Global Ecovillage Network Annual Report 2021

Letter from the Board & Coordination Lead Link
About GEN
GEN’s Call to Action
GEN Team
Frameworks
GEN’s Impact
Key Performance Indicators
What We Do
GEN Projects & Collaborations
GEN Financial Foundations
GEN Regions

GEN Africa
CASA Latina
GEN Europe
GENNA
GENOA
Next GEN
The Global Ecovillage Network is a growing and evolving

international network of regenerative communities and

initiatives.
This year’s Annual Report presents the activities, impact,

vision and mission of GEN and the organisations that

make up the key parts of our network - the GEN regions

and GEN International.
We first provide an overview of GEN and our core

frameworks, key performance indicators, and highlights

of the year. We then share the accomplishments from

GEN’s five Regions and NextGEN, our youth arm,

celebrating the wealth of action and cultural diversity

of the journey towards low impact, regenerative

lifestyles around the planet.
We hope you will enjoy the journey through
2021 with us!
INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS

To the entire GEN family,
While at GEN we celebrate our leadership and organisational transformations, and our continued

political stand practising regenerative styles of living, the world leaders continue to be lethargic in

the face of the threat of the Climate Emergency.
We celebrate Carlos Rojas and Jennifer Viloria, the new co-chairs of the Board of Trustees. We

celebrate the GEN International team and the new group of Trustees together advancing in a

global strategy to guarantee the transition towards a viable sustainability model for GEN. We

celebrate the expansing of the GEN General Assembly into the Network Steward Circle, which has

an imperative role as a think tank to activate the communities of practice necessary to articulate

actions at all levels of the network.
However, we cannot neglect the context in which we are. The Climate Emergency has intensified,

with ecocides threatening life in the territories where many of us live. War reaches out of local

contexts, to escalate to a global threat. Famines reoccur, caused by the systemic failures of large-

scale agriculture based on a monopoly of agricultural supplies dependent on fossil fuels. Those are

not new, but are a strong call to stand firm in promoting the solutions offered by regenerative

styles of living in communities. For that reason, I invite you to read this report asking yourself,

which of these fruits are your contribution to guaranteeing buen vivir on this planet? What do you

want to do in fellowship with GEN to be more impactful?
As usual, in the annual report you will find details on the financial health of GEN, its achievements

and challenges in 2021 and notes on the transition towards being a financially viable network.
Celebrating the achievements of GEN in 2021, I also say farewell after completing 6 years as a

GEN trustee and my term as chairwoman of the Board.
Jennifer Trujillo Obando
President of the Board of Trustees 2019-2022
WELCOME LETTER FROM THE BOARD

Dear Readers,
In a year of worsening climate change, political unrest, and isolation, I often thought about why
ecovillages matter. For me, GEN is about regeneration, empowerment and the transformative
capacity of community. About nurturing relationships and practices that transform us as well as
our societies, and growing our shared capacity to act. Whether for food security, human
connection, financial solidarity, climate change adaptation, carbon drawdown, living true to our
values, or the joy of belonging, ecovillages provide spaces of hope and imagination, showing that
living sustainably is not only possible, but also deeply satisfying.
This year in GEN, we translated our hope into the new Ecovillage Impact Assessment, opening
windows into good practice around the world. We also developed new materials for community-
led initiatives and local authorities to work together for positive impact. We continued to expand
learning opportunities for those who want to redesign their own lives and communities, and
launched a project for increasing the resilience and transformative capacity of ecovillages in a
+2.5 degree global warming scenario, giving us space to dive deep into the leadershp of local
communities in just, nature based and people-led responses in the coming decades.
Creativity bubbled throughout our global network. GEN US is successfully publishing the almost
50-year-old Communities Magazine, and members of CASA Latina authored a new book on urban
ecobarrios. In Europe, virtual ecovillage tours supported communities in lockdown and GEN
Europe launched an ethical and open source IT toolbox for members and collaborators. GEN
Africa saw deepening collaborations with national governments in the Pan African Ecovillage
Development Programme, and both GENOA and CASA Latina provided courses and important
spaces for healing, connection and empathy in a year marked by isolation.
At every level, we remain dedicated to inspire, scale and facilitate communities and people from
all walks of life to become active participants in the transition to a resilient and regenerative
human presence on Earth.
Anna Kovasna, Coordination Circle Lead link 2020 - 2022
WELCOME LETTER FROM THE COORDINATION CIRCLE LEAD LINK

Ecovillages exist on all inhabited continents,

providing potent spaces of imagination and examples

that more sustainable lifestyles are not only possible,

they are also deeply fulfilling.
Thousands of ecovillages are already demonstrating

how we can transition to a sustainable future, and

adapt to increasingly adverse conditions with

compassion and capacity to cocreate resilient local

systems able to care for both human and ecosystem

health and wellbeing.
This community-based capacity for going beyond the

Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change

Agreement can be unleashed for each one of us to

change our lives, and to establish regional and

national programmes to support ecovillage

development.
Catalysing communities for a regenerative world
GEN’s purpose is to link and support ecovillages, educate the

world about them, and grow the ecovillage movement - to

inspire, scale and facilitate communities and people from all

walks of life to become active participants in the transition to

a resilient and regenerative human presence on Earth.
GEN International’s purpose is to provide global platforms,

voice, and coordination to help achieve that.
SUPPORT ECOVILLAGES & ECOVILLAGE LIVING:
Create new and support existing ecovillages to thrive and

serve as diverse laboratories, learning centres and models

of land- and community-based social, ecological, economic

and cultural regeneration, adaptation and resilience.

Weave connections, foster relationships, collaboration, and

solidarity in the ecovillage network.
EDUCATE THE WORLD ABOUT ECOVILLAGES:
Build skills and capacity for regenerative, community-

based living through providing learning opportunities and

ecovillage-based training to diverse audiences.
BUILD THE ECOVILLAGE MOVEMENT:
Grow the reach, visibility, and support of ecovillages as

well as the opportunities to engage with and support our

movement. Join efforts with others in the larger

movement for a transition to a regenerative, just, and

peaceful world.

GEN works through five broad regional organisations

and our youth movement.
AN ECOVILLAGE IS AN INTENTIONAL OR
TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY THAT IS CONSCIOUSLY
DESIGNED THROUGH LOCALLY OWNED,
PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES TO REGENERATE
THEIR SOCIAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS.

