On the 1st of July we have kicked-off our project “SMART-Y” (ΚΑ3 Support for Policy Reform – European Youth Together) along with the rest of our partners.
SMART-Y will start up a multi-nationality network of youth grassroots organizations active in EU rural areas and able to Engage, Connect and Empower young people (aged 18-30), towards the co-creation of European Smart Villages. Τhe ultimate goal of the project is to contribute substantially towards the implementation of the European Youth Goal 10: Green Sustainable Europe.
Smart Villages is a new policy concept in Europe. It has the potential to mobilize a wide range of international (SDGs) and EU policies (European Youth Strategy, Cohesion Policy, European Green Deal), from the regional policy to digitalization, transport, energy, and research, and bringing together hundreds of millions of people who live in rural areas.
Taking this into account, as well as youth’s interests and needs, SMART-Y will enable youth from rural areas to reread their challenges in a green and sustainable perspective and will engage, connect, and empower them to develop concrete initiatives to take part in the local civic life, also through sectoral policy co-programming around specific themes: decentralized green services, sustainable energy solutions, zero-emission digital societies, innovation for sustainable rural development.
Beyond its commitment to the project, the Cyprus Youth Council coordinates the dissemination strategy and is responsible for the promotion of related information, as well as the results and outcomes of the project.
Consortium:
Active Women Association (AWA) – Poland
Centro italiano per l’apprendimento Permanente (CIAPE) – Italy
STEP Inštitut, zavod za psihologijo dela in podjetništvo (STEP) – Slovenia
Asociación Amigos de Europa Leonardo da Vinci (AELV) – Spain
Asociatia GEYC – Romania
United Societies of Balkans (USB) – Greece
Innovative Education Centre (IEC) – Austria
Youthfully Yours – Slovakia
Volda University College (VUC) – Norway
Cyprus Youth Council
Stay tuned for the next steps of the project!