Supporting Youth and Strengthening Communities in the Alpine Space

Many regions in the Alpine area are facing significant challenges due to an increasing trend of young people leaving their home regions in search of better opportunities elsewhere. This outmigration is causing profound effects, such as:

• Brain drain: Highly educated and qualified individuals leave, taking valuable skills with them.
• Depopulation: Negative migration balances lead to shrinking populations in rural and less-developed areas.
• Erosion of social cohesion: Communities lose the energy, creativity, and spirit that drive collective resilience and local development.

While the regions that attract these young people benefit from their talents through "brain gain," increased innovation, and economic growth, this trend widens the gaps in development, quality of life, and territorial cohesion across the Alpine space.

Our Vision: Balanced Development and Empowered Youth

This project seeks to address these challenges by fostering innovative, inclusive, and sustainable approaches to managing youth migration. The goal is to create a win-win-win scenario where:

• Sending regions benefit from stronger ties to their diaspora and the return of new skills and ideas.
• Receiving regions continue to thrive while supporting the broader Alpine community.
• Young people are empowered to shape their own futures while contributing to regional development.

How We Work

Through collaboration with key stakeholders—such as policymakers, local authorities, and community organizations—we aim to:

• Develop tools and models for better governance: By co-creating solutions with stakeholders, we will design innovative policies that guide youth migration in a way that strengthens territorial cohesion.
• Build capacity: We will enhance the skills and knowledge of local actors to address migration challenges and opportunities effectively.
• Empower communities: Local communities will play a key role in shaping strategies and actions, ensuring that they reflect the needs and aspirations of the people they serve.

The Role of Young People

Young people are at the heart of this initiative. By engaging youth councils and young migrants directly, the project will promote:

• Circular exchange of skills: Through community networks, collaborative projects, and on-site visits, knowledge and innovation will flow across regions.
• Community-to-community learning: Regions can learn from each other’s experiences to implement better policies and practices.