GEN
KNOWLEDGE CREATION
AND GROWTH

ECOVILLAGES

In 2021, the Global Ecovillage Network deepened our exploration of shared governance and collaborative leadership. The

Director's Circle transitioned into the Coordination Circle, with the leads of our seven areas being responsible for coordinating,

developing and leading the overall development and operations of the Global Node. This circle is facilitated by the

Coordination Circle Lead Link to maintain focus on the circle’s purpose and mandate and support circle members to deliver

what is needed. With clearer domains and responsibilities for different teams and a new participatory approach to budgeting,

our aim is to build an even more collaborative culture in our team and network.
GEN ORGANIGRAM

BOARD MEMBERS 2021
OUR CIRCLES
The Network Steward Circle (NSC) links the
Regional and Global Nodes, NextGEN, and GEN
Elders together. Its core purpose is Network
coordination, to steward GEN’s shared purpose,
and to serve as the General Assembly of GEN
International. The GEN Board of Trustees is
responsible for ensuring that GEN International
maintains its mission, is financially viable, and
operates according to Scottish legal
requirements. GEN’s dedicated Staff team,
under the leadership of a Coordination Circle,
works hand in hand with regional staff to
implement GEN’s objectives and targets. The
GEN Elders and GEN Advisory Board share their
wisdom and advice at crucial points.
Albert Bates (USA) , Alfonso Flaquer (Spain),
Alberto Coyote (Mexico), Beatriz Arjona
(Colombia), Boniface Gomez (Bangladesh),
Daniel Greenberg (USA), Declan Kennedy
(Germany ), Giovanni Ciarlo (USA), Helena N.
Hodge (Australia), Jane Rasbash (Scotland), John
Croft (Australia), John Talbot (Australia)
Joss Brookes (India), Liora Adler (Mexico),
Lucilla Borio (Italy), Marian Zeitlin (Senegal),
MARTI (India), Max Lindegger (Australia)
Ousmane Pame (Senegal), Rob Wheeler (USA),
Robert Gilman, (USA), Roger Doudna (Scotland)
COUNCIL OF ELDERS
GEN
Jennifer Trujillo Obando
President, Colombia.
GEN
Laurie Michaels
U.K. Representative
GEN Africa
Niveen Adel
Egypt
Carlos Rojas
Colombia
Jonas Di Gregorio
US/Italy
GEN Europe
Camilla Nielsen
Denmark

GENNA
Keala Young
US
Jennifer Viloria
UK/Philippines

NEW TRUSTEES JOINED IN SEPTEMBER 2021

NETWORK STEWARD CIRCLE
Keala Young
Priscilla Flores
Linda Joseph († May 2021)
Camilla Nielsen-Englyst
Steffen Emrich
Angel Matilla
Margarita O. Zethelius
Yuluka BoaVida
Pamela Martinez
Ngo Thao (Kin)
Xin Tong (Karen)
Amena Bal
Rachel Chininga-Francis
Niveen Adel
Luc Lutala
Macaco Tamerice
Rob Wheeler
Daniel Greenberg
Crystel Koh
Laura Kästele
Julián Ruiz Rueda
Anna Kovasna
Jake Jay-Lewin
Benjamin Bernabela
ELDERS
STEWARDS
GEN INTL.

STEWARDS

GEN TEAM IN 2021
PREVIOUS GEN TEAM MEMBERS
Anna Kovasna
Coordination
Circle Lead Link
Gabriel Siqueira
Communications
Director

Taisa Mattos
Research and
Consultancy
Coordinator

Camila Olarte
Design
Coordinator

Christopher Kindig

Business
Consultant

Maeve McBride
Fundraising
Director

Rodrigo Braga
Web Developer
Irene Canalís
European Solidarity
Corps Intern
Ann-Christin Abbenhaus
European Solidarity
Corps Intern
Karoline Petersen
European Solidarity
Corps Intern
Alisa Sidorenko
European Solidarity
Corps Intern
Charles Katere
Projects
Accountant
Petre Dobrescu
IT Coordinator
Natalie Limwatana
River of Life
Coordinator
Jake Jay-Lewin
IT Support

Ruben Gutiérrez
European Solidarity
Corps Intern
Rob Wheeler
UN Liaison
Esther Hirsch
Operations
Director
Abbie Caldas
Education Director
Kathleen O'Day
Finance Director

Carolin Waldmann
Office Coordinator &
Education Assistant
Caroline Armstrong
Bookkeeper
Eva Goldfarb
Brand and Marketing
Consultant
Jon Dallas
Online Summit Project
Manager
Benjamin Bernabela
Network Care
Coordinator
Trudy Juriansz - Networking Director (March 2021)
Tessa Brock - Ambassador Coordinator (July 2021)
Mark Anderson - Senior Web Developer (October 2021)
Ania Konarska - Fundraising Coordinator (April 2021)
Lara Muhsik - ESC (August 2021)
Stefano Nebiolo - ESC (August 2021)

THE ECOVILLAGE MAP OF REGENERATION

ENGAGEMENT
Rural or urban communities that are consciously designing its through locally owned, participatory
processes, aiming to address the Ecovillage Principles. Ecovillages have a population ranging from at least
20 to several thousand inhabitants. GEN recognizesecovillages as such, if they have been in existence for
at least 2 years, and are already implementing solutions in at least one of the Areas of Regeneration with
an intention to spread implementation to all four areas (social, culture, ecology and economy)
as well as whole systems design.

ENGAGEMENT
ECO:
Comes from the Greek Oikos - relating to family,

home, place, and planet.
ECO CITIZENS:
Individuals aiming to lead ecovillage lifestyles

which address the ecovillage principles in all four

areas of regeneration (social, culture, ecology,

economy)
ECO PROJECTS:
Initiatives of various sizes that inspire and foster

implementation of ecovillage principles, such as

eco farms, permaculture projects, learning

centres, ecosystem restoration camps and

ecotourism sites.
ECO / GREEN SCHOOLS:
Schools creating environment conducive to

learning about and experiencing ecovillage

principles in some or all areas of regeneration.
ECO COMMUNITIES:
‘Small ecovillages’, with a population of less that

20 adults (starting from extended families),

consciously designed to address ecovillage

principles in some or all areas of regeneration.
ECO NEIGHBOURHOODS:
Urban settlements that are consciously designed

through locally owned, participatory processes

and aiming to address ecovillage principles in

some or all four areas of regeneration to

regenerate their social and natural environments
ECO REGIONS
Areas, especially partsof a country or the world

having definable characteristics but not always

fixed boundaries. A GEN region is referred to the

5 primary geographic areas that make up the

Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) - Europe,

Africa, North America, Latin America and Asia

Oceania.

