WEBINAR ON YOUTH MIGRATION IN THE ALPS
Leaving Home, Staying Connected: The Future of Alpine Living
We thank all participants for an engaged participation and discussion in our OUT4INGOV Webinar!
A summary of the key messages of the webinar – from the pilot showcase to the best practices – can be found here: Webinar_YouthMigration_summary.
The webinar was recorded and can be listened to on our YouTube channel.
The Pilot Showcase: Lessons from the OUT4INGOV project
Establishment of a Youth Consultative Body (YCB) in Maribor (Slovenia)
Amna Potočnik, Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor
To manage youth out-migration and inclusion, a YCB was tested as a governance mechanism in the city of Maribor. Six YCB meetings were held, including simulations of the municipal budgeting process. Participants represented a diverse group of young people, including students and NEETs from Slovenia and various migrant backgrounds. The initiative produced several tangible outcomes, ranging from proposed amendments to the participatory budgeting rules to discussions with the Deputy Mayor on the formalisation of the YCB as a permanent participatory structure.
– “Nothing for youth without youth”
Setting up a Cooperation Group for young people in Cembra Valley (Italy)
Alice Pasquazzo, Autonomous Province of Trento
In a small isolated Alpine valley that is affected by out-migration, a cooperation group between young residents and people who migrated was set up. The goal is to foster exchange on the experiences and skill transfer between the members, addressing qualitative impacts of outmigration. Through online workshops, training webinars and setting up of a WhatsApp group a network was created. A key success factor is to involve a community worker who oversees the activities and activates the network.
– “We turned the concept of mobility into a shared conversation about identity.”
Gathering data through a Youth Observatory in Vesoul (France)
Fabienne Connetable, Vesoul Urban Community
To meet the challenge of youth out-migration in the city Vesoul, first, data needs to be gathered and analysed. A group of experts engaged in academic research, defined indicators relating to youth migration and carried out surveys. The findings were categorised into drivers of youth migration in a rural context and then related to the attractiveness of the city of Vesoul for young people.
– “For Vesoul, the observatory is the first step to reach young people and better understand the needs in this area.”
Best Practices
Label “Youth Friendly Mountain Villages” in Switzerland: empowering rural youth to counter out-migration
Vera Ambühl, Swiss Centre for Mountain Regions
To counter out-migration of young people from Swiss mountain villages, the label “Youth Friendly Mountain Villages” with an accompanying youth forum was created. The core ideas are to improve the perspectives of young people in their village, to recognise municipalities who support their youth and create commitment of municipalities towards young people. Today, 30 villages carry the label. The youth forum involves the young people into decision making processes, creating a culture of participation.
– “Young people want to get involved when they feel that their voice matters.”
Empowering local governance for a better quality of life in the Alps
Lauren Mosdale, Interreg Project “GOVQoL”
Whether young people can choose to migrate, highly depends on the overall quality of life that is related to the skills of local administrations and quality of participation in policy making. The project aims to actively involve youth and citizens into processes to create a higher quality of life for all. It identified three criteria for a good quality of life: nature conservation, access to work and working conditions, and a good public transport. The case of Baronnies provençales shows: “Young people want to come back!”
Policy tools to attract talent in regions facing brain drain
Lucila Castro Rovillard, Interreg Project “TALENT4S3”
To meet the challenge of brain-drain and demographic decline, the project develops strategies for talent attraction and retention. Their pilot areas show: It is key to create a governance process rather than individual initiatives to create a talent ecosystem.
– “Talent policies are not only about attracting people. They are about creating governance systems capable of making talent stay, grow and contribute to regional transformation.”
Panel Discussion: Youth Perspectives – the Alpine wide view
Representatives of the EUSALP Youth Council (Wendy Garica, Nives Hüll), CIPRA Youth Council (Selene Cailotto) as well as the Youth Forum of the Youth Friendly Mountain Villages (Céline Pralong) shared their perspectives on youth migration in the Alps and their recommendations to municipalities:
“To enable young people to live in mountain villages, you have to build good living conditions (e.g. affordable accommodation, good health and childcare, digital connectivity, hybrid work models, etc.).” – Céline
“Some mountain villages tend to be conservative; they need open spaces for queer people that are not necessarily found in rural areas. That issue is really overlooked. […] Festivals and initiatives that pull the young people can create a strong network and make them come back. Don’t prevent people from leaving but attract them back!” – Selene
“If you want to include youth perspectives, you need language accessibility! Have specific projects for intercultural and intergenerational exchange to share perspectives – for instance local practices – that sometimes get lost.” – Wendy
“Enable more remote and hybrid work opportunities, so young people could stay in their home region, even if their profession is not, e.g., tourism linked. Take clear action against all the negative effects of mass tourism, especially regarding housing and traffic to improve the everyday quality of life. Reestablish sustainable public transport.” – Nives
Further Information
Link to the recording of the webinar
3 Podcast Episodes on Youth Migration in the Alps
available on Soundcloud, CBA (Cultural Broadcasting Archive), Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music
- Experts on youth migration explain: What are the challenges, developments and trends in youth migration in the Alps?
- Deep dive into the project pilots: What activities are implemented in the pilot regions and what are the goals?
- Young voices from the project: What are the stories of the young people involved in the project and how did they experience the pilots? Out now!