Project partners In Northeast Friesland: the NetNix Foundation, Kabelnoord. Possibly: RTV NO-Friesland, the regional broadcasting station. Furthermore: educational institutions, preferably the Dockinga College. In three other Vital Rural Area Regions there are comparable sectoral stakeholders: a) Meetjesland - It has been involved with the Jouw Wereld in Beeld pilot project, along the same scenario and a clear and definite spin off from Vital Rural Area - although the financing was executed along different lines. b) two other regions, with respective local stakeholders. These are to be selected in cooperation with the Vital Rural Area Project management.

Contact data

RTV NO-Friesland:
Hendrikje Talsma
program producer
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Dockingacollege:
Coos Poortman
teacher
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+31 6 29148035

Main problems to be solved (analysis) The NetNix foundation tries to develop solutions for the problems that young people in rural regions encounter. 1. There are discrepancies between the availability of jobs and the skills that young people have. e.g. young people with higher education cannot find appropriate jobs, and the skills that lower education provides do not correlate with available jobs. 2. Driven by age old traditions, the regional culture does not encourage young people to be ambitious and adventurous. 3. The geographical distance of rural areas from cultural hotspots tends to intensify feelings of inadequacy. 4. Young people who are ambitious and adventurous tend to migrate from the region. Some of them migrate because the opportunities of their home country are not obvious to them. Their region does not have any clearly defined focus. Yes, there seem to be a lot of good points, but none of them are very attractive or inspiring.

Policy frameworks to be dealt with/fitting in 1. Regional level: the Masterplan North East Friesland, with its implementation program ANNO. Quote: “In 2030, NO-Friesland will have dealt with demographical change, it will have accomplished a stable socio-economic equilibrium and offer perspective for young people”. 2. European level: the goals of Vital Rural Area, Work Package 1: the empowerment of business and education. Youth has the future, of course. So there’s the starting point.

Aim of the project 1. NetNix will illustrate successful rural scenarios through the production of multimedia projects. Not only will these multimedia productions be the end result; even more important is the process of producing them, by young people, for young people. 2. There will be an international exchange of young people, pupils, students, between Vital Rural Area regions. Encountering similar, but subtly different cultures in the North Sea Region encourages the young people realise what position they have and where they stand in the modern Europe of 2012.

(Expected) Results A set of four video productions. They will describe the living circumstances of young people. Their own interpretation will be the leading motive. The videos will be edited and produced by young people themselves. Close co-operation with the Vital Rural Area Project Management will be important, but the last word will be from the young people. The makers will originate from four different Vital Rural Area regions, so four geographically differentiated portraits of young people in rural areas will be the end result. Also, there will be a transnational exchange at the beginning of the project, and at the closing stages.

(Expected) outcome within the WP 1. The four video productions will form a non-verbal interpretation of the Rural Power Pack. The global sharing of audio and video creates new horizons, for example in the educational area (http://bit.ly/HJOIUO). In this project, video will be deployed as an educational tool, to enable young people to discover the opportunities in their home region. The close co-operation with educational institutions produces a strong innovative incentive for these institutions themselves. The fast development of the world wide web creates enormous change in creative industries. These industries are traditionally attractive to young people; the changes are opportunities. They discover the coolness of the creative professions and the opportunity to work in these industries in their own rural area.

2. SME and young people will have developed improved communication channels and a better flow from education towards the profession. A lot of young people would prefer not to migrate from their rural region. The project will raise the consciousness among young people of the newly developing opportunities in the regional labour market. This will enable them to make a better choice of profession and understand the education required.

(Expected) outcome for the region as a whole Social effects A close-knitted, dedicated group of young people will continue working towards the goals of the NetNix Foundation, the ANNO-municipalities and the European Interreg ambitions. They will have a better understanding of their roots, their region and of the labour market in their area. Therefore, the choice between staying or migrating will be easier to make. An enhanced mutual understanding between young people and local government. Economical effects Enhanced contact and interaction between companies and young people. Increased pool of qualified and internally motivated personnel.Increased ‘marketability’ of the regions. Young people gaining a better understanding of their environment. The professional experience that young people will acquire while working with NetNix will – for some of them – be the starting point of a regional career. Physical effects The activities within creative industries are very compatible with new business trends, like working from home or at alternative locations.

Planning 1. September – December 2012: pre-production phase. Building of contacts between regions, determination of exchange, multimedia scenarios and production scope. 2. January – June 2013: production phase. Four video productions. Three international youth exchanges from four regions at three venue dates. 3. September – November 2013: Presentation phase. One international youth exchange from four regions at one venue date.

Costs Four video productions a € 5,000 a piece = € 20,000; Four international exchanges from four regions a € 5,000 a piece = € 20,000 Overhead project Management by NetNix € 10,000; Total costs € 50,000

Financing Contribution from 4 regions a € 4,000 a piece = € 16,000; Contribution local SME 4 regions a € 2,000 = € 8,000; Contribution Vital Rural Area RPP € 26,000; Total financing € 50,000

Implementation of the project (cf. CAA) which stakeholders are involved? Firstly, see the partner section at the beginning. Furthermore: a number of regional educational institutes, college pupils, parents, companies.

what process do you run through to fit the project into local conditions? This is an interesting question. Now and again, NetNix, as an non-governmental, non-institutional organisation, did encounter various obstacles to sustainable implementation. The NetNix project was founded even before the start of the Vital Rural Area project. NetNix took as a starting point the local living conditions and circumstances of young people. These viewpoints turned out to be very compatible with those of Vital Rural Area. So, in the end, it was the Interreg project that adapted to an existing local initiative. In our view, the optimal working method. The underlying ambitions of previous NetNix productions were in accordance with the overlying, strategic Vital Rural Area ones, so these were not the biggest problems in the process. More complicated was the bridging of the differences in vocabulary, scope and methodology between the parties. European bureaucracy and creative production processes do not go well together. The key to success lies in effective mediation between the communication differences.

how do you sustainably implement the project (locally, regionally)? The NetNix foundation has been able to develop effective production methodology, good contacts with regional educational and SME stakeholders and first of all, direct lines of communication  to several groups of young people in the region. Several spin-off projects have evolved, the most notable of which is the recent and still evolving exchange project with the Meetjesland region: ‘Jouw Wereld in Beeld’ (Picture your World). Also, the NetNix productions are developing into regular broadcasted items on the regional television broadcasting network RTV Noordoost-Friesland. In this way, the name of ‘NetNix’ is becoming an iconic concept in the region.