Forty young people from across Europe attended the Rural Youth Europe (RYE) Autumn Seminar hosted by members of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) in Worcestershire this October (12-19).
Many of the participants came from countries with significant youth unemployment and have limited resources available to them to develop or diversify existing businesses or employment solutions.
Seminar activities were aimed at equipping participants with the skills they need to set up a successful enterprise.
Claire Worden, vice chairman of NFYFC and chairman of the Autumn Seminar, said: “Rural Youth Europe Seminars are unique events and it has been such a privilege for NFYFC to host one.
“It was fantastic to see rural young people from across Europe coming together to share ideas and learn how to develop their own businesses. The aim of this seminar was to inspire young rural entrepreneurs and I think the delegates left with some really exciting plans for the future and the skills to take these forward.
“As one of the largest rural youth organisations in Europe, this was also an exciting opportunity for NFYFC to promote what our members are doing in England and Wales and for us to learn more about different cultures across Europe and the challenges young rural people face.”
NFYFC was awarded the funding for the seminar by the EU’s Youth in Action programme. The event was part of RYE’s annual programme of seminars and rallies held across Europe for rural young people and this was the first RYE seminar England has hosted since 1988. The seminar was held at the Malvern Outdoor Elements Centre, Worcestershire.