A programme to inspire, give hope, and re-energise
for people of all ages and from all walks of life
About the Programme
The Gathering will be filled with inspiring, touching and brave speakers; hands-on workshops, and immersive experiences from all areas of the regenerative movement and the heart of ecovillages. You are guaranteed to be inspired for your own practice and for our greater transition.
The theme of this long awaited Gathering is A Regenerative Path. What does a regenerative path look like for you? We are embracing the many different ways of living sustainably, regeneratively and in a more caring way on this planet. Ecovillages will be our laboratories and we will find inspiration in the diversity of the regenerative movement: social justice, permaculture, natural building, and much more. See the programme streams, workshop holders and speakers that you can experience at the Gathering below.
PLENARY SESSIONS
Steen Møller
GEN Ukraine
Ellika Linden
Dougald Hine
Bob de Wit
Every morning you will be inspired by one or more of our keynote speakers and facilitators. The plenaries will guide you through a Quest, each day a new step of the journey.
Keynote Programme
Every morning you will be inspired by one or more of our keynote speakers and facilitators. The plenaries will guide you through a Quest, each day a new step of the journey.
The first day is WILDERNESS; the place to understand the current chaos of the world, whether that is the post-covid landscape or a European war.
The second day will go into ACCEPTANCE; digesting what we have seen and being able to hold the emotions and responses that comes with it. This day is also for social processes, to feel that we are all interconnected. We will practice giving space to differences, celebrating diversity.
On the third day we we will find a VISION for a Regenerative Future. We will use our imagination to come up with new solutions and new ways of telling the story of our world.
The final day will carry us into ACTION. The vision will become action and will stay in our individual lives. We will present practical solutions from the ground and best-practices from the living laboratories of ecovillages and the rest of the regenerative movement.
GEN Ukraine activists
This year’s Gathering will not only be hosted by Ananda Gaorii, LØS and GEN Europe, but also by GEN Ukraine. We have invited our talented Ukrainian friends in Denmark to add their touch and timely voice to the Gathering by being part of hosting it. Long before the war, GEN Ukraine was one of our most dynamic national ecovillage networks, working hard to teach, share and inspire with ecovillage lifestyles. Since the war began they have been mobilising inside and outside of Ukraine to welcome refugees into ecovillages, and preparing communities for a greener, more resilient future.
Ellika Linden - Circle Way
Ellika lives in the community of Christiania in Copenhagen and from there, she moves to support Circles around Europe. She is the wife of the late Story Manitonquat (Medicine Story), an elder of the Wampanoag Natives. Before she met her husband, Manitonquat, Ellika was an actress and director with theater companies around the world. Her warm and pleasantly naive nature allows people to open their hearts and allows them to simply be themselves. She brings her wisdom of heart and experience into her life and Circles in an incredibly kind and genuine way. Ellika will open and close the Gathering together with Di Ponti and Simon Jamnik.
Steen Møller
Steen is a Danish legend. He is the co-founder of two Danish Ecovillages; Friland and Grobund, an inventor of several eco-technologies and advocate of economic freedom by staying debt-free. Steen will be a keynote speaker at the Gathering and will additionally offer workshops on the appropriate technologies of a ‘Smoke-washer’ (røgvasker) and Greenhouse-circulation (Drivhusfordampning).
Bob de Wit
Bob is founder and director of Strategy Works/ Strategy Academy, writer of several internationally leading books and texts on the topic of strategy, and Professor of Strategic Leadership at Nyenrode Business University. He believes in the power of combining academic rigor and practical relevance. His interest is in understanding how leaders make decisions about the future, which combines the (economically driven) strategy field and the (psychology driven) field of leadership.
PROGRAMME STREAMS
The Heart of Ecovillages
Discover how ecovillages work, and get inspiration for your own project, in the Heart of Ecovillages programme. Ecovillagers will share tools, games, activities and best practices from their communities: from facilitation tools and social processes, to economic innovations and incorporating art into community life.
Heart of Ecovillages Programme
Finding Your Ecovillage: How to join one that’s right for you
There are many communities out there! Finding one to join that’s a good fit for you can be tricky. If you are new to the world of ecovillages, this workshop will provide you with a useful overview of the different types of intentional communities, how to visit them, and how to join one that’s a good fit for your needs. Cynthia has helped hundreds find more connection, belonging, and purpose in life through community living. Learn how you can take the first steps to living your dream!
Dragon Dreaming in Practice
Dragon Dreaming (DD) has been present at all GEN gatherings since 2009. Despite John Croft, the founder of DD, not attending this year, we’d like to pay tribute to his immense contribution to the development of ecovillage movement with a session on DD that celebrates the power of this powerful methodology, to make our dreams come true and be outrageously successful.
The Game of Life from Damanhur
This workshop aims to offer you a taste of the Game of Life, one of the key tools used in the legendary ecovillage of Damanhur. Living the present together with the others to understand more about who you truly are through a role game.
From Ecovillages to a Vibrant Global Society
GEN’s models – community, agriculture, governance and more – offer a treasure yet to be widely valued. Ecovillages and similar projects are idyllic islands in seas of mainstream society.
