This comparative study explores the nature of rural communities, the problems facing
young people, and the range of approaches used in working with these young people in
five countries in Northern, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this
study is two-fold. First of all our task has been to gather together for comparison
statistical and survey data on the living conditions and participation of rural young
citizens in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy and Sweden, both from pre-existing
studies in this field and from on-going research projects. This data refers to the living
standards, housing, basic education, vocational training fields and programmes, job
access, health, political and cultural participation, migration and demographic factors
concerning young people from approximately 16 to 25 years old. Secondly, this study
report is intended to serve as a valuable information resource for those working in
youth policy on the local, national and European levels.
The introductory chapter
provides a more detailed explanation of the procedures used in this research.
The content of this report is the fruit of the joint labours of all the partners in our
RYPE project, all of whom I wish to thank very warmly. Further thanks go to Jukka
Mäkelä and David Huisjen for their help in our work.