A Young European Ambassador (YEA) from North Macedonia, Damjan Zlatanovski, organised an event in support of number 6 of the 11 European Youth Goals, “Moving rural youth forward”. The event was organised in cooperation with Europe House Kriva Palanka.

Professors from the Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and Food at Ss Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM), led two focus groups where a total of 14 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 discussed the challenges and the needs of rural youth; young people’s prospects for decent livelihoods, including employment and training opportunities; engagement in agri-food systems; their mobility decisions; their roles as innovators; their contribution to rural development; and their aspirations with regard to social inclusion and participation in policy processes.

The main goal was to provide insights into possible solutions for more informed decision-making at the policy level, to identify policy recommendations to encourage young people to stay in or return to rural areas, and to support youth to become more visible as agents of change in agri-food systems as well as enhancing their contribution to the country’s rural development.