Rural Roots, Urban Routes: Navigating New Places

Content

This activity empowers you to navigate your new urban environment confidently and independently, making connections supporting your transition to city life.Whether exploring essential resources, learning city navigation tips, or connecting with local peers, you’ll gain practical knowledge to thrive in an urban setting. By completing this activity, you’ll build the skills and network needed to feel at home in the city, gain valuable resources, and contribute to the exchange of knowledge between rural and urban communities. You’ll have the chance to collaborate with urban youth to create tools and ideas that benefit your new city life and your rural roots.
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First, get inspired!﻿
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Now, take action:By completing the following activities, you’ll gain the essential tools and confidence to navigate your new city life while building connections that help you and your urban peers understand and support each other.
City orientation challenge: Explore the city, visiting essential locations such as public libraries, job centres, youth spaces, community centres, transportation hubs, and markets. Map out these spots and document how each can support you in your new environment. Check Actionbound challenges nearby.
Create a newcomer’s map: Collaborate with local youth to create a personalised city map for newcomers, highlighting places that offer affordable services, community programmes, and city essentials. This map can become a resource for future newcomers from rural areas and provide helpful city hacks. Get inspired by USE-IT maps.
City-rural exchange event: Join a “City Essentials” exchange event where you and your urban peers share tips on navigating city life, like mastering public transit or finding the best spots for study or social events. In return, share your rural life experiences, discussing ideas that could benefit city and rural communities—like community spaces or transport systems—and how you can bring these ideas back to your rural home for community development. Get the Joiner app to find activities in your place.
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Get your badge.Complete some activities from the list above and apply for a badge (=click the “Get this badge” button below) by sharing your reflections, photos, or notes on how these actions have helped you adjust to city life and build connections with urban peers.
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Who is behind this activity?Cities of Learning Network partners invite you to learn and do something about European Youth Goal #6, Moving Rural Youth Forward. We value your efforts and contributions and want to reward you with badge recognition.
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Contact us for more details about the Erasmus+ co-funded project "European Youth Goals for Cities of Learning."
System&G, Greece - the project lead partner
CODEC, Belgium
Badgecraft, Lithuania
System&G Finland
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Disclaimer: We are grateful for the ideas generated by youth leaders and youth workers during the international study visits. To create this activity, humans collaborated with AI using the Youth Goals Hub GPT custom-built version, informed and inspired by the best youth work practices.
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Get activity badge

Rural Roots, Urban Routes Get this badge

This badge is awarded for completing the Rural Roots, Urban Routes activity. You've demonstrated adaptability and community spirit by exploring essential city resources and creating guides to help other rural newcomers. Through collaborations with urban peers, you’ve built connections, learned vital skills for urban living, and found ways to bridge your rural roots with your new urban environment.
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Skills and competencies gained (aligned with the European EntreComp framework):
Spotting opportunities (connected to EntreComp 1.1 competence): You’ve learned to identify and take advantage of useful resources and opportunities in the city, making your transition smoother.
Planning and management (connected to EntreComp 2.3 Mobilising resources competence): By organising exploration activities and creating useful maps, you’ve practised managing essential aspects of urban life.
Working with others (connected to EntreComp 3.4 competence): You’ve built collaborative skills by working with urban peers, fostering mutual support and sharing insights from rural and urban experiences.
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Earning this badge demonstrates your adaptability and initiative as a navigator in a new environment, committed to bridging rural and urban experiences. You have shown resourcefulness, collaboration, and a proactive spirit in helping rural youth like yourself feel supported and confident in a new urban environment. Your contributions foster inclusivity and community support, advancing the European Youth Goal #6: Moving Rural Youth Forward. Cities of Learning Network partners value badge earner's efforts and contributions and issue this badge after reviewing the provided evidence.

You have to finish 2 tasks to get the badge

Tasks

Task no.1

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

City orientation challenge:
Task: Explore key locations around the city that are helpful for newcomers, such as public libraries, job centres, transportation hubs, and youth and community centres. Note what each location offers and how it can support rural youth adjusting to city life.
Evidence: Submit photos or a list of the places you visited with a brief description of each location and how it could help other newcomers.

Task no.2

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

Create a newcomer’s map:
Task: Collaborate with urban peers to create a “Newcomer’s Map” highlighting useful spots around the city for new arrivals from rural areas. Include tips on affordable services, local community programs, and public amenities.
Evidence: Provide a copy of the map and a short explanation of how you and your peers selected each location and designed it to be helpful for others.

Task no.3

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

City-rural exchange event:
Task: Organise or participate in an exchange day with urban youth where you learn and share tips on navigating city life. In return, discuss ideas or experiences from rural life that could benefit the urban community or that you can bring back to your rural hometown.
Evidence: Submit a summary of the exchange day, including topics discussed, tips exchanged, and any ideas you plan to share with others in your rural community.

Personal development

Added to playlist (1)

Organisers

Network of Cities and Regions of Learning

Used in playlists

Roots and Routes – A Journey Between Rural and Urban Life

Network of Cities and Regions of Learning

Badgecraft hosts this platform and develops it together with leading educational organisations. The European Union's programme Erasmus+ granted co-funding for building the first version of this platform. Contact support@badgecraft.eu.