RuralConnect is a two-year European project that promotes civic participation, gender equality, digital resilience and climate-oriented development in rural European communities. The project brings together eight organisations from five European Union countries: Italy, Spain, Romania, Ireland and Luxembourg.
The main objective of RuralConnect is to mobilise rural communities, strengthening the involvement of citizens, municipalities, associations and entrepreneurs in democratic processes. The project builds digital capacity through a multilingual Digital Hub and accessible participatory tools, promotes female entrepreneurship and the empowerment of people of marginalised genders, fosters transnational exchange between communities in different countries, and opens a dialogue with European institutions for long-term impact.
Per Esempio coordinates the community needs assessment, the first operational phase of the project, carried out across all five partner countries through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups involving around 180 people. The results of this analysis form the knowledge base for the entire project and guide all subsequent activities. Per Esempio also leads the implementation of activities in Italy, organising a series of local civic events that engage citizens, associations, public bodies and entrepreneurs in pathways of active participation, capacity building and intergenerational dialogue on the themes of inclusion and the digital and climate transition. Finally, it curates the Rural Futures Forum, the transnational event for the public presentation of results and for discussion on the priorities of rural European communities.
Funding body: European Commission, CERV programme (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Networks of Towns action
Role: partner and coordinator of the needs assessment
Period: 2026-2028
Coordinator: MancomAltoTajo (Spain)
Partnership: MancomAltoTajo (Spain), Per Esempio (Italy), Afrilanthropy (Luxembourg), Provincia di Salerno (Italy), Consiliul Județean Sibiu (Romania), Redial (Ireland), Asociatia Sustine (Romania), ELEBO (Spain)
Website: https://rural-connect.eu/
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.