ROOT Officially Launched in Belgrade: A Strategic Step Toward Empowering Rural Youth

From 4–7 February 2026, the ROOT – Rural Opportunities and Outreach for Tomorrow project was officially launched during its Transnational Kick-off Meeting held in Belgrade, Serbia. The meeting was hosted by Creative Station, bringing together all project partners to formally initiate implementation and align on the roadmap for the first operational phase.

ROOT is funded under the Erasmus+ Programme in the field of Capacity Building in Youth (CBY), under project number 101243317. The project focuses on strengthening opportunities for young people in rural areas through innovation, digital skills, agritourism, and youth participation in policy processes.

By linking local resources with sustainable economic and social development, ROOT aims to empower both youth and youth workers with practical competencies that contribute to resilient rural economies.

A Shared Vision and Clear Operational Direction

The kick-off meeting marked the official beginning of implementation and allowed partners to coordinate responsibilities, define deliverables, and establish a shared strategic direction for the coming months (M4–M6).

During two intensive working days, partners discussed and finalized key elements of the project structure, including:

• The overall work package framework and internal linkages
• Roles, responsibilities, and timelines
• Financial management and budget allocation
• Milestones and expected deliverables
• Internal Quality Assurance Plan (WP1)
• Youth Training Needs Assessment methodology and analysis framework (WP2)
• Country reporting and gap analysis approach
• Development of the Youth Workers’ Handbook and training framework (WP3)
• Conceptual framework of the Digital Agritourism Academy (WP4)
• Policy pathways and recommendations (WP5)
• Dissemination strategy and impact planning (WP6)

Partners agreed on a unified methodology for the Youth Needs Assessment and clarified national-level analytical responsibilities to ensure consistency across participating countries. Quality assurance mechanisms were finalized, and key dissemination indicators were confirmed to guide communication and visibility efforts.

Beyond the formal agenda, the meeting strengthened collaboration, trust, and commitment among partners, reinforcing a shared understanding of ROOT’s long-term impact.

Cultural Visit: Learning from a Successful Agritourism Model

As part of the kick-off programme, partners visited Perkov Salaš in Fruška Gora, Serbia — a well-known family-run rural agritourism initiative that has successfully transformed traditional farming into a sustainable rural tourism model.

Originally developed from a small traditional farm, Perkov Salaš gradually expanded by integrating local food production, hospitality services, and cultural heritage activities into a coherent and economically viable rural enterprise.

The visit offered valuable insights into how entrepreneurial vision and innovation can convert agricultural tradition into a sustainable agritourism ecosystem — closely aligned with the objectives of the ROOT project.

for more information, please download it from the follwoing link:

What Comes Next?

In the coming months, the ROOT consortium will focus on:

• Conducting the Youth Training Needs Assessment
• Preparing country-level reports and gap analyses
• Developing the Youth Workers’ Handbook
• Designing the Digital Agritourism Academy framework
• Preparing pilot training activities
• Establishing dissemination channels and stakeholder engagement mechanisms

ROOT is now fully operational and entering its implementation phase with a clear strategic direction and strong commitment from all partners.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the National Agency can be held responsible for them.