The kick-off meeting for the ROOTS project – Ecologies of impact and value of educational mobilities: Young adults returning to low-density regions after higher education (COMPETE2030-FEDER-00874300) took place on October 29th at FPCEUP. The meeting brought together team members and institutional partners, marking the official start of another applied and participatory research project.

Coordinated by Sofia Marques da Silva, the ROOTS project aims to understand the trajectories of young people from low-density regions who, after completing higher education, decide to return to their communities of origin.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, ROOTS proposes to analyse educational mobilities and evaluate the impact of return processes, develop policy recommendations, strengthen territorial collaboration networks, and create a collaborative laboratory – ROOTS’Lab – where researchers, local actors, and community organisations will work together.

In addition to Sofia Marques da Silva (principal investigator), the ROOTS team included Amélia Veiga, Marta Sampaio and Nicolas Martins da Silva (CIIE/FPCEUP); Armando Loureiro (CIIE/UTAD); Patrício Costa (FPCEUP); Saudade Baltazar (University of Évora); Vítor Dias and Alcídio Jesus (Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth – IPDJ); Luis Chaves (Federação Minha Terra); João Almeida (Movimento Rural); and partners Carlota Marques and Marisa Almeida (Interiorize-se); Marta da Costa (Indieror); Eduardo Costa (National Association of Regional Press – ANIR); and Ana Leonor Lima (Association of University Students of the Autonomous Region of Madeira).