Rural Talent
Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Polaciones again, this time to work with young people. It was a very special weekend, sharing with local leaders in a spectacular environment, the town of Puente Pumar, contemplating the snow and walking at dawn between Pejanda and Lombraña, facilitating workshops and being present, having frisuelos for breakfast and drinking orujo at night at the bar, to chat with the local people (and I was surprised that my uncle’s last name, Morante, was everywhere).
They told me that there are almost a dozen bears in the area, which has become dangerous because they go down to the towns, enter old houses where some beehives form and attack the sheep; A 90-year-old neighbor had a bear appear on her road, she started singing a song to him, the bear looked at her and did nothing to her. They don’t want to see the wolves, a neighbor told me that she killed more than 100 sheep last winter, they have seen a herd of 13 together and they also go down to the towns.
I think I must have been about 10 years old when the memory of a trip with my parents to Uznayo was recorded in my mind. We went to my uncle Angel’s village, we slept at his sister Inés’s house and I remember to this day those torreznos with bread for breakfast in the morning. For a kid raised in the capital, making a hazel rod and going fishing in the river was the best plan. I don’t think I caught anything with Juan José and Jeromin but we had a great time. The matanza (slaughter) stayed with me, just like when they killed a chicken or hen that ran around without a head until the blood ran cold. I also remember the cows, the main activity of the house.
I returned last year to visit Inés and it has been a gift to be able to return again. With Lulú we have dreamed for some time of being able to work with young people, of being able to promote entrepreneurship and provide opportunities to stay in the villages. Said and done, the Botín Foundation called us to co-design the Young Rural Talent program, it could be a coincidence for those who do not believe in miracles, we have trusted for a long time. I have to admit that I don’t like the word talent, it is something that I associate with the word human resources, an impersonal term that gives rise to being used by the company. I prefer to talk about people, about young people with great potential who know their territory and are committed to taking care of it and promoting changes.
The work of the young people was great, the first day you could already see the energy. The second we were able to clearly identify the challenges and the third we were able to define the next steps, and even see some solutions without wanting to go that far. I was pleasantly surprised by the intervention of Rosalía, from the Entre Valles association, even though I already knew her. Also the energy of the group and the complicity between many of them, which generated very healthy spaces for dialogue and confrontation, moving from complaints to opportunities.
We played the role of facilitators, we put some methodologies and canvases on the table, we designed experiences and moments of reflection and harvest, we introduced leadership and networking dynamics, we inspired with some stories and concrete examples, but above all we listened and guided to move forward. I think we achieved the goal we had set for ourselves. From now on we are going to define a periodicity and rituals for support, to continue with the process and ensure that some projects go forward.
The truth is that villages are a University of life, where you can learn about values, effort, nature or how to regain autonomy. Seeing the pile of firewood and thinking about the work behind it to collect it, eating a stew and seeing the cabbages planted in the gardens, or coming across a Mastin (tipical dog) in the village and understanding that they are working and protecting, are small daily lessons for the one who is attentive.
And you… What are you waiting for to go live in a town?
