Empowering Rural Youth as Co-Creators: Rural Youth Europe at the 6th European Rural Parliament

Tue, 16/12/2025 - 09:18am

From 20–23 October 2025, over 400 delegates from across Europe gathered in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for the 6th European Rural Parliament (ERP) under the theme “Strength from Opportunity: Rural Community Solutions to Global Challenges.”

The event was hosted by Scottish Rural Action, with support from the Scottish Government and Aberdeenshire Council, and co-organised by European Rural Community Alliance (ERCA), European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD), Partnerships for Rural Europe (PREPARE) and Rural Youth Europe (RYE), marking a milestone in recognising youth as equal stakeholders in Europe’s rural future.

Youth as Co-Creators, Not Observers: As co-organisers, Rural Youth Europe ensured that young people were not only participants but active co-creators of the agenda. The dedicated European Rural Youth Parliament (ERYP), held on 21 October, gave young rural delegates a platform to voice their visions and solutions on topics like rural housing, mobility, digitalisation, inclusion, and sustainable farming.

For the first time, Rural Youth Europe is an official member of the ERP Steering Group, a crucial step towards ensuring meaningful youth participation in shaping rural development at the European level.

Key Messages from RYE:

From consultation to collaboration: Youth must be recognised as full partners in designing rural policies, not just consulted after decisions are made.
Equal rural stakeholders: RYE now stands alongside ELARD, ERCA, and PREPARE as a core network in the European rural movement.
Institutional representation: Through its Steering Group role, RYE ensures youth perspectives influence the direction and outcomes of ERP processes.
Intergenerational cooperation: Rural renewal depends on youth and experienced rural leaders co-creating together.

A stronger rural movement

The ERP highlighted how rural and island communities are not only facing global challenges but creating innovative, community-led solutions. Through local study trips and thematic workshops, delegates explored examples of energy cooperatives, heritage revitalisation, and sustainable blue economy projects across Scotland.

The Inverurie Declaration

Outcomes from the European Rural Youth Parliament were fed directly into the Inverurie Declaration, the joint policy statement adopted at the end of the event. The Declaration calls for stronger recognition of youth participation, better access to rural opportunities, and a commitment to intergenerational collaboration in shaping Europe’s rural future.

Read the Declaration!

Looking ahead

Rural Youth Europe will:

Continue contributing to ERP follow-up and implementation of the Inverurie Declaration.
Strengthen rural youth participation in European policymaking and community initiatives.
Collaborate with ELARD, ERCA, and PREPARE to ensure youth voices remain central in the European rural agenda.

With this event, a great step forward was made for meaningful youth engagement, from being observers to becoming co-creators of the European rural development movement.