Towards the end of March, YEU Cyprus had the pleasure to participate physically, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, in the kick-off meeting of our E+ KA2 project YURI (INTERCULTURAL URBAN-RURAL YOUTH DIALOGUES FOR COLLECTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP), in Barcelona!
During the kickoff meeting, we had the chance to get to know our colleagues from the partner organizations (La XIXA, Elan Interculturel, CESIE, Xwhy, Reframe and CEPAIM), and go through our next steps and upcoming tasks and responsibilities. The kick-off meeting was followed by a Joint Staff Training during which the partners had the opportunity to exchange and learn from one another methodologies and activities that will be used in the workshops with youth in each of the partner countries throughout the project. By the end of the meeting, we were all feeling motivated and ready to get down to work, reminding us that even the most advanced online platform for meetings cannot replace the value of physical contact.
The YURI project which will last 18 months focuses on green self-employment collective strategies and urban-rural collaboration and promotes innovative forms of social and collective entrepreneurship among young people, particularly those who are facing difficulties and/or fewer opportunities, while actively involving them in the fight against climate change from an intercultural, systemic, and skill building perspective.
The main result of the project will be the YURI handbook the objective of which will be to foster inclusion and diversity, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and climate action, by providing young people and youth workers with the resources and inspiration. During the next months we will have local and regional piloting workshops with youth from rural and urban areas as well as a final training with youth and an international conference in Brussels towards the end of the project. Stay tuned!