YURI aimed to work with 394 participants, of which 87 young people with fewer opportunites to promote inclusion, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and climate action, by providing young people and youth workers with the resources, inspiration and encounter spaces to: - Critically address belief systems, prejudices and stereotypes (regarding rural and urban settings but also interculturality, gender roles, entrepreneurship, climate and collective action, etc.) that affect the way young people see themselves in relation to their professional projects, to others, to their communities and to the environment - Promote the development of the necessary competences and social emotional skills to successfully engage in collective green social entrepreneurship projects, taking into account the importance of urban-rural collaboration, the potentiality of digital contexts, and the know-how to search for and identify the necessary resources and support - Foster advocacy, exchange and mutual learning among young people, youth workers, and organisations, and generate fertile ground for dialogue with policymakers at local, regional and European level, to share, debate and find common alternatives to the current climate crisis
At the beginning of 2021, in all partner countries, there was a significant amount of NEETs and high youth unemployment, with increased rates of both in rural areas. Given the Covid-19 pandemic and climate situation, promoting green self-employment collective strategies that would articulate urban-rural collaboration seemed to be able to promote innovative forms of social and collective entrepreneurship among young people, particularly those with fewer opportunities, and actively involve them in the fight against climate change from an intercultural, systemic, and skill building perspective. YURI aimed to address the following needs: - Support policy orientations aimed to bring youth employment and green practices together - Offer more numerous and attractive self-employment strategies - Promote youth leadership, creativity and influence capacity - Foster skills and competences related to green, collective, social entrepreneurship amongst young people - Provide information and training to youngsters to address their frustration and helplessness in regard to climate change. - Combat rural-urban stereotypes and prejudices