42
Established
Networks
For more than 25 years, GEN has inspired, scaled and
facilitated communities and people from all walks of life
to become active participants in the transition to a
resilient and regenerative human presence on Earth.
Ecovillages are grassroots initiatives started from local
leadership, that directly contribute to our collective
capacity to reach the climate agreement and UN SDGs.
GEN distils tools, builds capacity, and celebrates the
results of the incredible work tens of thousands of
people are doing in their communities on the ground.
GEN’S IMPACT ENGAGEMENT
55
550
580
7500
23
279
30
116
Emerging
Networks
Government
Outreach

Ambassadors
Partnership Organizations

Volunteer
Hours

Total
Countries
Communities
GEN reaches out to
Sustainable
Solutions

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Online Engagement and Research
Social Media Growth
Education Offerings
Online Learning Participants
Newsletter Subscribers
Website Visitors
Social Media Growth - followers
across 5 platforms: Facebook ,
Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
LindedIn.
2019: 25.473
2020: 36.884
2021: 63.170
2019: 17.968
2020: 26.266
2021: 30.855
2019: 219.983
2020: 344.761
2021: 376.608

GEN INTERNATIONAL 2021 PRIORITIES
Online Learning Platform functionality and content
development
New collaborative funding models for network
platforms and services
Launch of GEN Consultancy in cooperative form
Decreasing dependency on
grant funding through
further development of
self-sustaining and ethical
business models.
Increased and improved
cooperation within the
and network
Developing stronger
public identity,
outreach and
communications
New internal structures for collaboration, continued
implementation of shared governance
Creation of Network Care Coordinator role, support for
Network Steward Circle & GEN Communities of Practice
Ongoing active co-development of network partnerships
and collaborations within all activities
Growing the diversity and reach of GEN’s voice and face
Implementing a clear and focused communications
strategy to support the fulfilment of GEN's mission at all
levels
Active outreach through Online Summit, campaigns and
COP26

ANNUAL REPORT
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
2021
WHAT WE DID

Operations
Education, Research & Consultancy
Fundraising
Networking
Communications
IT
Projects:
Blast
ESC
ETiA
Ecovillage Impact Assessment
Gamer
Hildur Jackson Award
Online Summit
River of Life
Financial Foundations
CONTENT

Operations
Aligning our yearly GEN Budget to our activities and
adjusting it to the new organisational and team
structures.
Reviewing our human resource processes to ensure
further alignment with our own vision and values as
well as with current HR requirements.
A purpose-driven operational and financial management
of GEN International is essential for the organisation
and team's well-being. Only when we match legal
requirements, human resource processes, organisational
systems, and our finances to our core activities, can we
make well-grounded decisions.
In 2021 we, therefore, focused on
ONLINE STORE:
Our aim of the year was to continue providing high
quality resources from GEN and our key partners while
reducing emissions and improving global accessibility
and affordability of our products.
We put increasing effort into providing digital versions
of our educational tools and materials. Adapted to
online education, free of production and shipping
emissions, digital producs also makes it easier for us to
maintain products in a great diversity of languages.
A combination of community sales, stock clearance and
printing and distribution agreements with local GEN
networks also allowed us to decentralise resources and
financial flows, increase each, and build stronger
network relations at multiple levels.

After launching the GEN online learning platform in 2020,

we began in 2021 to offer new courses, focus on longer
programmes in ecovillage and permaculture design, pilot

blended learning, launch an online community for

learners and alumni, and expand our mission to amplify

and host the work of experts, facilitators and teachers

from within the whole GEN network.
By the end of 2021, we had welcomed over 3,000

learners and participants, many joining multiple

courses into year-long ecovillage learning journeys.
We were also proud to engage 102 guest speakers,

teachers and facilitators from 22 countries, bringing

skills, wisdom and inspiration from our global network.
With partners, we launched the world's first full length

online live Ecovillage Design Education as well as a new

course in Permaculture Design in Ecovillages.
In 2021, GEN International also hosted the GENOA
ReGEN-Nations regenerative design lab and several
shorter offerings from our Regions.
Our in-house short courses were designed to
complement our focus on furthering ecovillage
research, amplifying ecovillage-based education for
children, and public speaking for GEN Ambassadors.
While we missed the in-person learning connections,
we celebrated the ability to bring people together
who may not have had the opportunity to connect due
to geographical distance. We were thrilled by the
resounding feedback that this is what our participants
deeply appreciated: meeting diverse people with a
common thread and sharing the journey together.
"You have opened up a treasure box that
I think will last a lifetime."
- Rebecca, PDC Course participant.
"The structure and teaching materials are first class.

And the opportunity to network with students from all

over the world working on such a variety of exciting

projects is superb. I learned so much!"
-David, PDC course participant.

In addition to courses, we continued to develop our
regenerative schools community of practice,
reaching full regional representation among 20+
collaborators. We hosted three webinars to highlight
case studies and common patterns, and to facilitate
connections througout GEN. This led to formulating
and sucessfully raising funds for a new project,
running in 2022, which will deepen collaboration,
enable and synthesise more peer learning, and result
in new educational resources for the network and
beyond.
As the whole world yearns to build a new normal,
we also hope that the network's on-the-ground
educational offerings will re-emerge. Holding the
value of what we learned about connecting
people online, what's next for GEN International
Education is to remain open to stepping into
blended courses (online and in person) and
continuing to support and showcase the wisdom
within the network.

Consultancy
GEN Consultancy supports people and organisations to

bring ecovillage concepts into their projects or

communities. In 2021, we refocused the consultancy on
primarily supporting new ecovillage initiatives and

existing communities to transition into ecovillages,

while also advising people in meaningful work and

lifestyle transformations. We launched a Consultancy

Clinic, giving tailored online input to groups, individuals

and organisations according to their needs.
Research
The GEN Research Group supports interactions

between the ecovillage movement, universities and

academics worldwide. It's volunteers work with the

team to gather, produce, and disseminate research on

ecovillages and related topics.
In 2021, we conducted two International Research

Colloquium Series on Ecovillages and Sustainable

Lifestyles in which well-known ecovillage researchers

from around the world presented their work and ideas.

More than 300 people registered and around 50

participated live in each session.

Ecovillage Research Circle brought together early-career
researchers and senior researchers for fruitful exchange
sessions.
New content on Ecovillage Research and related topics
was created and is now available on the GEN Learning
Platform as the Research Series.
At the YEESS Conference (University of Vechta) the
group organised an Ecovillage track and held a
workshop.
Dr. Rebeca Roysen and Dr. Anne-Kathrin Schwab
became editors of a Special Collection on Ecovillages
and other Community-led Initiatives within the Springer
Journal Climate Action.
A chapter for the book 'Climate Adaptation: Accounts of
resilience, self-sufficiency and systems change' was
written and published by the Arkbound Foundation,
discussing the transformative potential of Ecovillages in
rural areas, and comparing case studies from Germany
and Brazil.
Achievements of the GEN Research Group in 2021:

In April 2021 the world's first full live online Ecovillage
Design Education (EDE) was launched - initiated and held
by Taisa Mattos and Macaco Tamerice in partnership with
GEN and certified by Gaia Education.
The EDE was born out of the experiences of established
ecovillages and leading-edge educators to support
transformative community-based living with low
environmental impact and high quality of life, bringing
together social, ecological, economic, and cultural
regeneration and design.
The online EDE included expert trainers and educators
from 16 countries and brought together 70 participants
and changemakers from all over the world, creating a
learning community welcoming very diverse backgrounds,
ages (21 to 72), and spanning 13 timezones. It also piloted
a blended format, welcoming participants to optional
residential weeks in ecovillages.
The course showed us that both community and
transformative learning can be transposed online and that
what is lost through the medium is more than
compensated for by the unique composition of a truly
diverse group and top-notch guest speakers who can
literally only gather together in one "zoom" room.

