INTERREG-SUDOE Alis Project: A Local Social Innovation Adventure

The psychosocial difficulties faced by young people are increasing in rural areas, recently exacerbated by the economic and climate crises and post-COVID disruptions. These challenges widen inequalities, preventing them from accessing quality employment. Conversely, rural areas in southwestern Germany benefit from unique environmental conditions, ideal for outdoor sports.

Today, recognized as drivers of social integration, engagement, and personal development, they promote well-being, self-improvement, and have a positive impact on mental health. A true crucible of non-formal learning and empowerment, they constitute, beyond their strong and positive image, a privileged lever for social inclusion for young people. Our shared challenge is to boost the employability of disadvantaged youth by effectively improving their life skills through an experiential social innovation program based on outdoor sports in the SUDOE region.

Drawing a parallel with employment/job search situations, this approach will allow them to acquire new socio-professional skills, improve their well-being, and take ownership of their territory and its economic opportunities (entrepreneurship, etc.), ultimately helping these young people settle in rural areas and access more skilled jobs. In contrast to existing fragmented solutions, our approach will be based on existing models and developed in collaboration with vocational integration specialists and experts in the field who have demonstrated the effectiveness of outdoor sports in improving psychosocial disorders.

Optimized through its transnational implementation by multidisciplinary teams, our holistic and inclusive methodology will be adapted to local specificities and target audiences, scientifically validated to be transferable and reproducible in the SUDOE area and beyond. A true toolbox for specialized organizations supporting young people experiencing socio-professional integration difficulties, it will also benefit rural and peri-urban communities and offer recommendations for public policy.