‘Communities for Future’ launches across Europe with a series of online workshops

A new action programme to inspire, empower and enable local community-led responses to the climate and ecological emergency is being launched via a series of events from 21st September, culminating in the ‘Brussels’ launch on Tues 29th September.

Online workshops to launch Communities for Future are being hosted in Croatia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK. Please see below for more details of these national and thematic events.

A draft programme for the Brussels event is here. Speakers include two European Commissioners, MEPs, representatives of the EESC, which is co-hosting the event, as well as ECOLISE members and partners, including Rurener and RIPESS.

All welcome but registration is necessary via this online registration form.

For further information please see the EESC website. For any questions about the Brussels event, please email .

Communities for Future National & Thematic workshops

Netherlands

Date: 21st September

Time: evening

Registration link: TBC

Language: Dutch

Contact person: Mieke Elzenga

Description: Focusing on citizen engagement at the sub-municipal (village or neighbourhood) level, this national Communities for Future event is being launched by Liberta Care Foundation (ECOLISE Dutch member) with the participation and collaboration of Members of the European Parliament.

The workshop will present the CfF strategy and discuss its 4 domains (Inspire, Enable, Advocate & Learn); and actions with ECOLISE members, kindred networks and affiliated individuals in order to exchange ideas of how they can bring CfF to life.

Keynote speakers/participants: MEP Rafaela Samira (TBC); MEP Chahim Mohammed (TBC)

Ecovillage Transition in Action

Date: 22nd September

Time: 2pm-4pm CEST

Registration link: TBC

Language: English

Contact person/s: ">Taisa Mattos & Katy Fox

Description: This Ecovillage Transition in Action Online Webinar focusses on Strengthening collaboration between community-led initiatives and local authorities for regional sustainability.

We will hear from successful case studies that have managed to draw together collaborations between stakeholders to shift local and even regional realities both in rural and urban areas. We will also hear from the perspective of CLIs, and also from the experience of local authorities and academics. Together with you and other Members of the European Parliament we will have breakout sessions to discuss and share experience, get inspired and spread local solutions. 

Ecovillage Transition in Action is an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership running from 2019-2021, involving the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), ECOLISE, GEN Germany, Kilden Økosamfunn/Hurdal Ecovillage (Norway) and the University of St Andrews (UK).

Keynote speakers/participants: MEP Alice Bah Kuhnke (TBC)

UK

Date: 23rd September

Time: 3pm-3.30pm

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsf-2oqzIsH9L99DmePET2R_snDZ4kVKYN

Language: English

Contact person: Sarah Cossom

Description: Focusing on citizen engagement at the sub-municipal (village or neighbourhood) level, this CfF workshop is being hosted by Permaculture Association (ECOLISE UK member) with the participation and collaboration of kindred networks and affiliated individuals, in order to exchange their ideas of how they can bring CfF to life.

In this national workshop the CfF strategy and discussion on the 4 domains (Inspire, Enable, Advocate & Learn) and actions will be integrated into the Permaculture Association’s LAND permaculture project event.

Keynote speakers/participants: Andy Goldring, CEO of Permaculture Association and Katherine Parrish, from Whistlewood Common

Meanwhile on Sunday 13th September Communities for Future was introduced at the General Assembly of Scottish Communities Climate Action Network, an ECOLISE member.

Germany

Date: 24th September 2020

Time: 10:00-12:00 CEST

Registration link: https://forms.gle/DModZgaRhb2NQdib7

Language: German

Contact person/s: Amelie Krug; Charlotte Freund & Anne-Katrin Schwab

Description: Focusing on citizen engagement at the sub-municipal (village or neighbourhood) level, this CfF workshop is being presented by Permakultur Institut (ECOLISE German member), Zukunftslabor Agrar “Z-Lab” & ISPA – Institut für Strukturforschung und Planung in agrarischen Intensivgebieten, with the participation and collaboration of Members of the European Parliament.

This national workshop will present the CfF strategy and discuss its 4 domains (Inspire Enable, Advocate & Learn) and actions with ECOLISE members, kindred networks and affiliated individuals, in order to exchange their ideas of how they can bring CfF to life.

