Two participatory workshops held in Santa María del Campo and Villasana de Mena mark the start of the second phase of the European project
The European RuralSilverHubS project is moving into the second phase of the process of designing and validating its strategy and the Rural Silver Economy Indicator, which is intended to analyse the well-being of people aged 55 and over and the conditions that foster the development of the silver economy in rural areas. This stage began in France on 24 September 2026, with an intergenerational workshop organised by Gérontopôle Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Haute-Corrèze Communauté at the «Au Beau MilLieu» community centre in Meymac. The three-hour session brought together 11 participants from different generations, as well as representatives from academia, business, the social sector and the public sector.
The meeting enabled participants to identify the challenges facing the region in the context of rural ageing and to propose possible solutions through a collaborative reflection process. The findings will be used to prepare a call for expressions of interest, scheduled for early December 2026, which will address issues such as housing, isolation and mobility. Participants highlighted their exposure to new local initiatives, the value of the collaborative methods used, and the richness of the discussions generated by the group’s diversity.
Following this initial experience in France, the province of Burgos hosted the first workshops of the second phase to be held in Spain: on 21 October, from 4.30 pm to 7.00 pm, in Santa María del Campo, and on 23 October, from 11.30 am to 2.00 pm, in Villasana de Mena. The sessions provided an opportunity to discuss the strategy with local stakeholders and incorporate their insights into the validation process, to ensure that the CSR Indicator accurately reflects the reality and needs of rural areas.
The initiative carried out in France received positive feedback from the participants, who commented: «I discovered local initiatives that I wasn’t aware of and which I found very interesting», «I wasn’t familiar with these methods of collaborative reflection» and «The group discussions were very enriching thanks to the diversity of the participants’ backgrounds».
Validation in the local area
These workshops are being held following the completion by RuralSilverHubS of the first phase of the RSE Indicator’s design. During that stage, the main dimensions and variables required to analyse the well-being of the population aged 55 and over and the conditions in rural areas relating to the Silver Economy were defined.
The project is now moving into a second phase centred on organising participatory workshops with stakeholders from the seven target regions. The aim is to validate the structure of the indicator before its implementation begins. Subsequently, a third phase will determine the information sources and data collection protocols specific to each region.
The outcome of this process will be set out in a freely accessible RSE Indicator Manual, designed to facilitate the replication and adaptation of the tool in other rural areas of the European Union.
The Indicator and the RSE Observatory
The Rural Silver Economy Indicator will enable an analysis of the well-being of the population aged 55 and over and of conditions in rural areas relating to the development of the silver economy. The tool will examine aspects such as demographics, connectivity, access to services, social participation and economic activity, providing useful information to guide public policies, business initiatives and services tailored to the needs of the population.
Following the second phase of the project, the data sources and information collection protocols will be defined for each region. The results will be used for the future RSE Observatory and will be compiled in a freely accessible manual that will facilitate the application of the indicator in other rural areas across Europe.
About RuralSilverHubS
RuralSilverHubS is a transnational cooperation project co-funded by the Interreg Sudoe 2021–2027 Programme and the European Regional Development Fund, running from June 2025 to November 2027 with the participation of nine organisations from Spain, France and Portugal. The initiative addresses three major challenges facing rural areas – an ageing population, depopulation and difficulties in accessing certain services – by promoting the silver economy and creating innovative solutions aimed at people aged 55 and over. Among its key initiatives are the Rural Silver Economy Observatory and the RS-Labs, spaces for intergenerational co-creation designed to identify local challenges and promote new entrepreneurial solutions, products and services that contribute to improving quality of life and revitalising rural areas.