In November 2021, GEN's first Permaculture Design
Course (PDC) was launched as a partnership course
between GEN and Ecocentro IPEC in Brazil. This 2.5
month-long online PDC explored Ecovillages as
examples and sources of expertise for permaculture
design in action and gives participants the opportunity to
become certified permaculture designers.
The group was composed of 45 participants from 18 to
73 years old, all with diverse backgrounds and
motivations to learn and apply permaculture skills. The
multicultural cohort enriched the content immensely by
bringing in questions and contributing their different
realities from more than 15 countries.
Hosting a PDC online made it possible to take the usual
learning experience one step further. Decentralised
online learning enabled participants to learn at a slower
pace, and connect more to their local environment by
creating their own permaculture design projects, while at
the same learning from experienced permaculture design
teachers from around the world and sharing experiences
with a global learning community.

Fundraising
In 2021, the Fundraising Circle at GEN grew and changed.
GEN recruited a new Fundraising Director, who started in
June. A fundraising strategic plan was developed, which
focused on increasing individual donations, supporting regions
to fundraise for themselves, launching fundraising campaigns
for GEN programs, and raising funds to increase reserves
towards the end of the Gaia Trust Fund.
Two fundraising campaigns were completed in 2021. Funds
raised for COP26 supported two GEN Staff, Anna Kovasna and
Taisa Mattos, to represent GEN at COP26 in Glasgow.
GEN launched the first-ever year-end appeal. This campaign
was geared towards financing GEN’s core expenses. Over 355
individuals donated, raising over £18,000.
GEN was awarded two project grants in 2021, for a twinning
schools project and an ecovillage climate change adaptation
project. GEN embarked on donor engagement meetings. We
were very successful in meeting digitally via zoom to know
more about donors, partners, and friends of GEN, their interest
in joining the network, and how they can work closely with
GEN in promoting the GEN sustainable concepts.
GEN was able to organize four fundraising training for the
regions to help them build their capacity to raise funds to
sustain their regional activities, replacing the Gaia Trust Funds
that the regions had received through GEN.

AMBASSADORS
This year we welcomed 12 new Ambassadors. We also
initiated a process of reviewing and developing the
programme together with Ambassadors. 50 Ambassadors
sent in their thoughts on the programme, and we hosted
2 global co-creation meetings with Ambassadors.
VOLUNTEERS
GEN also launched an expanded programme for the
many people interested in volunteering in our online and
remote work. From market strategists to designers,
translators to researchers, we received invaluable
support in our mission. This programme is designed to
grow and strengthen the community of volunteers and
supports GEN in fulfilling our purpose to build more
capacity for the whole network. It also gives individuals
the opportunity to gain more insights and involvement
within GEN and the architecture of GEN as an
organisation.
GEN is reaching out to all volunteers, inviting
renewed commitments for the upcoming year
and looking at further expanding a global and
vital volunteer community.
Networking

Network Care
NETWORK COLLABORATION
2021 saw a big shift in our central network relationships,
as part of our ongoing experimentation with collaborative
and network-based governance and cooperation. While in
previous years, the General Assembly of GEN
International was at the centre of network coordination
and communication, we now have a Network Steward
Circle (NSC). The Circle is made up of 3 representatives
from GEN's 5 geographical Regions and GEN International,
as well as from our Council of Elders and the youth of
NextGEN – 8 network nodes in total.
The NSC provides a space where those 8 nodes meet and
cooperate on equal footing and with equal voice. Meeting
regularly, the 24 Network Stewards are dedicated to
stewarding the shared purpose of the ecovillage network,
and fostering collaboration and exchange. This circle also
serves as GEN's General Assembly, when needed. In 2021,
the NSC shared regular updates from all nodes, initiated a
shared platform for communicatios and information flow
between Stewards, set the frame of its own working,
started developing a set of core GEN values and relational
agreements, approved a new GEN Purpose statement, and
initiated working groups in the areas of advocacy,
fundraising and launching a GEN-wide ecosystem of
Communities of Practice.

Advocacy
UN CLIMATE CONFERENCE
8 seasoned GEN delegates were present at COP26 to
create international visibility for the ecovillage
approach. Beyond many meetings with key partners in
the world of regeneration, adaptation and nature based
solutions, we delivered an official conference
presentation; participated in an exhibit on “Women,
Power and Entrepreneurship in the Climate Change
Age” hosted by Gaia Education; hosted a participatory
workshop using the ecovillage design cards in a climate
risk management scenario in the Capacity Building Hub;
and were invited present our work in a special event
held by the regional governments of Nigeria.
PAN-AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Our delegation also met with 8 African governments to
continue strengthening the Pan-African Development
Programme (PAEDP), highlighting the power of
community-led holistic development and ecovillage
approaches to greening schools, agroforestry,
ecosystem restoration, livelihoods, and women's rights.
After COP, the PAEDP team selected countries for for
next steps and are now piloting a kick-off with Togo,
scaling their Ecovillage Development Programme from 7
ecovillages to 500 ecovillages in partnership with GEN.

Communications
Communications acts as the connective thread of GEN to
the outside world, promoting GEN’s values and ideals to
ecovillage friends and allies around the world. We created
content from the heart of the ecovillage movement,
strong imagery, compelling narratives, and solid data
bringing evidence of our impact. Communications
cultivated and curated best practices, sharing highlights to
connect communities for a more sustainable world.
Communications & Marketing Strategic Plan
We adopted a more strategic and integrated approach
to our communications, branding, and marketing plans
to support the development of GEN's position as the
connector in a global movement of large-scale
transformation of social, environmental, economic, and
worldview systems. We developed a clear and focused
branding and communications strategy to support the
development of self-sustaining business models,
fundraising, reach and impact of the organisation. We
also focused more on collaboration and
decentralisation. This resulted in steady growth across
our conversion funnels, starting with our social media
channels - 15% growth in comparison with 2020 -,
which led to a 17% growth of website qualified
accesses this year, finally generating a 9% increase in
newsletter subscribers in 2021.

Communications
SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH
As a result of a more strategic approach, we were able to
continue growing our social media channels' reach. Our
Instagram @ecovillage account grew an incredible 161%
from 2020 to 2021. Our LinkedIn increased by 119%.
Facebook and Twitter grew less (11 and 44%
respectively) while maintaining the growth trend.
YOUTUBE VIDEO SERIES
We were showcasing inspiring, practical experiences and
successes from ecovillages and interviews with the GEN
International Staff. We are adopting more and more the
video format, and as a result, we experienced an increase
of 191% in the number of subscribers to our YouTube
channel.
DESIGN
Developed several ecovillage manuals, Ecovillage Design
Cards, and the visual identity for the Ecovillage Design
Education the Permaculture Design Course, COP26 and
the Year-End Fundraising campaign Together we Thrive.
COLLABORATIVE TOOLS
We adopted Canva as a collaborative design tool and this
allowed our work to become much more creative and
integrated, linking directly with teams across the network.

