# IDEA The geographical disparities that are felt in our country and which are transversal to various European contexts, are one of the greatest weaknesses in the development of social and civic participation among young people. Increasingly, young people are disconnecting and moving outside rural environments, hoping to find greater qualifications, stable jobs and quality of life. According to data from TSF (2021) «Close to 60% of young people aged 15 to 25 who consider living in the “interior” interviewed in a study by the journalism platform Gerador, (…) consider moving to the coast, above all, for the opportunities of education and employment.'. They feel that there are no opportunities for their development in these environments and, consequently, they look for new alternatives, not recognizing the best that these regions can offer. As a result, rural areas become depopulated, become less attractive for investment and settlement, reduce (even further) the few existing opportunities and the population, increasingly aged, becomes isolated and excluded. Considering that our association is made up of 8 municipalities that, as a whole, identified these challenges, we developed the idea of working on the social and civic participation of young people from these contexts, so that they could identify existing problems and youth needs, promoting solutions so that could begin to be overcome. Preliminary data from the 2021 Census even revealed that some of these municipalities have one of the worst scenarios for population decline. For example, Almeida, presents a decrease of -18.8%, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo -17.7%, Penamacor -16.2% and Pinhel -15.9%. Therefore, with this project, we wanted young people to feel that they were heard, that they had (and have) space in their community, that they created and supported the consolidation of new solutions, and that they participated and got involved in decision-making, especially when it affects your future. # OBJECTIVES That said, we defined the project's general objective as: socially including young people from rural areas, providing opportunities for youth participation and socio-labor insertion. In turn, as specific objectives, we highlight: -Promote non-formal opportunities for youth inclusion in rural areas; -Foster the development of key skills for lifelong learning among young people; -Promote the participation and involvement of young people in decision-making and in dialogue with local decision-makers so that youth policies and programs are adapted to youth; -Promote an entrepreneurial and resilient attitude in young people, especially from rural areas, so that they are able to identify challenges and promote solutions; -Foster the sharing and recognition of European social values and youth empowerment strategies. These objectives were achieved through activities entirely aimed at young people. More than mere spectators, they were involved in the conception (young people we worked with previously had already been involved in identifying needs, and consolidating the project idea), planning, preparation, implementation and monitoring. We intend for this involvement to be conscious and proactive, so that they now see their path in a different way, and value their community as a place for personal, social and professional development.