Alternative models need to be relevant, remove barriers and create common ground; e.g. local economy and cooperative membership work for everyone, regardless of ‘ideology’ . Together we’ll explore appropriate, regenerative policies and methods that aim toward the creation of a balanced and just society, and can help scale up grassroots initiatives to neighbours, the region, country, and planet.
The socio-economic model of Prout will be introduced, along with a current example of its practical application: ongoing efforts to develop a regional development plan in rural Portugal (home to GEN member Ananda Valley).
Leadership & Presence with Macaco Tamerice
Macaco Tamerice (Martina Grosse Burlage) is a sociologist and a life coach for meaningful relationships specialized in community-building, inner transformation, leadership and conflict resolution. She has been living at Damanhur ecovillage since 1993. She was Vice President and then President of the Global Ecovillage Network-Europe and one of GEN’s UN representatives.
Community Entropy - A ZEGG Case Study
For more than 38 years Ina Meyer-Stoll and Achim Ecker have lived and worked in the renowned ecovillage and healing centre, ZEGG. Both have been deeply involved in the development of ZEGG Forum – a community tool for in-depth social process work. They are united and motivated by their deep care and love for people and for our planet. Ina and Achim will teach about ‘Community Entropy’ using ZEGG as a case study.
Group energetics: Exploring the energies at play in group work through the Star model
Silvia Pinciroli is a business and team coach, counselor and trainer. She has been a member of the Community of Living Ethics (CLE) for 25 years. For many years Silvia has been part of the group of the CLE’s “Sowers” who spread the seeds of the Creative Meditation. She raises awareness about group consciousness.
The Land Programme
Get your hands in the soil with the Land Programme, exploring permaculture and food growing, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity and more.
Land Programme
Transforming Climate Dialogue
We embark on a journey exploring our very personal relationship to the Earth and how to be in dialogue with others about the current ecological crisis. While investigating the dominant climate narrative, we find our own authentic stance in the complexity of the topic. We welcome you to a journey connecting with yourself, and others about the current state of the Earth.
- How do I really feel about the global environmental situation?
- How can I have meaningful conversations with people who have a completely different perspective on climate?
- What can I do to restore ecosystems and support ecological regeneration?
Be the Seed: Discovering Permaculture
A personal practical permaculture experience to discover what Permaculture is. We will together investigate what role Permaculture plays in your life and how this can transform into the future. Through different practical exercises we will discover what difference permaculture can offer to regenerate your life.
Line Norre is living in southern Funen in Denmark and is co-working on establishing a permaculture educational garden for the local community. She took the Permaculture Design Certificate in 2019 and is currently working and her Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. She has an MA in European History and has been teaching for several years.
Food Forests for People and Planet
In this interactive workshop we will learn about the what and how of food forests for people and the planet. Due to climate change, global epidemics, war and other global crises more and more people are looking how to create food safety and food sovereignty in their local communities. We will learn how to create your own food forest, what species are interesting, what is the importance of food forests. We will end with an interactive game to design a food forest together.
Monique Wijn is a biologist and an active as permaculture and food forest designer and trainer since 2009 and an avid seed saver since 2003. She gives hands on workshops to plant trees and food forests and was part of the European permaculture partnership from 2012-2014.
Why- and How-to-do Bokashi
The natural cycle of plant growth and rotting is disrupted in industrialised food production and waste handling. By using the soil’s own way to break the chains of food nutrition with the bokashi technique, it’s possible to restore dying farmland and produce zero emission fertiliser. But food is distributed everywhere. How can we collectively bring the leftovers back to the soil?
Peter Fagernæs has walked in many directions, yet his consistency lies in the way of Taoism. Nature, its force, and its grace has always been his biggest inspiration. His philosophy teacher once told him: if you have a problem, and you can’t solve it, forget about it – but if you can, solve it as fast as possible.
Niklas Colonius grew up in a small village next to Stuttgart, Germany, surrounded by both farmers and entrepreneurs. Before moving to Copenhagen, he studied finance in Frankfurt, while also working in the ESG Finance sector for banks and investment funds. He’s fully passionate about helping this planet become circular again.
Discovering the Nature of Ananda Gaorii
Tour the gardens of Ananda Gaorii, enjoy forest bathing and undertake an exploration of wild medicinal plants with Lizette Karabina and Sarah Bruandet.
Get Active, Not Anxious About The Future of Our Planet
How can we connect with nature and get active, not anxious about acting on the climate crisis? What drives and motivates you? How can gatherings like these be a catalyst for transformation? Join the group discussion and get the tools to move forward.
Elisabeth Holt grew up in an ecovillage, Hertha Levefællesskab in Denmark. Since she has explored many corners and seas of the world while participating in various grassroots projects involving art, performance and awareness of sustainability. Here she has played an active role as a performer and facilitator.
Native ecosystems
This workshop involves teaching, tools and discussions regarding native ecosystems. Learn how to invite and boost your local ecosystems at your home/garden and how beneficial it can be to you and your surroundings. Learn how to live with nature and help it regenerate and blossom!
Erik Enebær is an educated horticulturist from Denmark, who gained his permaculture certificate from England and has been a permaculture teacher and educator, developing materials on the subject.
Ecovillage Tech Expo
Learn crafting skills and explore alternative technologies in our Ecovillage Technology Expo.