IT
When we speak about connecting, engaging, and
educating people, communities, and networks around the
globe, it is clear the important role that technology plays.
We are constantly improving our existing systems such as
the Ecovillage Database, the Solution Library, and the
Online Learn Platform.
IMPACT
One of the biggest highlights of the work done in 2021
was the launch of the new online interface for the
Ecovillage Impact Assessment.
LEARN
We also focused on the definition of the Online Learning
Platform development roadmap and the improvement of
the course enrollment process. The IT team has been
closely collaborating with education in order to find the
best alternatives to improve students' experience
throughout their learning journey, this included vast
research on social platforms that could be used for this
purpose, with which the education team has been
experimenting.

IT
HIDDEN WORK
Often in IT there is a big amount of work that stays
invisible to the majority of people, and in GEN this is no
different. This year a lot of energy was invested to
improve our server's configuration, deployment
processes, documentation, tasks management, and file
organisation.
RESOURCE
The ecovillage.org theme received updates to integrate
with the latest features of the WordPress Platform, and
two new sites were officially launched using this shared
resource, CASA Latina and NextGEN.
TRANSFORM
Following the transformation of structures within GEN,
the IT circle had also changed its integrants and
coordination, this process led to the definition of new
roles, for which we will be welcoming new collaborators
in 2022.
SUPPORT
And of course, our usual load of bug fixing and giving
support to our dear colleagues from other teams.

Blast
ESC
ETiA
Gamer
Hildur Jackson Award
Online Summit
River of Life
P R O J E C T S

PROJECTS
In 2021 GEN International hosted 7 long-term European Solidarity Corps (ESC)
participants at the office in Findhorn, Scotland. The Erasmus+ programme, funded by
the European Commission, enables GEN to support young people who share our vision
of a world of empowered citizens and communities to develop skills and experience in
projects, work in an international team, and gain communication and cooperation tools
- empowering them as lifelong leaders. Based in the Findhorn Foundation &
Community, they also witness and experience the life of sustainability, and social
cooperation that ecovillages model.
Running from 2019 to 2021, BLAST was an Erasmus+ funded project run by the
transnational Transformative Education Community of Practice formed by members
of ECOLISE and other partners. including GEN. It's aim was to build capacity for
blended transformative learning.
During 2021, the international project team facilitated an online training of trainers,
held several local events, and launched a BLAST Guide, Toolkit, Communities of
Practice Guide, Compentencies Framework, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Pathway guide, and a modulat online course - all available free online at
www.ecovillage.org/blast
BLAST - Blended adult Learning for the
Socio-Ecological Transition
ESC - European Solidarity Corps

It is common in our networks to see examples of engaged communities
working for positive change who feel unsupported by local government. We

also see municipalities with positive goals and a determination to act, who are

struggling to build genuinely collaborative relationships with local citizens and

initiatives. Ecovillage Transition in Action (ETiA) is an Erasmus+ Strategic

Partnership involving GEN, ECOLISE, GEN Germany and the University of St.

Andrews. The project team has been working to develop new Curricula for

Local and Community-led Sustainable Development, as well as a Training of

Trainers for Ecovillage Transition – both providing innovative materials and

pedagogies for community-led initiatives, local authorities, educators and active

citizens to work together for positive impact. We have been researching

successful case studies on collaborations, conducting interviews, building
partnerships, gathering and creating innovative materials that soon will be

ready to be shared. Overall, the project aims to develop key competences in

cross-sectoral partnership building, community building, participatory design

and collaboration between local authorities and community led-initiatives in

primarily rural areas. Due to the impact of the pandemic and related travel

restrictions, we had the project timeline postponed again. The project

coordination team managed to get a project extension to guarantee the
quality and dissemination of our outputs, with many face-to-face events

rescheduled for 2022.
Ecovillage Transition in Action
PROJECTS

PROJECTS
The Ecovillage Impact Assessment is designed to map and showcase the activities of
community-led initiatives, inspire action, and provide data to analyse and grow the
resilience and impact of ecovillages, GEN, and the wider movement for regeneration.
It was developed by GEN together with communities, ecovillage experts and
researchers from around the world, is open for all to use, and measures a
community's impact in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
and the Map of Regeneration. Results are visual, public and displayed on the GEN
website. Completed in 2021, it can now be found online at
www.ecovillage.org/impact
EcoGAMER, 2018 - 2021, was a partnership of GEN International (lead), GEN Europe,
Damanhur Education, SEKEM Development Foundation and the University of Lisbon,
funded by Erasmus+. The partnership created two main outputs. First the Ecovillage
Impact Assessment, detailing and measuring the impact of key community-scale
practices for fulfilling the UN SDGs and Paris Climate Agreements. Available online for
anyone to use, it teaches and showcases the transformative power of community
action for sustainable development - ecovillage.org/impact. Second, the Game of
ReGENeration, using experiential learning and creative expression folded into an
immersive myth to teach leadership, community building and regenerative project
design. The game exists as a live action game with resources for facilitators, and as a
shorter table top game with its own manual - ecovillage.org/ecogamer
GAMER

Our gratitude continued for the opportunity to honour Hildur Jackson while celebrating
incredible projects within our network that showcase impact and inspiration. This year,
we welcomed fresh perspectives from new jury members, including two past winners,
ensuring all regions were represented, as well as Next GEN. Their review of the almost
30 applicants led to a showcase of the top five: Khetee Regenerative Agroforestry in
India, Ayruma Ecovillage in Brazil, Boekel Ecovillage in the Netherlands, Eco-Clean
Ghana, with the Global PermaYouth Project based in Crystal Waters Ecovillage in
Australia taking the top prize.
This youth-led project stood out as it connects youth around the world to gather online
to explore what permaculture means in their local context, to learn about different
ways of thinking about it and applying it. They integrate mentors such as Morag
Gamble, Rosemary Morrow, Hannah Apricot Eckberg, Sierra Robinson, Charlie McGee,
Fritjof Capra, Nora Bateson, and more. Through newsletters, online festivals, and a
YouTube channel, they also raise funds for the Permayouth members in refugee camps
and villages, reaching around 1.000 young refugees. They received free permaculture
training led by local teachers, as well as tools and seed kits to start gardens, and/or
seed-funding for local enterprises.
HILDUR JACKSON AWARD
PROJECTS
M
o
r
ag Gamble, Maia and Hugh Raym
o
n
d
PermaYouth Founders
Sakina Kiriba
Kakuma PermaYouth Leader
Music Group
PermaYouth Ambassador Crew
Kakuma Refugee Settlement, Kenya

Contribute to the mitigation of the climate crisis in
the face of multiple challenges and
Function as resilient communities of practice
under the conditions of environmental breakdown.
Our third Online Summit ‘Ecovillage Summit - Living
Solutions for a regenartive world’ welcomed 12.000
participants in April 2021.
This year’s focus lay on ecovillages and communities
from the GEN regions with the intention to showcase
how ecovillages
In 7 days and with 39 Ecovillages and Communities,
20 internationally renowned speakers we explored
how individual and community participation in
ecovillage lifestyles work towards earth restoration,
economic revival, social regeneration and cultural
celebration through showcasing practical solutions
and inspiring individual and collective action through
sharing ecovillage and solution stories.
PROJECTS

RIVER OF LIFE
PROJECTS
The River of Life program is an ongoing global program in GEN with
the motto 'Women supporting women': Women enable other women
to work directly in their communities, strengthen their social fabric
and thereby the ecosystem as well as the local economy. River of
Life provides financial support to exceptionally strong women in
Africa, Asia and Latin America over a certain period of time,
to help shift their communities in a regenerative direction.

