The idea for RuralHER: Building the Entrepreneurial Mindset started from something very local and very real. In March 2025, during International Women’s Day, a group of young volunteers from Provision International carried out a survey with rural girls in the Blagoevgrad region. What they found was both eye-opening and alarming. Instead of letting the findings remain only as statistics, six young volunteers — most of them rural girls themselves — decided to act. With mentoring from youth workers and the support of Provision International, they began shaping the idea of an Erasmus+ youth exchange. They drew inspiration from their own past Erasmus experiences and connected with peers from Greece, Italy, Spain, Romania, and Turkey who confirmed facing similar challenges in rural areas. This youth-led process gave birth to RuralHER, a project that aims to transform local concerns into European solutions by empowering rural girls with entrepreneurial competences, confidence, and networks, while strengthening youth work practices that support inclusion and opportunity. From the perspective of youth work practice, the project is designed not only to address the lack of entrepreneurial knowledge among rural girls but also to provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where young people take ownership, co-create solutions, and bring change back to their communities. The overall aim of RuralHER is to empower young people — especially young girls from rural areas — by strengthening their entrepreneurial mindset and equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to turn their ideas into action. By doing so, the project seeks to reduce the barriers rural youth face in accessing opportunities, challenge gender stereotypes, and contribute to the socio-economic development of rural communities. The project is not about teaching “how to start a business” but about empowering participants to believe in themselves, recognize entrepreneurship as a viable pathway, and practice the transversal competences — creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and sense of initiative — that are at the core of youth work. Objectives To empower rural girls by providing knowledge, skills, and confidence to explore entrepreneurship as a viable pathway for their future.. To raise awareness about the challenges rural youth, especially girls, face in accessing opportunities, employment, and entrepreneurship. To develop entrepreneurial skills and mindset among rural youth, with a special focus on young girls.