From the city to the village, this is the new rural Erasmus

This 2021/2022 academic year begins with new developments that you're going to want to hear, because the new Erasmus is here to stay: let's go on rural Erasmus!

To give you an idea, you'd spend between 3 and 5 months and receive close to €1000 living in provinces with less than 5000 inhabitants, what do you think? Are you in?

A new alternative for your Erasmus 2021

Yes, you read it correctly, we're here to present to you nothing less than the new rural Erasmus! Start packing your suitcase because, not satisfied with having conquered all the urban landscape, the network of Erasmus students is also preparing to conquer the rural landscape. There are more and more Erasmus updates that announce the arrival of this new internship plan, therefore we've wanted to get together all the necessary information so you're up to date with all the developments, we don't want you to miss anything!

Erasmus + as you know it up to know has a lot more to offer young Erasmus students eager for new experiences. On this occasion, this new incentive started in Spain as an answer to an imminent need: the repopulation of rural areas.

The nobility and strength required to lead a rural life and the eloquence and energy brought by young students make for the perfect synergy to solve this problem that the rural areas of the country are facing.

Experience your unparalleled work experience

If what you're looking for out of Erasmus is partying in the country's best clubs, maybe this Erasmus scholarship isn't for you; on the other hand, if what you're looking for is a change of landscape, to have a unique experience and confront a work experience that will develop your professional profile and carry out projects that have real impact, then this is the place for you.

In 2018, the University of Zaragoza, which we will refer to from now on as Unizar, got the ball rolling and proposed an internship scheme called "Challenge" with which paid scholarships would be offered in different provinces. This number has been rising, giving way to the birth of the new rural Erasmus or rural Campus.

The University of Zaragoza has wanted to make way and give visibility to this initiative by publicly showing the achieved participation results of the past four years. Be one of the Erasmus student pioneers of this special project!

Rural Erasmus, the solution to the depopulation of rural areas

After many studies which only reaffirm what we already know, it's confirmed that villages and provinces face more and more an imminent extinction. This is due, principally, to the movement of young people to urban centres, even leading to the increase of villages in Spain with just one inhabitant.

However, in the wake of this global pandemic situation, many people have opened their eyes and have seen new opportunities in the peacefulness and the rural way of life.

Those fortunate people chosen will have the opportunity of living in a locality of less than 5000 inhabitants different from that of their current institution during a minimum of three months and a maximum of five. To encourage participation in this unique type of scholarships, each student who signs up will receive a grant of up to 1000 euros, with their corresponding social security membership.

The main objective is to revive these rural areas and bring the vitality and the enterprise of these young people to the uninhabited streets of the Spanish towns, for what we hope will be a lot of students that decide to join such a noble cause. Don't get left behind and apply for your rural Erasmus so you can start your 2022 Erasmus in the most unique way you could imagine.

Discover the advantages of experiencing Eramsus in the rural world

Rural life has many more advantages than you'd be lead to believe, among them:

• You'll discover hidden corners that you'd never find in a city
• You'll live surrounded by the hospitality of the locals, they'll teach you to live like an authentic villager.
• You'll have an endless amount of opportunities in front of you, nothing will stop you!
• You'll connect with yourself thanks to the peacefulness of rural life, we all need a respite from mass civilisation.
• You'll experience a much closer and personal work-experience than you would in any international business.
• Live and accommodation in rural areas is much more affordable, meaning you'll have more money than if you were in a city.

What's more, a good Erasmus student never turns down any experience away from home, as you know... "Once Erasmus, always Erasmus!".

If you fancied but weren't able to undertake your 2020 Erasmus, it's fate. Follow the signs that led you to start this new adventure with your rural Erasmus and connect with your most authentic "inner self".

This Erasmus programme is here to stay, and from the initiative of Rural Erasmus Zaragoza many more universities are joining, widening the variety of destinations from which to choose. Until now, these are some of the rural Erasmus from which you can choose from:

• Rural Erasmus DPZ - UNIZAR (Province of Zaragoza with collaboration from the University of Zaragoza);
• Rural Erasmus Andalusia;
• Rural Erasmus Aragon;
• Rural Erasmus Castilla la Mancha (UCLM);
• Rural Erasmus Cuenca;
• Rural Erasmus Extremadura: the province of Extremadura starts with Rural Erasmus Valverde de Burguillos.

Each university will offer among their students a total of 300 months of scholarships, which, depending on the months each student chooses, means that between 6 and 10 students can participate per institution.

What about the CULTIVA programme? How is it different from rural Erasmus?

The CULTIVA Programme or the Training Stays for Young Farmers on Model Farms Programme is a new solution from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture that awards an opportunity to those Spanish farming students that want to extend their knowledge beyond books.

In comparison to the duration of rural Erasmus, CULTIVA is an experience of between 5-14 days. During this period, students will put their previously acquired knowledge into practice.

It is still to be confirmed which institutions will offer this programme, so don't lose focus, you have to be on the ball to make sure you get a place! Consult the Ministry of Agriculture's webpage Rural Youth and keep up to date with the programme's latest news.

When can I apply for my place in the new rural Erasmus?

The processes for the 2022 rural Erasmus are already underway. To apply for your place, first you'll have to wait for the university to approve and offer the different programmes in the different businesses that are participating. All this will happen between October and November 2021.

From December you'll be able to present your application and between the 15th of December and the 15th of February you'll finally find out if you're among those chosen that have access to this new adventure.

Wait, the most important thing is yet to come!

Once the paperwork is done, the adventure begins. Enjoy the benefits we offer on Erasmusu and find your accommodation with us wherever you're going. Thanks to our accommodations with Flexible Booking and our verified accomodations, you'll start to enjoy your experience even before you arrive, from the comfort of your home.

Get in contact with us and tell us what you need, we'd be delighted to help.

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