Preparing Rural Communities for Change: RUDI Partners Gather for a Bootcamp in Portugal
From 21 to 23 October 2026, the RUDI consortium gathered, in São Pedro do Sul, Portugal, hosted by project partners Minha Terra and Instituto Politécnico de Viseu (IPV), for a three-day meeting dedicated to preparing the next phase of the project.
The first two days were dedicated to the RUDI Bootcamp, an intensive peer-to-peer learning experience designed to prepare partners for the upcoming implementation of Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA) and Rural Living Labs (RLLs) across the RUDI regions.
Through practical exercises, methodological guidance and exchanges between partners, the Bootcamp focused on three key areas: facilitation and inclusive participation, Participatory Rural Appraisal, and Rural Living Labs.
Led by ZSI, the sessions on facilitation and inclusive participation explored how to facilitate participatory processes effectively, ensuring that all voices are heard, creating inclusive spaces and addressing potential challenges in group dynamics.
IPV led the sessions on Participatory Rural Appraisal, guiding partners through the entire PRA process. Participants practised methods including creative SWOT analysis, problem trees, transect walks and system mapping. Each method was tested in practice, followed by joint reflection on its strengths, challenges and possible adaptations to different regional contexts.
The sessions on Rural Living Labs, led by UMIL, Ture Nirvane and Uni Graz, built on these exercises to explore the different stages of the RLL process – from identifying pressing local challenges and priorities to jointly developing and prototyping potential solutions.
Throughout the Bootcamp, partners had the opportunity to discuss questions, exchange experiences and explore how these approaches could be adapted to different national and regional contexts. The diversity of expertise and perspectives within the consortium proved particularly valuable.
At the heart of RUDI is the ambition to build rural innovation clusters in which local communities actively shape the development of their regions. Rather than introducing predefined solutions, the project aims to empower local people to identify the challenges that matter most to them and collectively decide which solutions they want to develop and test.
Making this ambition a reality requires more than a shared methodology. It calls for strong facilitation skills, mutual understanding, trust and the ability to adapt participatory processes to different local realities.
The Bootcamp was therefore an important step in bringing together the consortium’s diverse knowledge, skills and experiences and translating them into a shared understanding of how to implement the upcoming activities.
The two days of training were intensive, highly interactive and productive. Beyond strengthening methodological knowledge, the Bootcamp provided space to clarify open questions, discuss regional differences and jointly develop approaches for adapting the PRA and RLL processes to local circumstances.
Most importantly, the training helped build confidence and a common understanding among partners, laying a strong foundation for the next ten months of implementation.
The consortium left São Pedro do Sul with a clearer understanding of the steps ahead, strengthened collaboration and a shared commitment to making the participatory processes meaningful and impactful for the communities involved.
The RUDI Bootcamp marked an important milestone in preparing the consortium to turn the project’s participatory ambitions into practice. By combining peer-to-peer learning, hands-on methodological training and critical reflection, partners strengthened their capacity to support locally driven rural innovation, ensuring that communities themselves play a central role in identifying challenges and shaping solutions for their regions.
Media contact : Maja Flajsig, communications@gen-europe.org
High-resolution photos from the bootcamp are available here or on request.
