As part of the 'Level Up Rural – micro-projects for young people in rural areas' project, the first online meeting was held with professors and individuals who will serve as local mentors in the project.

The project runs for 24 months and is being carried out in the Šibensko-kninska County, with a special emphasis on involving young people from rural areas. The project leader is the Argonauta Association, while the partners are the Municipality of Murter-Kornati and the Municipality of Promina. 

The main idea of the project is to give young people the opportunity to identify the problems and needs in their own communities, devise their own solutions and, with mentoring, professional and financial support, turn their ideas into concrete activities.

Through the project, five teams will be formed to undergo training in the project cycle, Design Thinking, project idea development, budgeting and an introduction to the workings of local government. After the training, each team will develop its own micro-project. 

Professors and those working with young people play a particularly important role in the entire process. As local mentors, they will help to reach interested young people, form teams, motivate them and monitor them throughout the development and implementation of their project ideas. They will not need to lead the projects themselves – Argonauta will provide training, methodology, expert support and assistance throughout the entire process.

At the first meeting, we discussed exactly how this model can work in local settings and how together we can reach young people who have ideas but often lack the opportunity, knowledge or support to put them into practice.

The aim is not to find the "perfect" project idea, but to enable young people to learn through practical experience how to identify a problem, devise a solution, draw up a plan, manage a budget and ultimately do something concrete for their community.

Micro-projects can cover a variety of areas – from cultural and social activities to sports, entertainment, environmental and other initiatives that meet the real needs of the local community.

The project goes a step further: after implementing their own micro-projects, the young people will have the opportunity to pass on the knowledge and experience they have gained to younger generations, i.e. to pupils in the upper years of primary schools in rural areas.

The first meeting was just the beginning. Ahead of us lies a process in which we want to connect young people, mentors, the local community and organisations to show that even small ideas can make a big difference.

We look forward to seeing real changes!