Rural Europe on the move English_chap7_13 | Page 62

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1. “Energiser”moment at the Youth Gathering 2015
The Energy
of youth
Anita SeLicka
'
L
oes Mertens’ morning ‘energiser’ to develop new ideas, young farmers’ youth’. Over forty young people from
was just thrilling. I admit that it was projects and farm visits; excursions 23 countries, including even from as
not easy to be fully up and running with ‘rural reality checks’; an art far away as Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia
that early in the morning when session in the forest, and the Market and the Western Balkans had come
the programme started, after long of Initiatives for young farmers and to Dronten in the youngest polders of
evening discussions, and of course entrepreneurs. Loes herself was the Netherlands. We were curious to
having a good time. The ‘energiser’ brimming with energy for her new learn about and share opportunities
was not one of those imported seed breeding initiative in Portugal for facing the European rural youth.
caffeine-drinks but a homemade organic and resilient ‘sementes vivas’ variant. It was Loes’ dynamic gym and - living seeds. Yes, Loes did energise yoga exercises which switched us on, us. But there was also much energy so we could jump into the next theme in our own ambitions to share and or event every day. Many activities learn about others. We had entered happen in parallel: creative workshops something like a ‘spaceship for rural
138
“We had entered
something like a
‘spaceship for rural
youth’.”