Income
2021 was the first full operational year after the
restructuring of GEN. The process reoriented GEN’s
funding and the program implementation strategy to
more clearly communicate and demonstrate impact.
Total revenue by year
Three distinct funding pillars were identified: Funded
Projects, Earned revenue and Donations, composed of
Foundation grants and Individual donations.
Earned Income
In GEN’s efforts to increase its economic self-sufficiency,
the first phase of the online Educational platform was rolled
out in 2021. This resulted in a 20% increase in Earned
Revenue. Subsequent phases will provide the Regions
access and support to provide their own courses on the
platform. This mosaic of grassroots education is a key
strategic offering that GEN can provide to the international
community. As such, the development of the platform
started in 2020 and will continue in 2022 and beyond.
The 2021 Online Summit continued to provide revenue but
at a lower amount than in prior years. Feedback and input
from participants and stakeholders were harvested in the

autumn of 2021 and the result will be a fresh, more
interactive, and engaging format that will be rolled out in
2022. In total, Earned Revenue has increased from 1.41% of
total revenue in 2015 to 12% in 2020 and 19.9% in 2021.
Funded Projects
GEN is continuing to seek out Funded Projects whose
goals align well with GEN’s mission. These projects tend
to be multi-year and there are significant fluctuations
from year to year. Due to the delays encountered during
COVID, delays resulted in lower than anticipated
revenue for 2021. We believe this to be short-term in
nature. Further development of strong relationships with
partners encourages synergies and alignments that add
weight to our collective vision of greater sustainability.
We have had the privilege of working with the Scottish
Government, the German Foreign Ministry, the British
Council, and the European Commission, amongst others.
Navigating the impacts of COVID and BREXIT, GEN
experienced a drop in income in funded projects since
2019. Funded Projects account for 31.8% of total
revenue in 2021 in contrast to 38.4% of the total in 2020
and 22% in 2015.
Foundations
GEN is enormously grateful for the support that Gaia Trust
has provided GEN throughout the years. The percentage of
total funding from Gaia Trust decreased from 48% in 2015
to 42.5% in 2021.
During the restructuring process, GEN’s impact was distilled
to be more clearly communicated to potential donors. As a
result, GEN is now well-positioned to identify and seek out
funding from both public and private foundations that can
replace Gaia Trust’s funding. Furthermore, several fiscal
sponsorship agreements have been established in the
United States that will allow GEN to seek out funding from
American organizations and thereby significantly expand our
potential funder pool in 2022.
Individual Donations
Friends of GEN and individual donations have grown more
than 300% from 2020. The Friends of GEN energize us
with enthusiasm and support and show us how many
smaller gifts can make a huge difference.
Furthermore, as part of our Movement Building program,
GEN completed its first year-end fundraising campaign in
2021. Its purpose was to more effectively engage with our
generous donors.

Expenditure
Due to the 2020 restructuring process, COVID and
Brexit, GEN aimed to reduce expenditures to ensure
healthy reserves. Much of GEN’s pre-COVID work
involved significant travel and engagement in multiple
international projects. GEN has reemerged from this
period with a deliberate eye on GEN’s own impact on the
environment. As a result, virtual meetings and online
events have replaced much of our in-person events,
which has had a positive impact on our expenditure
GEN identifies three direct Programs: Educate, Support
the Network, and Movement Building. In addition, there
are three support areas of Leadership, Communications,
and Operations.
Education
Education spending decreased in 2021 by 27% in 2020.
This is due to a smaller Online Summit and efficiencies
gained in providing Education programs in GEN.
Support the Network
There was an almost 60% decrease in 2021 as some
coordination functions were given over to the network,
work circle.
IT based network support functions were redesigned, and
resources were shifted to developing a strong Online
Learning Platform. This was a strategic decision to invest
network-based models and social entrepreneurship in
2021 for GEN and the Regions. As a result, spending in
this program is expected to increase in 2022 and beyond.
Movement Building
GEN attended COP 26. As it was located in Scotland,
there was a decrease in travel costs associated with the
event but otherwise, Program costs remained steady.
Leadership
GEN’s leadership shifted to a sociocratic model in 2021.
This resulted in a 70% cost savings in leadership costs as
the role of Executive Director was phased out.
Communications
There was a 26% decrease in Communication costs from
its height in 2020, but only a 10% increase from the levels
in 2019. This Focus area is pivotal to facilitating and
increasing our outreach on social media for promoting
and sharing information.

Operations
Expenses have remained materially consistent with that
of the last two years with the exception of Traveling
costs, which have significantly decreased.
Fundraising
Engaging more directly with funders, GEN hired a
dedicated fundraiser to assist in Movement Building and
in the development of a year-end fundraising drive. This
resulted in both increased individual donations and
fundraising costs. Costs increased by 105% in 2021 over
those in 2020.
Funded Project spending
The significant decrease in spending compared to 2020 in
2021 spending was due to timing differences. Several
projects were delayed due to COVID restrictions on
events.
At the date of printing this report, our Audited Financial
Statements for the 2021 fiscal year-end were not yet
complete. They will be filed by the September 30th
deadline with the Scottish Charity Regulator and available
to the public at that point.

GENOA, the Global Ecovillage Network of Oceania & Asia, is
a network of people, ecovillages, organisations, networks, and local government

bodies in Oceania and Asia. GENOA promotes ecovillage lifestyles and spaces

where people live and work together in a sustainable way, with dignity and

integrity, in harmony with each other and with nature.
GENOA aims to co-create a region of regenerative and restorative culture

through connecting, sharing, promoting, and supporting existing and aspiring

ecovillage communities, projects, and individuals; and the organisations,

networks, and local government bodies that support them.
GENOA OCEANIA AND ASIA

Publication of 11 monthly newsletter issues in 2021 showcasing stories of
ecovillages, networks and eco-projects from the network.
Ambassadors in the network of GENOA have actively hosted introduction to
ecovillages and related workshops in India, Taiwan, The Philippines and Vietnam
Hosted more than 150 participants in 6 online community calls in 2021 with at
least 10 ecovillages had members joined the calls
Engaged nearly 300 people in different thematic workshops and
conferences, with social media reaching up to 308,280 people
The GENOA Website https://genoaecovillage.org/ is up and
running with constant news and updates from the network
2021 HIGHLIGHTS

