Fostering entrepreneurship in rural area
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Do you want to make an impact? Would you like to start your own company? Join the Workshop on entrepreneurship on rural areas. Get to know all the funding opportunities you can find in rural contexts and how to have an impact upon your community. You can really make the difference.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
I live in a rural area of Spain, in Castilla y León, one of the regions most affected by rural depopulation. As a young PhD student myself, I believe rural areas can be very attractive to people my age. It would enable them to work in a setting where they can really make a difference.
Thus, I would like to create a workshop to let students in the university know about the opportunities that can be found in rural areas. Specially, those related to entrepreneurship. There are a wide variety of support programs -such as Community Led-Local Development, with European, national, regional and local funds- that are not as well-known as they should be. The objective of the workshop would be to bring together students, entrepreneurs and members of the Local Action Group of Riaño, near my region. For each of the stakeholders, I believe it could hold value: it would widen the horizons of other students, who may not have thought of rural areas as a viable setting. In many cases, these areas hold opportunities for a larger civic impact, more quality of life and better living prices. For entrepreneurs, it would be both a recognition of their success against the challenges they face in rural areas and an opportunity to publicize their businesses. Last, but not least, for Local Action Groups it would provide a platform to explain both the funding opportunities they manage and the deadlines and processes to request them.
Key objectives for sustainability
The key idea of the workshop is to contribute to sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. The fact that we could count with entrepreneurs that are exemplary in these respects would hopefully serve as good examples for potential young entrepreneurs.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The workshop would be offered in a hybrid context and would have activities located both in a rural municipality of León and in the University. It is meant to foster relationships between both contexts, as well as to provide a setting whtere students can better understand the opportunities rural areas hold for them
Key objectives for inclusion
People in rural areas face considerable challenges, such as depopulation (García et al, 2019), higher risk of poverty (Bueno, 2013), higher unemployment (ENRD, 2019), lower availability of healthcare or internet access (Eurostat, 2017), social exclusion and inequality (Shucksmith, 2003). This workshop is meant to contribute, even if in a modest way, to reduce some of those hazards by spreading knowledge about opportunities for young entrepreneurs in rural areas.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
The workshop would contribute to a sustainable ecosystem that is centered around integral care of the person, constitute an experience of rural-urban dynamics and foster development in rural areas, where entrepreneurship -as well as young professionals- are needed the most.
