As part of the Erasmus+ project Empowering Rural Communities: Youth-Led Spaces for Transformation (ERC), a local pilot and review session was successfully held in Smolyan, Bulgaria, bringing together youth workers, NGO representatives and project team members actively engaged in rural youth work.
The local pilot aimed to test and reflect on the Draft Practical Guidebook – Version 3.0, a key intellectual output of the project, developed to support the creation, development and sustainability of youth-led spaces in rural and peripheral areas across Europe.
A space for real dialogue, not formal evaluation
Rather than a formal presentation or academic validation exercise, the Smolyan local pilot was designed as an open and practice-oriented session. Participants approached the guidebook not as external reviewers, but as practitioners who face daily challenges related to youth participation, limited resources, small communities and the need to balance ambition with reality.
The focus of the session was deliberately placed on usability, clarity and relevance:
- How easily can youth workers use the guidebook in real rural contexts?
- Does the language speak to practitioners working on the ground?
- Are the tools and recommendations applicable in small towns and villages?
- Does the guidebook reflect youth-led and participatory approaches in a visible way?
Why Smolyan?
Smolyan represents a highly relevant rural and mountainous context, where youth work often takes place under specific conditions: geographical isolation, limited access to opportunities, strong community ties, but also reduced institutional capacity. For this reason, the city provided an authentic environment to test whether the guidebook truly responds to the realities it aims to address.
Participants brought experience from local youth spaces, community initiatives, NGO projects and direct work with young people. This diversity of perspectives allowed for rich discussion and grounded feedback, rooted in practice rather than theory.
Key reflections from the local pilot
Throughout the session, participants engaged in structured discussion and individual reflection using a Local Feedback Form, allowing both quantitative impressions and qualitative insights to be collected.
Several key reflections emerged:
- Strong relevance and structure:
Participants agreed that the guidebook is highly relevant and well structured, offering a coherent framework for understanding and developing youth-led spaces in rural contexts. - Need for accessible language:
While the conceptual depth of the guidebook was appreciated, participants suggested slight simplification of language in selected theoretical sections to make the content more accessible for frontline youth workers and small NGOs. - Bridging theory and practice:
The group highlighted the added value of including short, clearly marked practice examples that demonstrate how recommendations can be applied in low-resource environments. - Visibility of youth voices:
Youth participation and co-creation are embedded throughout the guidebook, yet participants suggested making these elements more visible through highlighted feedback, short quotes or youth-focused sections. - Navigation and practical use:
Clearer cross-references between chapters and stronger signposting to annexes and tools were identified as small but impactful improvements that would support selective reading and everyday use.
Individual voices shaping collective improvement
One of the strengths of the Smolyan pilot was the inclusion of individual feedback from participants, each bringing a unique perspective:
- Some emphasised the importance of user-friendly language.
- Others focused on navigation and clarity of tools.
- Several participants highlighted the need for stronger support when communicating with municipalities and local authorities.
- Youth-focused practitioners stressed the importance of making youth participation more visible and inspiring.
These individual inputs were later consolidated into a collective feedback summary, ensuring that the final improvements remain aligned with the guidebook’s core concept while enhancing its practical impact.
From local feedback to European value
The Smolyan local pilot confirmed the importance of testing European-level outputs in local realities. It demonstrated that meaningful quality assurance does not necessarily require large-scale events, but rather honest dialogue with practitioners who will actually use the results.
The feedback collected during the session contributes directly to the refinement of the Practical Guidebook and strengthens its potential for long-term use beyond the project lifecycle. It also reinforces the ERC project’s commitment to:
- participatory development,
- youth-led approaches,
- inclusion of rural perspectives,
- and continuous improvement based on real experience.
A step forward for youth-led spaces
The local pilot in Smolyan was not an endpoint, but a key step in an ongoing learning process. It reaffirmed that youth-led spaces in rural areas thrive when tools are practical, language is accessible, and young people’s voices are clearly present.
By grounding the guidebook in lived experience, the ERC project moves closer to its broader goal: empowering rural communities through spaces where young people are not only participants, but active creators of change.
Funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme. This post was developed within the project “Empowering Rural Communities: Youth-Led Spaces for Transformation” (ERC), Project No. 2024-3-PL01-KA210-YOU-000264969. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.