Youth participation in development planning: case study of Sayausí (Rural Parish) Cuenca-Ecuador

Young people now represent the highest percentage of the world population. Soon, they will be seniors and they will take decisions for a more orderly and equitable world. For this reason, the participation of young people in development planning is very important and many countries are trying to promote it through various measures. This article analyzes the trajectory of youth participation in the Latin American region and specifically the profile of youth participation in Ecuador, country in which the Constitution recognizes the strategic role of youth in development. The case study of Sayausí rural parish in canton Cuenca is analyzed, through surveys, interviews and an Empowerment Evaluation workshop to young people and decentralized government. The results obtained allow to propose strategies to help improve the participation of youth in the community.

Development in Rural Areas Through Capacity Building and Education for Business

This paper is based on a case study located in Avila, central Spain. Its main objectives are to implement an entrepreneurship program and design a plan of capacity building and education for business in order to promote the development of rural areas. The methodological approach of the program is based on the use of tools that permit involving the various actors of the area from the early planning stages. The university's group that is carrying out the field work has relied on these participatory tools in very different areas and contexts for over 25 years. This has allowed the development of an advanced planning model called ?Working With People? that connects expert and experience knowledge in the territories where it is applied. With this methodological approach, the diagnosis of the territory and the design of the program's strategy has been carried out. Once completed the first phase of the program and in order to ensure the sustainability and applicability of future entrepreneurial initiatives, it is necessary to support and strengthen potential entrepreneurs through training activities and capacity building. It relies on ?How to learn from people who live there? to promote investment projects and to teach them with adequate educational skills. In this context, this article aims to study the implementation strategy of these training and capacity building activities studied from an academic perspective, as well as analyzing the potential effects of these actions in promoting entrepreneurship in the territories