Europe DIRECT Castilla y León Rural, in the framework of the Action Plan for 2022 and in collaboration with Princal, plans to organise several workshops for rural youth, in January and February 2022, in order to discuss their “Long-term vision of rural areas” in the context of the document presented by the Commission “Long-term vision for rural areas of the European Union”. With these workshops we aim to give a voice to rural youth at the Conference on the Future of the European Union in collaboration with the Local Action Groups of Castile-Leon. ADDRESSED TO: Associations of young people in rural areas, students in rural areas, representatives of the rural administration PROVISIONAL DATES: the workshops will take place between January and February 2022. We note the following as indicative dates: • 18/01/2022 • 20/01/2022 • 08/02/2022 • 10/02/2022 TYPE OF ACT: Online, it will be developed via Zoom. The link will be sent once the subscription has been completed. INSCRIPTIONS: Registrations on the website of EUROPE DIRECT Castilla y León Rural http://www.edcastillayleonrural.eu MORE INFORMATION More information on the EUROPE DIRECT CASTILLA AND LEÓN RURAL website http://www.edcastillayleonrural.eu/jovenes-rurales-nuestra-vision-a-largo-plazo-para-las-zonas-rurales/ We expect a participation of around 15-20 people in each workshop PROGRAMME In order to involve the attendees, which feeds conclusions to serve as input to the Conference on the Future of Europe, we have scheduled a presentation on the “Long term vision for rural areas of the European Union”, which will be followed by the debate among the attendees. 1.- “Long-term vision for rural areas of the European Union”, by Victor Jolín Garijo, Director of EUROPE DIRECT Castilla y León Rural 2.- Debate among the attendees 3.- CONTEXT Conclusions The European Commission presented on 30 June a long-term vision for rural areas in the EU, indicating the challenges and problems they face and highlighting some of the most promising opportunities available to these regions. Based on forecasts and extensive consultations with citizens and other stakeholders in rural areas, the vision presented today proposes a Rural Pact and a Rural Action Plan, with the aim of making our rural areas stronger, resilient and prosperous, and connected: • stronger: priority will be given to empowering rural communities, improving their access to services and facilitating social innovation; • connected: connectivity will be improved in terms of both transport and digital access; • resilient: natural resources will be preserved and agricultural activities greened to combat climate change, including social resilience, by offering training courses and various quality employment opportunities; • prosperous: economic activities will be diversified and the added value of agriculture, agri-food activities and agrotourism will be improved.