Details
- Activity dates
- 8 days in Avis, October 2026
- Programme
- Erasmus+
- Type
- Erasmus+ Youth Exchange
- Target group
- Young people from rural areas with fewer opportunities
Rural youth · Erasmus+ 
Roots of Change
Erasmus+ youth exchange in Avis with 46 young people from six countries: eight sustainable business ideas for the future of rural territories.
About the project
Roots of Change
An eight-day youth exchange in Avis, Alentejo, with 46 participants from Portugal, Germany, Romania, Türkiye, Italy and Greece. Using non-formal education and design thinking, the groups analysed a territory, generated ideas, built models from recycled materials and defended eight sustainable business models in front of their peers.
Objective
Empower young people with fewer opportunities to recognise their potential and explore personal and professional paths within their own territories, reversing rural exodus, youth unemployment and digital exclusion.
Why the rural future needs young people
According to Eurostat (2023), youth unemployment in rural areas is on average 35% higher than in urban areas, and around 40% of these young people are NEETs. Population loss and digital exclusion make it worse.
Roots of Change started from one question: what if young people designed the future of their own territory?
We followed the design thinking cycle: SWOT to understand the territory, Crazy 8 to generate ideas, a sustainable Business Model Canvas and a physical model to prototype, presentation and feedback, and finally the Bear Field format, “The Rural Shark Tank”.
Participants cooked in an entrepreneurial chefs competition and learned to sew with Dona Margarida, who explained how she started and runs her business, before discussing small businesses in rural areas.
Six organisations from six countries, each with a group of young people and a group leader, with priority for young people with fewer opportunities.
Eight projects and a guide
The groups created eight sustainable business projects, each with its own canvas, such as FOOP (Food & Loop), VINLAND or the Bora Bora Festival. The ideas are gathered in the Good Practice Guide and Toolkit, with a glossary in seven languages, and in the #MyRuralStory digital campaign.
Follow the project on Instagram @roots_ofchange26 Ready to take part?
Whether you are a young person, a volunteer or an organisation, there is a place for you at New Generation.