The partnership, led by GAL La Cittadella del Sapere, aimed to foster the active engagement of youth in rural development policies, amplifying their role as catalysts for change within their communities. The primary goal was to define and implement a replicable capacity-building program designed to train future leaders and entrepreneurs in sustainable tourism. Specifically, the partners sought to achieve the following: Equip young individuals with up-to-date entrepreneurial skills combined with a deep understanding of rural development mechanisms, such as the bottom-up approach; Implement strategies that align with the goals of Local Action Groups (LAGs), ensuring they are deeply rooted in community involvement; Enhance European collaboration by exchanging best practices between Italy and Estonia, sharing specific expertise like the management of European Capitals of Culture; Promote inclusion and gender equality, offering quality training to marginalized youth to combat rural depopulation and reduce the gender gap in decision-making. Ultimately, the project aimed to integrate fresh, youthful insights into local strategies to address contemporary challenges like climate change and post-pandemic tourism paradigms.
As the lead partner, GAL La Cittadella del Sapere initiated this project to encourage young people’s active involvement in the implementation of rural development policies, transforming them into catalysts for change. The organization aimed to develop a replicable capacity-building program to train leaders and entrepreneurs capable of influencing local sustainable tourism strategies, integrating the bottom-up (LEADER) approach with innovative ideas stemming from European cooperation. The needs addressed concern the structural weaknesses of rural areas, such as negative demographic trends and barriers to accessing quality vocational training, which are the main causes of high youth unemployment. The project addressed the lack of youth participation in decision-making processes by providing tools to overcome their social marginalization. We also worked to reduce the gender gap by facilitating the participation of young women, and to address the challenges of post-pandemic tourism by integrating sustainability and innovation into the local economy.