Ecovillage Technology Expo
Biological smoke cleaner and waste water to greenhouse production
Steen will introduce two technologies that he has been part of developing for more sustainable ecovillage living. The first is a waste water system for greenhouse production: the problem is the solution. How do we use all the wastewater, both the grey and the black? No handling, no smell, no outlet , only production off fruit and vegetables. How does it work? How to make it? Are there any problems?
The second is a Biological smoke cleaner for your wood stove: From pollution to greenhouse production without garbage, learn about the Biological Smoke Washer. What is it? How does it work? Find out in this workshop.
Steen Møller is a Danish legend. He is the co-founder of two Danish Ecovillages; Friland and Grobund, an inventor of several eco-technologies and advocate of economic freedom by staying debt-free.
Human: Instructions for Use
In this workshop we will strip ourselves “naked” of many layers of cultural clutter and when we get to the essence of our humanness we will learn about extremely simple technologies that can enhance our well-being. The purpose of simple technologies is to optimise the fulfillment of basic needs: good air, water, food, sleep, shelter, warmth, health and relationships. We will find out how to fulfill basic needs with timeless technologies that require only some knowledge and skill, thus making us independent of many complex technologies which don’t really serve us.
Nara Petrovic: “My research of genuine humanness is as intimate as it can be—I am my own guinea pig. I have practiced natural human living for two decades. I share my experiences in the book Human: Instructions for Use (first published in 2007 in Slovenian, now a bestseller in its fifth reprint). Nara=Human, a documentary about my life and work was filmed in 2016. I live a life of radical simplicity without shoes, chairs, tables, toothbrush, soap, toilet … but I also engage with mainstream society by building healthy communities and supporting a clean environment. I inspired and co-organized a nation-wide cleanup in 2010 that united 13.5% of the population of my home country, Slovenia, to collect 20,000 tons of waste on one single day.”
Introduction to the Green Market Place
Let’s Co-Create a Green Marketplace where people meet, shop, and create a future together with the examples of three ecovillagers.
Ditlev Nissen lives in Christiania, the Free City of Copenhagen. He run Living Communities where he teaches and facilitate community building, decision making, and whole system design with a focus on the social and economic dimension. Ditlev was chairman of LOES; The Danish Ecovillage Association in 2010-2015. Bjarne Andersen lives in Munksoegaard Ecovillage. He has been the owner and manager of Munksoegaard Farm Shop for 12 years. The store is now a member-run company. Alan Bjerre lives at Friland Ecovillage. He is the father of the green marketplace vision. Alan was chairman of LOES in 2018-2020.
The Healing Programme
Regeneration starts with healing what has been damaged – whether in ourselves or in the world around us. Continue or start your healing journey with shadow work, tea ceremonies and guided meditations.
Healing Programme
Activate Your Self-Healing Powers
In this workshop we will explore health in a holistic way: Soul, mind and body and the profound connection between them. You’ll learn about the seesaw of damage and repair. What causes the cells of your body to break down and what they need to rebuild. The new science of epigenetics shows that each of us through combining the genes we are born with can create around 25.000 different variations of our selves. The key to activate the “right” genes lies in our lifestyle, emotions, thinking, food and environment
Activist, teacher, transformational coach Kristiane Ravn Frost is a co-founder of Avnø Oasis Ecovillage and Avnø Højskole. She has taught food, lifestyle, personal and spiritual development since 1982. She developed the Aima self reflection and coaching program in 2001. Since 2017 she’s taught sociocracy. Since the GA in 2017, she has been an active part of the Governance group.
Three Practices for Self-Liberation
We are in an age of transition. Turbulence and uncertainty are characteristics of the time and will become ever more so. In such conditions having a practice that enables us to step back from outward turbulence and ground ourselves in the still point at the center of the storm can be life-saving both for ourselves and for others. This workshop will introduce 3 practices that involve: 1) stepping back from what is transitory 2) focusing on what is timeless 3) identifying with what is timeless. These practices enable us to pursue our own self-actualization as well as help others with clarity and steadiness through the process of transition.
Dada Krsnasevananda became a monk of Ananda Marga in 1978 at the age of 24. Traveling and teaching is part of a monk’s life and Dada is grateful to have had the opportunity to live on most continents of the world and integrate their cultural perspectives in his work. Dada came to Denmark in 2011 and is now one of the spiritual teachers and the program coordinator at Ananda Gaorii.
Authentic Being
Welcome to the nonverbal world of authentic movement / voicing. These clear spaces allow yourself to explore safely your own actual need, movement, being and voicing.It opens your awareness to your sensations, your inner being and your capacity to arrive into a wholeness.
We allow others to join us within this self-centered exploration. This allows honest encounters, while respecting your own boundaries. After each exploration round there are sharing spaces for integrating your journey.
