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🔍 Content table

1. News from GEN EU

• GEN Celebrates 30 years!
• Tier 2 Tickets for the Gathering are on sale!
• Extraordinary GA
• We welcome a new ecoproject member - Zeleno Doba!

2. Project Updates 

• Short Term Erasmus + Adult Education Granted! 
• New ESC Quality Label accreditation for GEN Europe
• New Project Approved: SusTech to Connect Communities Through Sustainable Innovation

3. News from around the network

• GEN Europe stands in solidarity with Gaia Terra – Support Their Rebuilding Effort!
• Reconstruction of the Findhorn Sanctuary
• This year is full of anniversaries!
  • 10 years GEN-NL!
  • 30 years Tamera!
• Other events from our members
  • Connecting Working Days with BelgEco
  • Festival en defensa del agua 2025
  • Los Geht's – Commune Festival in the gASTWERKe community in Germany
  • ZEGG Summer Camp – a wonderful experience of being human in all aspects
• Vidàlia searching for new members!
• Little Wild: Spring call for volunteers and residents

4. Trainings & Courses (non-funded)

• EDE opportunities
  • EDE Avno Oasis
  • SHE-EDE Portugal

5.  Erasmus+ opportunities

• IFCYP Training Program in Arterra Bizimodu, Navarra, Spain
• Hands on Earth: A Youth Exchange for Sustainability & Community Living 7th to 21st of May @ Catfarm

6. Opportunities from beyond the network

• ECOLISE is recruiting: Director role
• Join our call for a stronger future for rural Europe!
• Sociocracy conference

Join us in celebrating GEN's 30th anniversary! This year marks a special milestone, and we're excited to share the festivities with you & our friends around the globe.

Learn about GEN's fascinating roots in this article from GEN International.
Throughout the year, we'll be bringing you special content, taking a look back at GEN's history and looking forward to its future.

Most importantly, we want to celebrate with you! Share your (personal) GEN story with us! We'd love to hear about your journey, special GEN moments you cherish, or any other memories you'd like to share. Whether it's in written form, a video, or any other creative format you can imagine, we encourage you to contribute. Need some help getting started? Just reach out – we're thrilled to hear from you!

On March 28th, GEN Europe Full Members gathered for an Extraordinary General Assembly.
Beautifully opened by our Council member Teodora Rădulescu, the online event also gave us the chance to celebrate the Spring Equinox together.

Abdul Otman, another of GEN Europe's Council Members, guided us through the formal proceedings: Members of GEN Europe approved the annual report and financial accounts for the past year, following the presentation of the Auditor’s report. The Council was officially discharged of its responsibilities for the previous term.

Everything ran smoothly, and we extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated — as well as to those who couldn’t be present — for your ongoing engagement, dedication, and motivation in supporting the ecovillage movement!

Their core mission is to align human life with the laws of nature. Through education, empowerment, and networking, they actively support and advocate for the development of sustainable communities, initiatives, and individuals.

Check out their website here!

We are so happy to welcome you as (now also formal part) of our network! ❤

GEN Europe has been granted a short term Erasmus+ Adult Education grant! We are very pleased to start working with this program again, a program that GEN Europe has benefited from for many years during the Sieben Linden Office era! Our plan is to familiarise ourselves with the program, and encourage other organisations to do so as well, so that, when the next Adult education program is presented in 2028, we can get accreditations and send learners between our organisations.

GEN Europe has obtained the Quality Label accreditation for the European Solidarity Corps program in Germany! We now hold a sending and coordinating accreditation and can organise our yearly Dreamteam short term ESC project for the Gathering. We are very happy that Annika Alex will be taking on the role of Project Management for our future projects, as she has a lot of experience in running these projects for GEN Europe through GEN Germany for the last years.

A new project has been approved! SusTech is a small-scale partnership that aims to connect ecovillages, communities and experts across Europe to exchange knowledge and best practices in low-tech and sustainable solutions. Coordinated by GEN Europe, with partners in Slovenia, Spain and Hungary, the project will run from June 2025 to November 2026. Kicking off at the 2025 GEN Gathering in Hungary, the project includes local mapping, in-person workshops, expert-led webinars, and public events across Europe.

The goal? Build a low-tech network, offer innovative educational and practical tools, and create a free-access catalogue of low-tech innovations — a resource anyone can use to support a more just and sustainable future.

🔥A devastating fire has struck Gaia Terra Ecovillage in Italy, a place built with love, dedication, and a vision for a sustainable future. Gaia Terra is a proud member of the Italian Ecovillage Network (RIVE) and a beacon of hope, demonstrating how communities can live in harmony with nature.

Now, they need our help to rise from the ashes. Every contribution, no matter the size, will help rebuild Sala Sole and restore the spirit of this vibrant community.🫶

Let’s come together to show that resilience and compassion can overcome even the greatest challenges. Donate today and be part of the recovery! 🌱

➡️ Donate Now!