In December 2021, the REGEN-Nations project team hosted a year-end gathering for
GENOA network called “Gifts From The Heart” with participation of more than 40
people in the network.
GENOA partnered with Kai Farms, Lokal Lab Siargao, Kids for Kids, & MAD Travel to
host The Green Unconference 2021 from Oct 31 to Nov 11, 2021. The conference
attracted 179 registrations from different countries
“We are just deeply grateful for the experience and the excellent
program! The genuine passion of the organisers is evident and
inspiring. This Program by GENOA is one of its kind and we'd like to
congratulate the Team for a job very well done. ”
- a participant in REGEN-Nations
REGEN-Nations 2nd cycle was kick-started in August 2021 and has been
running since. The project has built an updated course design & a business
model with adjustments to the program structure compared to the first cycle.
At the moment, the process of redesigning the course has been completed, the
team is in the process of marketing and finalizing content. This whole systems
design course for regeneration will run from April 2022 to October 2022.
From November 2021, GENOA started hosting online Healing Circles for Inner
Regeneration to cultivate global wellbeing and peace twice a month in new
moon and full moon days as we sense in the need for personal healing.
PROJECTS
GATHERINGS/EVENTS

https://genoaecovillage.org/
CONTACT INFO
In 2021, GENOA has successfully reaffirmed our
partnerships with many organizations and
network in Oceania & Asia. At the same time, we
have established new official partnerships with
the Ubiquity University, Roots of Wisdoms,
Kayumanggi organics and Hans Handmade.
Acknowledging the importance of partnership
for regeneration, GENOA have collaborated
with over 10 organizations and communities to
conduct different programs and events.
Australia, Japan, NextGEN Korea
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar,
Nepal, Aotearoa/NewZealand, Philippines,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vanuatu,
Vietnam
PARTNERSHIPS AND
NATIONAL NETWORKS
REGISTERED NETWORKS
EMERGING NETWORKS
facebook.com/GENOceaniaAsia
genoa@ecovillage.org
genoa.ecovillage

GENNA Alliance, as a multi-organisation collaborative, focuses
on advancing the regenerative community within Turtle Island -
synergizing beyond our existing organisations and networks to
include the broader regenerative movement.
We envision a world of interdependent, cooperative, resilient
communities stewarding the conditions of regeneration, justice,
peace, and abundance, to actualize the flourishing of all life and
generations to come.
GEN NORTH AMERICA

Regenerative Communities Summit with Transition US
Sociocracy in Communities Conference with Sociocracy for All
Data sharing and interoperability with Collaborative Tech Alliance
GENNA's efforts from the Regenerative Education Working Group Summit in
2020 catalyzed several inter-network collaborations including collaborations
exploring Platform Design with the Global Regeneration CoLab and a 24-hour
Mapathon event which engaged dozens of regenerative mapping efforts around
the world and will happen again in 2022.
Collaborations and engagement with aligned networks and partner organizations
continue to grow the foundation to fulfill our mission:
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
In North America, there are thousands of community projects, numerous
organizations, and dozens of regional networks all focused on creating a more
regenerative future. GENNA strives to weave them together in a
“Participatory Commons” alliance of the broader regenerative communities
movement, emerging as Regen Alliance.

“Diversity Equity Inclusion ...these are ongoing commitments
and values of GEN in our region, expanding connection with
and support for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)
and diverse communities.”
Keala Young

GENNA continues to support data sharing research and
development for regenerative communities networking and a project
for mapping ecovillages and communities.
Monthly Networking Calls encourage cross-pollination and
connection within the network.
PROJECTS
In 2021 we lost Linda Joseph, one of our longest-running champions
for ecovillages in North America which also had an impact on projects
where her leadership was essential. In her honour, we are inspired to
regenerate our programming for 2022!
Story Telling Courses and events empower individuals to share their
personal stories in ways that create connection, healing and transformation

Regenerative Communities Summit with
Transition US
Sociocracy in Communities Conference
with Sociocracy for All
GEN-US continues as Publisher of
Communities magazine, the journal of, by,
with, and for communities and cooperative
culture for almost 50 yrs!
GENNA and NextGENNA are now partnering
to produce a quarterly newsletter for our
networks.
Ecovillages Canada launched its new website
and offered a wide array of webinar
workshops.
GENNA representatives support and
participate in partner initiatives including:
genna@ecovillage.org
NATIONAL NETWORKS
CONTACT INFO

As the European Ecovillage Network, we envision a conscious,
resilient, and sustainable Europe where ecovillage and community
values and lifestyles are widely adopted.
We seek to achieve this vision by building bridges between
communities, inspiring and training to enable the creation of new
ones, and influencing policymakers and the public through the
promotion of ecovillage solutions as part of the transition
towards a more resilient society.
GEN EUROPE

Building on the lessons of 2020, we spent 2021 strengthening our online

collaboration, experimenting with new formats and ways to connect people to the

ecovillage movement. A range of successful online events such as Meet the

Ecovillages demonstrated the increased appetite among the public for windows into

ecovillage life, while internally we continued to build member capacity through

trainings in sociocracy, youth exchanges and network-building.
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
We ran seven online ecovillage tours for 130 participants using an innovative
entrepreneurial model that helped secure income for GEN Europe, member ecovillages and
facilitators as well as providing publicity and insights into communities.
We successfully secured five new funded projects, including a sociocracy training and a
youth exchange between Senegal and Germany, and we began WESEEN, an exchange of
good practice and peer-to-peer learning between national networks that connect
sustainable communities and community-led initiatives from seven European countries.
We rolled out new open-source IT services for members and collaborators, providing
new income streams and reducing our dependence on corporate-owned platforms.
“A sweet, heartwarming and inspiring journey”
Meet the Ecovillages attendee feedback

GATHERINGS

Besides various trainings and exchanges, 2021 saw the kick-off of our latest
major Horizon2020 project, EC², which focuses on energy citizenship and
energy communities. Alongside two of our member ecovillages, we are
ensuring that community wisdom informs academic research and policy
recommendations for a low-carbon energy transition.
We continued to welcome ESC volunteers to the office with Erasmus+ funding,
providing much-needed office support as well as a chance for young people to
get involved in the ecovillage world. All our volunteers brought wonderful
skills and dedication this year - we couldn't have done it without them!
Having run a successful online gathering in 2020, we
planned an online event series for 2021. The Resilience
and Regeneration Series focused on ecovillage economics
and community-building and we experimented with new
formats and activities such as a funding circle, eco-
business sprint, and community consultation using the
CLIPS methodology. Work is now underway to hold our
first in-person gathering in almost three years!
PROJECTS

We welcomed many new members
in 2021 - 2 full members (Popolo
degli Elfi and the Belgian Ecovillage
Network) and 20 aspiring members
from across Europe.
www.gen-europe.org
secretariat@gen-europe.org
facebook.com/geneurope
instagram.com/gen_europe
twitter.com/geneurope
Baltic Ecovillage Network, Iberian

Peninsula, WISE (UK & Ireland)
CONTACT INFO
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Hungary,
Poland, Italy, Israel, Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
NEW MEMBERS
NATIONAL NETWORKS
REGIONAL NETWORKS