Sonja-Vera Schmitt is one of the founders of Schloss Glarisegg Community and has nurtured its growth for the past 19 years. Most recently she has added Regenerative Entrepreneur to her long list of vocations. Keeping the community running despite many economic challenges has required her creativity and ability to be a village weaver
The Archearchal Woman: Tools for Exiting Patriarchy and Entering Archearchy (Next Culture)
The shift from woman to Woman does not occur in a Patriarchal culture. Patriarchy has no intention in providing growing-up initiations for either woman or man. Escaping the Patriarchy is the first priority for any woman who has any intention of discovering the joy and ecstasy of becoming Woman. The Path of escaping the Patriarchy and entering Archearchy – Next Culture is in and of itself an initiatory Path into Adulthood. Many Healing processes are indispensable on this Path. However, Healing is not sufficient. New skills and distinctions are also required to hold and navigate the possibility of Archetypal Intimacy between Woman and Men. This is a skill-building workshop.
Anne-Chloé Destremau is a Possibility Management Trainer, and a Gaian Gameworld Consultant. Member of the GEN Member nomadic nanonation of Possibilica, and co-creator of the StartOver.xyz free-online game, Anne-Chloé offers her brilliantly clear and fun spaceholding for the most rewarding game on Earth: Transformation.
13 Energetic Tools For A Better Community with Clinton Callahan
Most of what happens in our human lives is energetic, emotional, or archetypal, yet most of our education was directed towards the intellectual and material. We are well prepared to live as economic slave Zombies in modern culture, but quite handicapped when it comes to inventing, building out, and inhabiting regenerative evolution-centered nonmaterial cultures. This workshop is a rapid-fire practice environment for learning to start from First Position (Centered, Grounded, Bubbled, and Holding Transformational Space) and use the 13 Energetic Tools on a Possibilitator’s Toolbelt.
After inventing Possibility Management, publishing 4+ books and writing 200+ S.P.A.R.K.s, Clinton Callahan now implements next culture – archearchy: the nonmaterial-value, initiation-centered regenerative culture, which is naturally emerging around the world now that matriarchy and patriarchy have run their course.
Moving Beyond Polarisation
In this workshop we offer a space to nurture and grow a culture of authentic connection and love within the polarities that are alive in all of us. We meet the opposites and polarisations within and between us – with all their potential for friction and disagreements. We do this through embodiment, using archetypal practices, practicing authentic communication and working with projections.
In the current time of our world where seemingly unsolvable conflict and hardened fronts are a part of many people’s reality we come together to stop fighting battles and end the games of polarisation – starting with ourselves first.
From Education to Initiation - Ecovillages as Adulthood Initiation Centers
Most people on earth go to education centers called schools, academies or colleges. They go to school to learn about the world that already exists. Where are the places where people can go to transform themselves into the ones who can create new worlds and new cultures that do not exist yet? Where are the Initiation Centers? Each human being on this Earth was designed to go through a series of authentic adulthood initiatory processes. Current mainstream culture does not provide them, in fact, it is designed to not provide them. These Initiation Centers are revolutionary places because of their enlivening radical stand for a higher responsibility level of practice to exist in the world
Vera Franco is a Next Culture Aliveness Catalyst and part of Possibilica, a nomadic nanonation contexted in Radical Responsibility. She opens paths to regenerative cultures by delivering authentic adulthood initiatory processes, looking where many people do not, and standing in the nothingness to create what has not been created yet – which is exactly what she will do at the Gathering.
Devin Gleeson is a Possibility Management Coach and Shadow Worker. He has 10 years of experience living in, holding space for, and co-founding intentional communities with the purpose of exploring intimacy and causing radical transformation in individuals and the larger world. His work is about delivering Authentic Adulthood initiatory processes so that more people can grow up, take their lives back, and take responsibility for creating what the world needs them to create.
The Conscious Sexuality Programme
Some of our ecovillages are well-known for their impressive work with conscious sexuality, whether for personal development, community cohesion or world peace. Get a taste of their work in this programme.
Conscious Sexuality Programme
Fear & Love: A Tool for Intimacy
Fear is one of those feelings that most of us have learned to ignore, hide, run from, minimize, disregard, pretend is not there. There are even communities and ecovillages that stand by the axiom: “Fear is the opposite of Love.” This old thoughtware about Fear obscures the fact that, when made conscious, Conscious Fear is one of the most powerful doorways for creating authentic intimacy. Learning how to detect and use your Fear consciously in service of intimacy is a skill that requires exploration and practice. During this workshop, we will use exercises, thought maps, and distinctions from Possibility Management
Dances of Tantra
Shiva and Parvati, the father and mother of Tantra, each taught a special form of dance. In this workshop you will learn how to perform these ancient dances and experience their power and benefits. A new dance given by the modern Tantric teacher, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, will also be taught. All the dances are relatively easy to learn and have a combination of physical, mental and spiritual benefits. One of the dances is particularly beneficial for women. Another one is particularly beneficial for men. The third dance is helpful for everyone.
Dada Krsnasevananda became a monk of Ananda Marga in 1978 at the age of 24. As a monk he has practiced and taught meditation and yoga in many countries and came to Denmark in 2011 where he is now one of the spiritual teachers and the program coordinator at Ananda Gaorii.
Relational Alchemy
A workshop where you will explore your understanding of human relationships and communication. It will be packed with Authentic Relating Games, Embodiment Exercises, ISTA 101 and Connection Play. Together we will create community and strengthen human relationships in spirit, heart, mind, and body!
