milestone of the meeting was the presentation of the policy improvements achieved across each partner region.
The project team shared how the knowledge gained through RuralYouthFuture‘s interregional learning process has influenced their policy instruments, inspired new practices, strengthened collaboration with regional stakeholders and contributed to tangible improvements within their territories. The discussions highlighted how exchanging experiences across regions can accelerate policy innovation, helping local and regional authorities develop more effective responses to the challenges facing rural youth.
The meeting also reaffirmed the importance of continuous collaboration between public authorities, youth organisations, regional development agencies and local communities to ensure that successful approaches can be adapted and transferred to different territorial contexts.
Looking ahead: Bringing regional experiences to the European policy dialogue
Looking ahead, partners also prepared the project’s High-Level Policy Event, which will take place in Brussels in December 2026. The event will bring together policymakers, regional authorities and stakeholders from across European regions to present the project’s policy achievements, showcase territorial impact and discuss how interregional cooperation can contribute to stronger youth policies for rural areas.
By connecting regional experiences with European policy discussions, the event will provide a platform to demonstrate how cooperation, mutual learning and evidence-based policy development can create lasting opportunities for young people living in rural communities.
Stay tuned on the project’s website to learn first about all our upcoming initiatives toward a brighter future for rural youth.
We continue working to strengthen opportunities for young people living in rural areas. Because when rural youth thrive, rural communities have a stronger future.
