Learning more about AI was a key focus of this year’s Rural Youth Europe Autumn Seminar in Finland. Lutterworth YFC’s Vice Treasurer Alice English attended the week with Jack Hammond from Diss YFC in Norfolk, and says the experience taught her more about the technology and provided lots of ideas to take back to her club.
Alice: Jack and I went from England and met people from all over Europe from similar types of rural youth groups. Some were quite similar to Young Farmers and some were very different.
The theme of the week was AI and our critical eye, so we did four workshops every day. They were really relaxed and involved – not like a lecture at all. We did games and interactive activities to get your brain thinking about the topic, such as mind-mapping, discussing the dangers of AI, and talking about different statements and what we thought of them.
In the evenings, we got up to all kinds of fun things, like saunas and swimming in the lake, which was only five degrees, so it was freezing. We also played floorball and various other sports.
Alice: We had an international food night and an organisational fair where we could speak about our organisations and what we do. We only had three minutes, though, which is not enough time to sum up everything there is in Young Farmers, but Jack and I did our best.
Alice: There were definitely some similarities. Some organisations have older age ranges than Young Farmers. We spoke to the people from Macra na Feirme, in Ireland where their age range goes up to 40.
Everyone was super interested in what we get up to in YFC – especially the dinner dances and the Leicestershire YFC Rally!
Alice: I went into it definitely not being the biggest fan of AI. I’ve always been a bit reluctant to use it within daily life.
However, over the course of the week, through all the different activities and discussions, I appreciated that it does have a place in society and that it’s good to use it where it’s helpful.
I hadn’t appreciated that university students and people such as solicitors and lawyers etc can use it to summarise all the reading they have to do, which is a really useful tool to have access to.
It’s something you can’t really ignore, whether you like it or not, so learning how to use it, how to spot when it’s been used, and how to know when to trust what it’s saying is important. It’s also important to ask it to use reputable sources and to fact-check what it produces so you know you’re using it properly.
I think AI is good for idea generation, and summarising long texts could be really useful. How much it will affect my work, I’m not sure. Maybe eventually it could help sort through agreements in my job as an Agricultural Business Consultant in the future but right now it’s likely most useful for things like asking how I can promote my job to younger people.
Alice: It was a really good mix of people and we all got on really well.
I shared a room with Andrea from Austria and we all played, ate and spent time together, so the integration was really good. I’ll definitely keep in touch with everyone who was there. I'll be letting them know when I’m on holiday!
Alice: This was my first YFC Travel trip. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do because the opportunities within it are really good.
The Rural Youth Europe seminar gave the trip a real purpose. I was really interested in meeting people not just from NFYFC, but from across Europe and making those connections outside England. I also wanted to see how everyone else does things and bring ideas and opportunities back to club and county level.
That’s happened ten-fold. I’ve come back with so many ideas and a few extra dance moves! It was such a good experience, and I’m so pleased I went.
Applications for YFC Travel 2027 close on 30 October 2026.