You will leave with:
✧ The ability to engage in meaningful conversations with anyone, anytime, anywhere
✧ A new understanding of being able to develop relationships with more trust and deeper connection
✧ Ways of practicing consent in community settings and how to stand clear and strong in your YES and NOs.
Emma Skov Thorsted is an experienced facilitator and experience designer. The core of her work is built on interconnectedness, love, solidarity, playfulness, magic, and a holistic approach. She is passionate about understanding and holding space for human connection, authentic unfoldment, social permaculture, and the embodiment of these practices. Alexandra Hasdorf is a facilitator within leadership and change processes. With a background as Kaospilot, she has deep experience with practices that cultivate our inner intuitive leader and deepen human relations. And then she believes in the power of asking beautiful questions as one of the greatest means to foster systems change.
Gender-bender: towards a progressive, diverse, and inclusive society
An introduction and discussion on gender identities and sexualities, and how to integrate a progressive, diverse, and inclusive approach in communities and workspaces. This talk also addresses ranking, stereotypes, social constructs, and societal blockages for specific groups of people, and what that means for society, groups, and individuals.
Isabella Johansson is a global fairy and forest walker with an academic background in gender, migration and social justice. After a long time of tasting the world’s corners, now residing at Ananda Valley as an events coordinator. Implements and creates concepts for regenerative models, activities, and structures, as well as teaches yoga and explorative movement and writing journeys.
The Social Justice Programme
Climate Justice is Social Justice. This programme will assist us in the climate movement to better understand social justice issues and how they are deeply interconnected with, and part of, our work.
Social Justice Programme
Diversity in Ecovillages
One size does not fit all. As communities we have a responsibility to take into account people’s overlapping identities and experiences in order to understand the complexity of prejudices they face. It is our responsibility to create spaces of celebrating our diversity, healing and recognising internalised oppressions and internalised prejudices. However we tend to want to ignore these processes and believe we are immune. This creates harm and separation especially for the marginalised groups. We have put together a group of leaders from our communities to share with us what are the challenges that we face doing this work and how can we move forward together.
Nontokozo Sabic is an advocate for systemic change on climate and social justice, currently working on a project focusing on decolonising, diversity and equity tools for environmental and social movements in Europe.
Crystal Byrd Farmer is an engineer turned educator from Gastonia, North Carolina. She is an organizer and speaker in the intentional communities movement. She serves as a board member with the Foundation for Intentional Communities and is on the Editorial Review Board of Communities Magazine published by the Global Ecovillage Network-United States.
Martin Winiecki, born 1990 in Germany, is an activist, writer and organizer. He’s a next-generation leader of Tamera, Portugal, where he’s lived and worked since 2006, and a co-founder of the Defend the Sacred Alliance, which brings together leaders of indigenous cultures, social movements and systemic alternatives in the practice of sacred activism.
Anti-Racist Decolonization & Eco-social Activism: Inner Work in the Brave Space
Decolonization – the abolition of unjust social structures and practices – has become a common concern in recent times, but how does it relate to the field of ecological justice activism and ecosocial transformation? Most initiatives in the field of ecological transformation are exclusionary (i.e. White*) in their spaces and structures, and among the addressees, few people from marginalized groups (including people with migration histories, BIPoC) are reached.
In this workshop, we will work from the inside out and begin the process of decolonizing our structures and practices with inner transformational work. A brave-space will be offered, in which we want to open a first access to an anti-racist decolonization perspective in relation to our structures, spaces and practices.
Yari Or (she) is an educator, researcher, and a mentor and guide to youths awakening to their own powers of transformation. I am most passionate about developing new methods for reconnecting with more-than-human nature and others, and about facilitating inner decolonizing work.
Community Restorative Practices
In any community, there is a justice system in place. The ways we decide right and wrong, the ways power is distributed, the ways we repair once harm has been done. How can we make this justice system more conscious and chosen, instead of norms and habits (and angers and fears) choosing for us? How can we make it more restorative and less punitive? How can we include those who are impacted in the processes and find the resources in community to move forward after conflict and pain?
We will explore the basic principles of restorative practices, use our conflict examples to practice active listening, and do a semi-simulated restorative circle, all of which are practices to learn from conflicts so that we take better care of each other and make space for diversity in our communities.
Di Ponti is Indian-Portuguese and has been living in Christiania for 12 years. Di works with restorative conflict and relational courage in groups and workplaces. “I believe in embracing the humanity in everyone present, and that we can grow our hearts bigger when we are seen and heard.”
The Abundant Economics Programme
How can our livelihoods and economic systems be centred around care and community? This programme will introduce you to the solidarity economy, Community Supported Businesses and alternative economic models for ecovillages, communes and co-housings.
Abundant Economics Programme
Has the ecovillage model failed? What's next? With Grace Rachmany and Jason Nardi
During the pandemic, we saw several ecovillages fail and others scrambling. The network as a whole found itself cash-strapped and we recognized that the “business model” has not been moving the network towards true sustainability. The network connections through GEN and regional networks are falling short with the tools to create abundant economics. What have we missed that put us in this vulnerable position? What might be ways to move forward? In this workshop we will step out of conventional thinking and come from non-traditional angles to find a path forward.
