We are launching a new international project: My Rural Mentor. Funded by the Erasmus+ programme under its KA2 line, this initiative seeks alternatives that can offer young people the opportunity to stay in rural areas and thrive without having to give up their environment.
In non-urban environments, an ageing population, lack of services and scarcity of resources make it difficult for young people to build a life for themselves.
For adolescents living in institutions, young migrants and young people at risk, the situation is especially difficult. They can feel alone, unsure about their future, or disconnected from their community. Many are eventually forced to leave their villages and migrate to cities, where their social integration can be even more complicated.
To address these difficulties, we are excited to launch My Rural Mentor. With this new project, conducted in three EU Member States —Italy, Portugal and Spain—, we seek to offer real alternatives to young people living in rural areas. We want them to be able to stay, thrive and build their future in their own environment.
The origin of the project
My Rural Mentor was born from the experience and positive results of two Igaxes initiatives: Rural Mentor and Referentes.
Rural Mentor was created to support young people leaving care and youth at risk of exclusion in rural areas. The aim is to enable them to train and find work in their own place of residence. Referentes, on the other hand, is a volunteer initiative that connects young people in care with adults who are willing to support them, spend time with them and build bonds of trust.
Through My Rural Mentor, we want to transfer this same philosophy to rural Europe. We seek to create personal and social support networks that help young people develop their potential and build a future in their own territory.
A European network for support
The project consortium is coordinated by Igaxes and composed by another five social and educational organisations: Rosto Solidário and Casa-Escola Agrícola Campo Verde (Portugal), Fondazione Comunitaria di Agrigento e Trapani and Cooperativa Terraferma (Italy) and Outonía S. Coop. Galega (Galicia)
My Rural Mentor creates and tests new ways for young people and adults to connect and support each other in the rural areas of Rates (Póvoa de Varzim), Trapani (Sicily) and Valdeorras (Galicia).
Through a triple-ring mentoring model (one-to-one, group and community mentoring), we will connect local young people with trusted adults who can support and encourage them. We will recruit and train local mentors, run mentoring sessions, support youth-led community projects, and organise events that bring people together.
In the end, My Rural Mentor will offer a replicable rural mentoring model that any community across Europe can use, along with a guide of good practices and real examples from the project.
The goal is simple: better relationships, stronger communities, healthier futures.
Project co-funded by the European Union Erasmus plus +KA2
Innovating to transform rural areas
Living in rural areas should not mean having fewer opportunities. On the contrary, it is a space full of potential. Through this initiative, the project will create mentoring tools and methodologies adapted to the rural context.
It also seeks to foster cooperation between European entities working with young people, promote new forms of community participation and learning, and give visibility to the talent and transformative capacity of young people in rural areas.
My Rural Mentor is also an opportunity to strengthen international alliances and continue innovating in models of social inclusion.
It is a commitment to the future of rural youth. We want to contribute our experience, but also learn from other realities in order to share progress, results and good practices.