Twenty-seven-year-old Andrew Reid, a member of Crumlin YFC, was one of six members who embarked on a trip to Austria in Summer 2023 for the Rural Youth Europe European Rally. “It was all I thought it would be and so much more”, he said as he fondly reminisced on the trip.
The theme for the trip was ‘Grow-Eat-Repeat: Circular Economy of Food’. The term Circular Economy refers to everything we use and how it should have another purpose when finished with. The members took part in seminars, workshops and activities that highlighted the importance of the topic, and visited local farms to see the systems in place to reduce carbon footprint. Andrew explained that the topic was very interesting and he left Austria with more knowledge around the subject.
Full-time farmer and agricultural contractor, Andrew explained that travelling has always been something he holds in high regard. “I am a huge advocate for the YFCU travel programme and encourage members to go and see the World”, he continued. “Nothing will broaden the mind more than experiencing new things, and the thought of the next trip always keeps me hopefully of further adventures”.
Andrew explained that he wasn’t fully aware of what the European Rally involved, but heard great feedback from members that had been before and knew it was going to be a great adventure. “The rally was everything I had hoped for. It was a fantastic week of meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, sightseeing, trying new cuisine and making lifelong friendships with people across all of the UK and Europe. The trip consisted of lots of games and ice breakers for everyone to get to know each other and the opening and closing ceremonies were brilliant. I enjoyed different farm tours, visiting local vineyards and distilleries, and trying cultural foods from the countries represented on the trip”.
Natalie Burrows, Chairperson of the YFCU Travel Committee, said “it’s a fantastic opportunity for any member to embark on the European Rally and we are honoured to send a small group of members each year to represent our organisation”. Natalie explained that it’s a great way for members to broaden their network and meet new people, as quite often, the members picked for the trip are not all familiar with eachother as they are involved in different clubs across Northern Ireland.
Andrew was one of five members who went to the Rally in 2023. The other four members were Stuart Mills (Moneymore YFC), Matthew Livingstone (Collone YFC), Rebecca Brunt (Trillick & District YFC) and Cathy Reid (Castlecaulfield YFC). “Prior to going on the trip, I didn’t know the others very well, but by the time we were coming home, we were organising when and where we would meet up again, and what YFCU event we might see eachother at”.
When asked what the highlight of the trip was, Andrew said “it was meeting the people along the way. There may have been a language barrier at times, but this didn’t stop anyone from communicating. It was apparent come the end of the week that everyone who attended benefited from the opportunity in different ways”. He continued, “the international food buffet was very enjoyable too, allowing the representing countries to showcase some cultural food and drink and allowed other members to try them. We brought along some Tayto crisps, fruit soda bread, potato bread, fifteen traybakes, clove rock and cheeses. This was a great way of striking up conversation with people we hadn’t met already”.
The YFCU travel programme runs all year round and offers YFCU members the opportunity to embark on a new adventure. International exchange trips, Scottish exchange trips, 5 Nations Rally and the Rural Youth Europe European Rally are all opened to members via application annually. When asked what advice Andrew would give to another member looking to avail of the YFCU travel opportunities, he responded, “It’s easy to sit at home and think about the things you wish you had done, but there is no better time than now to just go for it, and you won’t regret it. You shouldn’t let opportunities like this go by you”.
If you have any questions regarding the YFCU travel programme, please visit www.yfcu.org/travel or contact YFCU Business Services Manager at ruth.megahey@yfcu.org.