Rebecca (Grace) Rachmany is one of the leaders in the areas of tokenomics, blockchain governance and distributed technology. She is an expert in practicalities of how to lead a decentralized/distributed organization, DAO governance consultant and brings 25 years of hands-on management of teams. Jason Nardi is a trainer on the themes of solidarity economy and ethical finance, Jason Nardi is the general delegate of RIPESS EU – Solidarity Economy Europe and president of RIES (the Italian Solidarity Economy Network). He currently lives in Florence, where he promotes projects of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), financial mutualism and the Florence Commons Forum.
CSX - Community Supported Everything: Ecovillages and Solidarity Economy with Jason Nardi and Ruby van der Wekken
From Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to Community Supported Everything Else (CSX). In Community Supported Agriculture a group of individuals comes together to form a community whose members combine their resources to share risks and cover the running costs of a healthy farm operation. This principle is transferable to all our basic needs and other goods and services, such as health and wellness, construction and repair services, energy production and distribution, education and arts, cooperative housing etc. When a community creates a network of mutual support and a democratically self-managed economic circuit, caring for their commons and promoting systemic change, you have solidarity economy. Ecovillages can be part of the solidarity economy by becoming CSXs!
How to live in shared solidarity economy in a community: Examples from German communities and Finnish initiatives with Steffen Emrich and Ruby van der Wekken
What does a common economy do to the togetherness in a community? In other words, how can we actually live together as equals if the individual economic conditions are very different? With small games, experiences and exchange we want to approach these questions and make them tangible. Together we will think about how we as communities can better contribute to a solidary (also economic) cooperation.
Steffen Emrich has over 15 years of experience as a freelance consultant, moderator and process facilitator and has been living in community projects for over 20 years. He was on the board of GEN-Germany for four years and is currently a member of the GEN EU board. Ruby van der Wekken considers herself a member of the Global Justice Movement and is a producer member of Oma Maa Food cooperative in Finland. She has been a co-developer of Helsinki Timebank as well as of Commons.fi, a platform forming process around solidarity economy building and the furthering of our commons and commoning.
Ecovillages and Collapse with Robert Hall and Viviane Straub
Presuming that the socio-ecological crisis will continue to lead to extreme weather events and other disruptions in relation to food, water, power, and governance systems, amongst other things, how can ecovillages prepare for a potential societal collapse? What role should ecovillages play in a pre and post collapse world? How can ecovillages serve as sites of support and preparation for a pre and post collapse world? To what extent should the potential of a societal collapse be considered within the ecovillage network? How should ecovillages grapple with the potential of a collapse? And is societal collapse being spoken about within your communities? These questions and more will be explored together with experienced ecovillagers in what is expected to be a fruitful and lively dialogue.
Viviane Straub is a Human Ecologist (MSc) and Project Coordinator for RELEARN Suderbyn, an NGO focusing on action research, transformative education, and cross-border cooperation. She is experienced in facilitation and holding space both within ecovillages and externally. Robert Hall has been active in the ecovillage movement since 2008 when Suderbyn Permaculture Ecovillage, which he co-founded, joined Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Europe. He has served two terms on its Council and in 2015 was elected president of GEN-Europe. From 2014-2015 he served as GEN-Europe managing director and since 2015 has served on the GEN international board. Robert was involved in the foundation of ECOLISE from 2013-15 and served as president from 2017-2019.
The Governance Programme
Sociocracy, holacracy, children’s democracy – how do we structure ourselves in communities, whether ecovillages, co-housings or communes? Ecovillages have specialised in making decisions together and you can get a feel of their solutions in this programme.
Governance Programme
Sociocracy: Basic principles and the ultimate goal of sociocracy
In this two-part workshop, sociocracy experts Fredjan Twigt (NL) and Frands Frydendal (DK) will outline the key values of sociocracy and its main principles, then showcase how sociocracy can be used in communities and groups of increasing size and complexity.
Welcoming feelings as a creative force in Sociocracy
What role can and should emotions play in a sociocratic process? During this workshop we will demonstrate that feelings and emotions are not negative forces that disturb the decision making flow, but rather creative-forces to be welcomed and integrated as productive elements of the process. With the facilitated inclusion of feelings and emotions, sociocratic processes can be empowered and strengthened.
Kristiane Ravn Frost is a co-founder of Avnø Oasis Ecovillage and Avnø Højskole. She has taught food, lifestyle, personal and spiritual development since 1982. She developed the Aima self reflection and coaching program in 2001. Since 2017 she’s taught sociocracy. Since the GA in 2017, she has been an active member of the GEN Governance group. Jake Jay-Lewin was born into the Findhorn Community, Scotland and has stayed active in the Ecovillage world since. One of Jake’s many passions is empowering people and organisations towards regenerative a culture; he does this through co-creating structures and facilitating spaces where people’s values and feelings are put in the centre in service of their collective purpose.
Panel: Can sociocracy answer the most burning questions about community?
Governance encompasses the system by which an organization is controlled and operates, and the mechanisms by which it, and its people, are held to account. We are focusing on sociocracy, not because it is one simple book of answers, but because it is a self organising method that is rapidly spreading. During the process of implementation, the sociocratic method naturally adjusts to the particular circumstances and values of the organisation/group. Therefore several named variants of sociocracy – and likely many more unnamed variants – has developed.
