The Youth for Rural Green Futures project was developed to respond to the shared challenges faced by rural youth across Europe. Partner organizations, through their youth work experience, observed that young people in rural areas are often excluded from environmental debates and practical initiatives, despite being directly affected by climate change and possessing unique knowledge about their communities. Furthermore, discussions on climate change frequently focus on urban or global contexts, leaving rural realities underrepresented in both policy-making and youth activism. This project aims to address this gap by creating a space where young people from Cyprus, Armenia, Greece, North Macedonia, and France can meet, exchange experiences, and learn together while focusing specifically on rural environmental challenges and opportunities. The 7-day youth exchange in Vanadzor, Armenia will gather 35 young participants aged 18–30 and 5 group leaders, combining non-formal education, field visits, hands-on environmental activities, and intercultural experiences. From a youth work perspective objectives of the project are: -Raise awareness among rural youth about climate change and environmental challenges while highlighting rural perspectives often overlooked in mainstream debates. - Equip participants with practical green skills (e.g., organic agriculture, eco tourism, tree planting, waste management, renewable energy, eco-campaigning) through hands-on and non-formal learning methods. - Develop transversal competences such as teamwork, creativity, communication, and critical thinking to strengthen civic engagement and problem-solving capacities. - Empower participants to design and implement green community initiatives, applying knowledge gained during the exchange to their local realities. - Foster intercultural dialogue and solidarity by sharing eco-practices, rural traditions, and sustainability approaches across five countries. - Build an inclusive transnational youth network of rural environmental leaders, while increasing awareness of Erasmus+ as a platform for youth participation and environmental action. Through this approach, the project combines experiential learning, practical action, and intercultural exchange to equip rural youth with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become active contributors to environmental protection and sustainable community development in their regions and across Europe. Needs to be addressed: - Rural communities face environmental risks and lack youth engagement. - Youth care about the environment but have limited access to practical learning opportunities. - Rural youth have fewer chances for international exchange and active participation. - Rural perspectives are underrepresented in environmental education and activism. - Youth organisations need more community-based green projects led by young people. - Transnational youth networks on rural sustainability are underdeveloped. By creating a space for exchange, learning, and action, the project will: - Raise awareness about climate change in rural contexts – 40 people from 5 countries will participate in workshops, discussions, and field visits, resulting in an increase in their knowledge about rural environmental challenges (measured through pre- and post-activity reflection and evaluation forms). - Provide young people with practical sustainability skills – Participants will engage in hands-on activities (organic beekeeping, waste management, green campaigning, community clean-up/tree planting, and rural tourism workshops), ensuring they can apply concrete skills in their local contexts. - Strengthen civic engagement and leadership – Through teamwork and role-playing activities (e.g., climate negotiation simulation, convince-the-mayor role play), participants will develop soft skills (communication, critical thinking, leadership) that will be documented and validated in their Youthpass certificates. - Promote intercultural understanding and solidarity – Each national group will organize an intercultural night, and participants will engage in daily group reflections and world café discussions, ensuring that at least 90% of participants report increased intercultural awareness in final evaluations. - Support inclusion of rural youth with fewer opportunities – At least 50% of participants will come from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds, gaining equal access to international mobility and non-formal learning, tracked through participant profiles. - Build a lasting transnational network of rural environmental leaders – By the end of the exchange, participants will co-create at least 5 follow-up community green action ideas, and at least 80% of participants will implement follow-up activities in their home communities, supported through a shared digital platform to ensure ongoing cooperation.