Charlotte Freund (Permakultur Institut e.V.), Amelie Krug (ECOLISE Council) und Dr. Anne-Kathrin Schwab (ECOLISE Policy Circle) für das Organisationsteam

#CommunitiesForFuture

Keynote speakers/participants: MEP Nicklas Nienaß; MEP Michael Bloss

Programme: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LHlp1ydA4nv7NoCAekQTc_kkWlqg5g0s/view?usp=sharing

Ireland

Date: 19th September

Time: 1-2pm

Registration link: http://www.thevillage.ie/the-future-that-awaits-us-deep-listening-series-with-kim-stanley-robinson-a-dynamic-online-session-saturday-19th-september-2020-16-00-17-30/

Language: English

Contact person: ">Suzie Cahn &  Davie Philip

Description: CfF in Ireland is being launched by Irish ECOLISE members Carraig Dulra and Cultivate as part of a Deep Listening series by Cloughjordan Ecovillage with world-renowned science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, and Mary Murphy, who leads the Ministry for the Future.

Croatia

Date: Friday 25th September

Time: 17h-18h

Registration link: https://forms.gle/rBCgKdd9XmpN6ygp8

Language: Croatian

Contact person/s: ">http://"> Ana Armano Linta; Monika Valečić; Udruga Vestigium

Description:

Focusing on citizen engagement at the sub-municipal (village or neighbourhood) level, this CfF event is hosted by Croatian Permaculture Association (ECOLISE Croatian member) with the participation and collaboration of Members of the European Parliament.

This national workshop will present the CfF strategy and discuss its 4 domains (Inspire, Enable, Advocate & Learn) and actions with ECOLISE members and kindred networks and affiliated individuals, in order to exchange their ideas of how they can bring CfF to life.

Keynote speakers/participants: Dubravka Vitali Čepo Scientists for Climate movement and Dunja Vuković to represent the civil and cultural sector

Portugal

Date: 28th September

Time: 18h30 -20h

Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.pt/e/bilhetes-o-papel-regenerativo-das-comunidades-locais-para-um-futuro-sustentavel-121407995583

“Round Table Online // Mesa Redonda Online”

Title: The Regenerative Role of Local Communities to a Sustainable Future // O papel Regenerativo das Comunidades Sustentáveis Locais para um Futuro Sustentável”

For further information please see https://www.facebook.com/events/763182824528365/

Language: Portuguese

Contact person/s: Ana Margarida Esteves; Gil Penha-Lopes; Alexandre Pereira

Description: Focusing on communities engagement at the sub-municipal (village or neighbourhood) level, CfF is being launched by ECOLISE Portuguese member FCUL, and will be co-organised by Habita Regen, with the support of Impact HUB Lisbon.

Key Questions:
How to wake-up a regenerative culture in local communities to recover territories in a integrative way?

How to engage local communities and bioregions in the biodiversity increasing? How to promote the socio-economic inclusion of the local sustainable transition initiatives?

This national event will present the CfF strategy and discuss its 4 domains (Inspire; Enable; Advocate & Learn) actions with ECOLISE members and kindred networks and affiliated individuals, in order to exchange their ideas of how they can bring CfF to life.

Keynote speakers/participants:

• (MEP) José Gusmão, Member of the Nordic Green Left, Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and member, among others, of the EP’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee.

• (DRIFT) Flor Avelino, Assistant Professor, and Academic Director TAC. Researcher at the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions as an assistant professor and senior researcher in sustainability and transition policies and social innovation.

• (CEO) Antonio Vasconcelos, Coordinator and member of the board of directors of The Natural Step, and co-leader and ambassador of Planeteriers New Generation, and “managing director of New-Next.

• (CONSULTANT) Bárbara Leão de Carvalho, co-founder of Biovilla, consultant to NGOs. Develops consultancy in the areas of Business, Branding, Marketing with a regenerative approach (To be confirmed)

• (JOURNALIST) Ricardo Garcia, Journalist, blogger, writer; he has collaborated with Expresso and PÚBLICO since its foundation in 1989. He writes mainly about environment and science, including articles, reports, editorials, special supplements and online projects. (To be confirmed)

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