Each panelist will introduce their approach to Governance and in particular why they love sociocracy, how it has answered their own most burning questions about decision making in community, and if they prefer a particular variant, why that is. After this short introduction, the audience may ask the panel anything about sociocracy, self organization or other governance methods whether it is general questions or a particular situation/case you would like the panel to relate to.
Panellists: Kristiane Ravn Frost, Fredjan Twigt, Frands Frydendal, Jake Jay-Lewin.
What's up in Denmark? A view into recent trends and research on community life
There are around 600 communities in Denmark. What are they and which kind of communities are on the rise? This is a presentation on developer-led ecovillages that are right now blossoming in Denmark. What does the approach mean for social coherence, governance and ownership? Are developers threatening our self-grown ecovillage concepts? Is it ‘community greenwash’? A line of results from recent research projects in Denmark will be presented and discussed, including how Danish ecovillages consume around 27-60% less CO2 than the average Danish households and how a new research project seeks to bring evidence on how to establish new communities and strengthen community-led transition, social and environmental impact.
Camilla Nielsen-Englyst is co-founder and community member of Hallingelille Ecovillage in Denmark. Camilla has been engaged in a long line of projects within both ecovillages, co-housing communities and communes and is deeply rooted in GEN Europe. Camilla will building on her experience with ecovillage design, life and processes, both as a CLIPS Trainer and in a workshop about Children’s Democracy in Hallingelille.
And much more...
Community Building: get practical tools to build community and troubleshoot common problems with experts and founders.
Community Building Programme
SYSTEMIC TOOLS, INTUITION AND MOVEMENT: from individual to community
The workshop is designed as an introspective journey and a joyful sharing, from individual to community. We will explore the different dimensions we go through when we become a group, as well as the energy we bring in relationships. Through individual and group dynamics, movement and different systemic tools, we will experience the process of building a community without losing our “center”. Starting from the individual study of the archetypes that most influence our personality, we will work through the body, space and systemic language to understand more deeply our qualities and our challenges, to find out the latent talents that we still want to honor and manifest.
Giorgia Latucca: Facilitator and trainer, graduated in Economics and specialized in International Cooperation for Sustainable Development, she is Co-President in RIVE; She facilitates groups and projects, using systemic tools and intuitive work with energy fields and body. She loves to explore dance and is passionate about oriental disciplines such as yoga, meditation, massage and Reiki.
CLIPS: Community Learning Incubator Program for Sustainability
CLIPS is a solution oriented programme to guide community-led projects in their initial steps – and for existing initiatives that struggle with problems or simply need revitalisation. The experienced CLIPS Team consists of ecovillage founders and long-term ecovillage members from all over Europe who will share their knowledge in practical community-building sessions at the Gathering.
Community Coaching
Dive into the game world of community building: Community founders, members and witnesses can bring their cases, questions, requests. We will discover all these requests and its treasures with a lot of different tools. By practicing the tools you get to know their benefits and start to understand deeper how communities can profit from them.
Sonja-Vera Schmitt is one of the founders of Schloss Glarisegg Community and has nurtured its growth for the past 19 years. Most recently she has added Regenerative Entrepreneur to her long list of vocations .Keeping the community running despite many economic challenges has required her creativity and ability to be a village weaver
Children’s Programme: A space for our children, and the child in us all to reconnect to the earth and each other through conscious play, nature crafts, theatre, and movement.
Youth: Led by NEXTGEN, the Youth Programme creates a space for connection for the youth of GEN Europe in a series of collaborative workshops designed to strengthen our actions in our communities, ecovillages, and the world.
Youth Programme
Introduction to NextGEN
The European NExtGEN Team will hold an open introduction to the nature and work of the youth network within the global ecovillage network. Riccardo will introduce participants to the main elements of the timeline that created NextGEN, the way it is organized in circles both regionally and internationally, and how it both connects to GEN & GEN Europe. The NextGEN EU team members will then share specifically about their domains and projects, with particular focus on entry points and opportunities such as the Sharing Circle meetings, and Yes to Sustainability, which offers a wide array of trainings, youth exchanges and volunteering in Ecovillages in Europe.
Riccardo di Amici has been connected to community life since he was 8 years old through the Community of Living Ethics, in Italy, where he now lives and works on youth projects. In parallel, he served in the GEN EU and ECOLISE councils until 2020, and the council of RIVE (The Italian Ecovillage Network) since then.
Surrender into Egoless Shared Unity
Do you feel a longing to move beyond separation, individualism, a self-reflective mind, and life-long “me” project into embodying profound interconnectedness and pure love? Join this experiential workshop for an introduction to a practice of egoless shared unity, essential contact, and surrender to the evolutionary forces of life. Participate to be deeply seen, met, and supported by others, to experience an open heart and nurturing closeness.
This is not a solo-spiritual practice like meditation or mindfulness, where we attune to our inner, subjective world. The practice is about living oneness and sensing the inter-subjective space between us that we only experience together with another; holding eye contact, speaking, and in mutual engagement. In the emerging inter-being we experience unitive flow!
Laura Kaestele works as a network weaver, designer, grower, project manager, and facilitator in integrative design, ecological regeneration, community and organisational development, permaculture, and holistic living with 10+ years of experience in the eco-social field.
