Article by ECHN
“Rural Hacking- the toolkit for rural activists” is the result of the first ECHN Workshop hosted by Anceu Coliving in the Galician countryside – a rural hub that promotes impactful initiatives in the local territory, activating local communities and inviting creatives for residencies centred on engaging practices. The toolkit compiles all the knowledge unravelled during the Workshop and is enriched with a series of real-life examples provided by Anceu Coliving and some of the participants in the Workshop.
The Rural Hacking Workshop proved to be a transformative and enriching event that brought together 24 members from creative hubs, coworking, and coliving spaces across Europe. Throughout the four-day event, participants were engaged in a variety of activities, including team-building exercises, brainstorming sessions, cultural exchanges, and hands-on projects that aimed to address the challenges faced by rural areas and explore new possibilities for revitalization.
A key takeaway from the workshop was the importance of fostering rural-urban alliances and embracing flexibility, open-mindedness, and cross-cultural collaboration in driving positive change in rural communities. Participants shared their personal and professional stories, discussing their experiences with local impact projects and exchanging ideas for creating sustainable solutions.
The workshop also highlighted the potential for growth and development in rural areas, with visits to local cultural centres and showcased the power of creative hubs in driving change and the role of cultural heritage preservation in maintaining a strong sense of identity and community.
The Rural Hacking Workshop provided a valuable platform for collaboration, learning, and the exchange of knowledge and experiences, ultimately fostering a spirit of unity and a shared vision for the revitalization of rural areas throughout Europe and exemplified the power of diverse perspectives and collective problem-solving in addressing complex challenges and identifying opportunities for positive change.
“Rural Hacking- the Toolkit for Rural Activists” is an invaluable resource for both rural and urban communities and activists, as it encourages self-development and effective leadership. You can navigate the toolkit to explore the necessary steps for an impact-driven project, including aspects on the organisational level as well as on the emotional level – two vital dimensions for an effective and consistent project.
The ECHN Workshops spotlight smaller or peripheral creative hubs to identify hidden basins of innovative practices and accelerate the sharing of knowledge among the members of the ECHN network and beyond.
http://creativehubs.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Rural_Hacking_ECHN_Toolkit.pdf
