Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, welcomed young people to the 2025 National Rural Youth Assembly, which took place on Wednesday, 24 September.

The Assembly brought together 65 young people aged 12-25 from across rural Ireland, including participants from Gaeltacht regions and island communities. Delegates explored the challenges, opportunities and benefits of living in rural areas, and worked together to develop recommendations for Government. The National Rural Youth Assembly is an initiative of Our Rural Future, Ireland’s national rural development policy. It provides young people with an opportunity to share their views directly with policymakers and contribute to decisions that affect their lives.

This year’s Assembly forms part of the consultation process for the next phase of Our Rural Future, which will come into effect from 2026. The recommendations developed by young people will help inform future policies and programmes supporting rural communities.Minister Calleary highlighted the importance of youth participation, noting that it is vital that young people have a voice in shaping the future of rural Ireland.

The Assembly is part of the wider National Youth Assembly of Ireland, which enables young people to contribute to national policy on key issues.

Full Report

The full report outlines:

  • Key recommendations from young people across rural Ireland
  • Survey findings from Assembly delegates
  • Workshop discussions and thematic insights
  • Detailed policy recommendations across key areas including transport, education, community participation and rural development
  • The rights-based participation approach used throughout the Assembly

Download the National Rural Youth Assembly 2025 Report (PDF)
Link to the Irish version of the Report – Here

Link to the English version of the Report – Here

Infographic

A summary of the Assembly’s key recommendations is available in the infographic below:

Watch the Video

A short video capturing highlights from the National Rural Youth Assembly 2025 is available here:

Download the images: Here