CYCLICAL LIVING - regeneration embodied
The universal rhythms and patterns in the macro- and micro-cosm; the cycles of life and their interconnection; life and death as equally important for our survival and thrival; the connection between death, regeneration and fertility (within and without); what it means and what it looks like to live cyclically, why it is a way of regeneration, and what are the benefits of moving towards a cyclical life – together we are going to explore all of this in relation to our generation’s socio-ecological environment; then you will be guided into a visualisation to embody cyclicality and will be offered a practical tool to bring cyclical living into your daily life.
All are welcome.
Eleonora Cosner is a witch-priestess who lives her life in service to the Goddess and to the co-creation of a New Ancient Earth. In her daily life, she does so by offering (mainly) women support so that they can re-connect to themselves, the Earth, the Cosmos and the Divine Feminine. She currently lives at the Comunità di Etica Vivente where she teaches Cyclcal Living & Yoga, Menstruality and Rewilding.
Global Impact : Led by GEN International, the Global Impact Programme will explore local actions for global solutions. Through a series of workshops, we will realize together the potential impact of the ecovillage movement.
Global Impact Programme
Ecovillage Resilience
What can ecovillages nurture today to be more resilient tomorrow – in a future where 2.5 degrees or more global warming is a likely scenario?
How can ecovillages enhance and strengthen their practices to prepare, adapt and regenerate, and amplify their collective impact and transformative capacity?
These are two of the central questions in GEN’s 1.5 year long deep-dive into new pathways for ecovillages in the coming decades. Join this workshop to learn more, test a few of the central concepts of our inquiry, and share your own sense of what makes current ecovillages resilient – or not.
Originally from Sweden, Anna Kovasna lives in the Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland, where she currently serves as the co-focaliser of the community’s Coordination Circle and the lead link of GEN International’s Coordination Circle and strategy team. Anna is the initiator and co-contributor and facilitator of the Ecovillage Resilience +2.5 project, founder of the GEN Online Academy.
Ecovillage Research
How can ecovillage research evolve from a niche phenomenon to a relevant field in academia and practice? We want to discuss how “GEN Research” can be scaled up and institutionalized. How can academia serve GEN and ecovillages, and be funded properly? What does a GEN research institution require? What kind of research is needed and how should it be coordinated?
We follow the circle of Dragon Dreaming and plan a project of a wider range to reach out to a wider scientific and public community in order to scale up ecovillage research in general.
Anne-Kathrin Schwab, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of Vechta in the department of the economy of sustainability. Her research focus is on ecovillages and their internal and external processes. She is a founding member of the GEN Research group in GEN International and works on the ETiA project for GEN Germany. She was a project partner in the National Living in Sustainable Villages project and researched the collaboration process between ecovillages and towns.
Introduction to Ecovillage Design Cards
GEN’s Ecovillage Design cards are a powerful and colourful way to map out your communities/projects/towns/regions’ strengths, areas for development, and key leverage points regarding regenerative design. In this session we will demonstrate how the cards can be adapted when working in all contexts, including tips and tricks for making them relatable to as broad an audience as possible. Our aim is for you to leave the session feeling more confident in your ability to share about GEN and to bring ecovillage tools out into the world in a way that is practical and educational.
Jake Jay-Lewin grew up in the Findhorn Community, Scotland and has stayed active in the Ecovillage world since. He co-founded NextGEN International and spent seven years in various leadership positions across it and NextGEN Europe, the youth arm of the Global Ecovillage Network; supporting and designing their emergence.
Originally from Germany, Carolin Waldmann moved to the Findhorn community in Scotland in 2019 where she continues to grow her roots in one of Europe’s oldest ecovillages, serving as GEN’s Office Coordinator and Education Assistant and discovering the potential of youth and the arts in Findhorn.
Ecovillage Transition in Action - Strengthening collaboration for regional sustainability
It is common in our networks to see examples of engaged communities working for positive change who feel unsupported by local governments. We also see municipalities determined to act and support, who are struggling to build genuinely collaborative relationships with communities and other local initiatives. During this workshop we will share learnings, inspirations, outcomes and tools created throughout the international project Ecovillage Transition in Action to strengthen collaboration between community-led initiatives and local authorities for local sustainable development.
ETiA is an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership involving GEN, ECOLISE, GEN Germany, and the University of St Andrews.
Taisa Mattos is Education and Research Coordinator at the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and Project Coordinator of the Ecovillage Transition in Action. Taisa is an experienced Gaia Education trainer who has coordinated and taught Ecovillage Design Education Programmes since 2009. Ecovillage researcher and Board member of the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA).Taisa has contributed to transition initiatives both in urban and rural areas.
Anne-Kathrin Schwab, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of Vechta in the department of the economy of sustainability. Her research focus is on ecovillages and their internal and external processes. She is a founding member of the GEN Research group in GEN International and works on the ETiA project for GEN Germany. She was a project partner in the National Living in Sustainable Villages project and researched the collaboration process between ecovillages and towns
Open Space: We all hold wisdom and experiences that are important to our common transition. With the Open spaces programme we invite you to co-create the programme by offering your own workshops and tap into our collective wisdom.
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