The Findhorn Ecovillage is set to inaugurate its new Light of Findhorn Sanctuary on April 20 and 21, 2025, nearly four years after the original sanctuary was destroyed in an arson attack in 2021.

The new sanctuary, accommodating up to 80 people, was constructed with global donations and a £194,665 grant from the UK's levelling-up fund. Kathy Tyler, project coordinator for Park Ecovillage Trust, emphasized that the sanctuary symbolizes the community's resilience and dedication to spiritual and ecological values. For more details on the opening ceremonies and participation, read the whole newsletter article here.​

Not only GEN is celebrating its 30th anniversary, along with Gaia Education's 20th anniversary, but also some of our members are happy to recognize a milestone in their journeys! GEN-NL, our National Network in the Netherlands, celebrates its 10th anniversary, while Tamera commemorates 30 years of dedicated work and community building.

It has been six years since the members of the Vidàlia intentional community began living in Cal Vidal (Puig-reig). The Colònia is a very large space, and the community is now exploring the possibility of giving new purpose to some of the buildings under their management. One idea under consideration is to launch a cohousing, coliving, or housing cooperative project in one of the currently unused and refurbishable buildings.

This new initiative would operate independently from the existing Vidàlia community. The group is now reaching out to see if there are people interested in becoming part of such a project.

If you are interested, please fill in this form.

The sooner the better, especially in first two weeks of April to help before the Forest Garden course (18-21 April, you can join), and after – all throughout spring and summer.

They are also officially slowly opening up for new members in the project – and coming as a volunteer can be a good start 😉.

Are you a youth worker with a passion for collaboration, sustainability, and driving social change? Are you looking to develop facilitation skills that will support young people address today's most pressing challenges?

Join this training program - a unique opportunity to learn how to create spaces where groups can work together effectively, democratically, and sustainably!

🗓️ Dates:
• Arrival: June 18, 2025
• Training: June 19-23, 2025
• Departure: June 23, 2025

🏡 Location: Arterra Bizimodu, Calle Abajo 1, 314805 Artieda, Navarra, Spain
📧 Contact:  fanny@gen-europe.org
👨‍🏫 Facilitation team: Genny Carraro and Mauge Cañada

Drawing from sustainable communities, sociology, group psychology, ecological principles, and systems theory, our program equips you with collaborative techniques that enable young people to launch meaningful projects in sustainability, democratic participation, and social entrepreneurship.

Why Participate?
🔄 Develop group facilitation skills that enhance teamwork and collaboration
💪 Learn methods to support young people to channel anxiety into constructive action
🌐 Build connections with sustainable communities and youth organizations
🌱 Contribute to creating a more inclusive and regenerative society

🔍 Who We're Looking For: Youth workers, educators, and community leaders committed to supporting young people's initiatives. Open to residents or nationals of Spain, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Netherlands, Czechia, France, Slovakia, Serbia, Sweden, and Finland.

Join a movement that empowers youth, strengthens communities, and fosters sustainability. Apply Now!

⏰ Application Deadline: April 28, 2025
📝 Apply here.

Are you passionate about reconnecting with nature, embracing eco-conscious living, and learning sustainable building techniques? Would you love to spend two weeks in a multicultural intentional community in the South of France?

Hands on Earth is a unique youth exchange designed for individuals aged 18-30 who want to explore sustainability, eco-building, community living, and creative expression. Over 14 days, you’ll take part in hands-on workshops, cultural exchanges, and reflective activities that foster environmental awareness and personal growth.

If you're a resident of France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, or Greece, check out the info pack and apply now! 🌱✨

For more information, see the Infopack here.

Interested? Apply here.

ECOLISE, the European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, is seeking a new Director. This part-time (40% FTE) remote position involves providing strategic leadership to the organization. The Director will oversee ECOLISE's operations as a Europe-wide impact network, guiding its mission to empower communities for a sustainable future.

Find out more here.

The European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) is actively advocating for increased EU funding for community-led local development (CLLD) and the LEADER approach in the post-2027 budget. They have launched a petition, open until May 15, 2025, urging stakeholders to support dedicated financial commitments to these participatory development tools. Additionally, ELARD encourages participation in several European Commission public consultations that will influence future EU funding priorities:​

• Citizen Engagement Impact Consultation
• EU Funding for the Single Market and Cooperation Between National Authorities
• Consultation on Implementing EU Funding with Member States and Regions

Engaging in these initiatives is crucial to ensure robust support for rural development in future EU policies. For more details and to participate, visit ELARD's advocacy page.​

This conference is for practitioners and enthusiasts of sociocracy in all sectors – business, nonprofit, community, networks, activists, and education – working towards this new world in a decentralized way!

More information on the program and prices here.

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