We are a multicultural and inclusive community, living in

fullness, peace and harmony with Mother Earth and with

all the beings that we inhabit in this common house.
We promote the creation and articulation of initiatives,

projects, networks and sustainable settlements to live and

promote regenerative lifestyles and resilient societies
CASA LATINA

Published book. Ecobarrios in América Latina. Edited in association with
Beatriz Arjona, Alberto Ruz and Coopia
We had On line Vision Councils in all of the Countries that are part of CASA.
For the Sanctuaries of peace and regeneration program, we have included 2
countries with 3 ecovillages each. The program is based in the Mother Earth
Rights, the Buen Vivir, Ecovillages Dimentions and the Peace Culture.
CASA Latina also collaborated in the co-creation of the Ecovillage and
Resilient Communities Course in alliance with other organizations
whose mission includes alternative education
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
We support and develop inspiring initiatives, events and projects in the ecological,

social, cultural and spiritual fields.
We provide information, tools and training to accelerate the transition to

regenerative lifestyles.
We facilitate and participate in cultural and social processes of political
incidence and action to recognize and defend the Rights of Mother Earth.

Online Vision Councils in México, Colombia, Chile, Perú
Virtual General Assembly
“When we’re going to take care of a place, we’re going
to recognise this place as alive; holding it sacred,
learning about it, communicating with it over time.”.
Charles Eisenstein.

Carrying out 50 -virtual- circles of empathy
Sociocracy 3.0 training for Circle´s members
NVC Online trainings.
National CASA´s strengthening program
Internal process -Realization of Yoga Classes online
PROJECTS
GATHERINGS

CASA Latina implemented 30+ partnerships,

including: Art of Hosting Network, Transition

Network, Permaculture Latin
Network, Gaia U Latina, Ecopoblaciones,

Viracocha Foundation, OmniUnity Foundation,

Aldea Domo Ecovillage and El Jardin Ecoschool.
www.redcasalatina.org
contacto@redcasalatina.org
IG @redcasalatina
FB @redCASAlatina
TW @casaecovillage
Youtube CASALatina /Asentamientos Sustentables
Photo credit to: Huehuecoyotl, MariaLuiza, 3er Foro DMT, André Camilo

Martinez, Daniela Herrera, Proyecto Gaia, Andrés Liévano
PARTNERSHIPS
CONTACT INFO
PERU

GEN Africa prioritises organisational development and implementation of the
Pan-African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP) in all member
countries. With over 23 member countries, our unique role is facilitating
ecovillages as living models across the continent.
We envision the re-emergence of a sustainable and abundant Africa growing
out of an alliance of self-empowered and resilient communities. As a solution-
based alliance, GEN Africa makes visible examples of best practices,
empowers existing ecovillages, supports emergence of new ecovillages, and
develops educational tools to inspire societal transition to resilience.
Our networks are deeply saddened by the loss of a member and pillar of the
Permaculture and Ecovillage movements in Africa. A quote from Mahir, E.
(Sudan) - "Great people never die, they live inside our lives forever."
We remember you Dr. Paul Yeboah.
GEN AFRICA

Competency-Based training in Moringa value addition to enhance the economic viability

and capacity of youths and communities in Ghana and Zambia.
The empowerment of youth in Nigeria in Mushroom production to ensure self-sufficiency
The establishment of a functional IT system such as web hosting platform, Zoom account and a

website has enhanced GEN Africa's communication and outreach within and outside of the

network.
300+ people/members have developed their capacity through our regional partners’ projects such

as Scope Zimbabwe, G-BIACK, Better World Cameroon, Paxherbals and GEN Ghana. Some of

such programs are:
Successfully organized a 2 Days Online General Assembly. As a result, governance and

accountability was strengthened through the evaluation of our work and the election of a new

Council (Board).
Official registration of GEN Africa as a non-profit in Ghana allowed for strategic
expansion of our core activities and eases project implementation across countries.
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
As a solution based alliance, GEN-Africa makes visible examples of best practices,

empower existing ecovillages, support emergence of new ecovillages and develop

educational tools to inspire societal transition to resilience.

2 Days Online GEN Africa General Assembly Meeting
Election of New Council (Board) of GEN Africa
Re:build Online Festival: 5 GEN Africa members shared
"The Wisdom of Community Building"
“Whether you’re a farmer, builder or engineer, the

opportunities are equal: Just add a little innovation”.
Strive Masiyiwa, Executive Chairman & Founder of the Econet Group

Fostering partnerships of solidarity between GEN Africa, GEN Europe etc.
Empowering young people in the Ecovillage movement through cross-
cultural exchange to address Racial and Social Justice issues in their
communities and projects.
Showcasing the innovative approaches of African communities and make it
applicable to academia.
Pan African Ecovillage Development Programme
Building the capacity of GEN Africa Members and young Africans (NextGEN)
through two funded projects: Ecovillage Youth Exchange Africa/Europe and
Ecovillages as Incubators for Ecovillage Transition Research project. They are:
PROJECTS
GATHERINGS

ecovillage.org/region/GEN-Africa
info.genafrica@ecovillage.org
Facebook.com/GENAfricanetwork
Instagram.com/GENAfrica
DR Congo,
Ghana,
Kenya,
Mauritania,
NextGEN Africa,
Rwanda,
Sahel (REDES),
Senegal,
South Africa
Cameroon,
Nigeria,
Tanzania,
Togo,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe
Photo Credits: Ghana Permaculture Institute
NATIONAL NETWORKS
EMERGING NETWORKS
CONTACT INFO

NextGEN is the youth branch of the Global Ecovillage Network
connecting young people through ecovillages, regenerative education,
events, eco-projects, and nature-based living. We are united by
our youthful spirits, love for the earth, passion for community, and
understanding that we need viable, holistic solutions like ecovillages to
respond to the current global crises.
We empower, educate, connect, and inspire young adults to take action,
foster community, join ecovillages and build a regenerative world. We focus
our work on the five strategic areas of inspiration, learning, action,
connection, and empowerment.
NextGEN
ECOVILLAGE YOUTH NETWORK

YOUTH COUNCIL
The website of NextGEN was created and designed by a cross-network team of
NextGEN members and was published on June 2021. Visit us at
https://nextgen-ecovillage.org/
The NextGEN Youth Council organized and facilitated 4 calls between GEN
Elders and NextGEN with a total number of 50 participants and engaging
conversations about a diversity of topics. From this, a NextGEN & GEN Elders
working group was formed to lead the creation of an online GEN timeline.
The NextGEN map was completed and added to the website connecting and
showcasing over 20 youth-led projects and 35 members and still counting.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM NEXTGEN IN 2021

We had a successful online edition of the Avatar Training with more than 30
young participants learning about regenerative practices over 8 days.
We have increased our presence on social media and now have a consistent
visual identity. We have reached more than 900 Instagram followers and more
than 2,800 Facebook followers
We have created a new project called "Jóvenes en Territorio", which aims
to bring permacultural knowledge and practices to young people in the
rural areas of Colombia.
CASA JÓVENES

Hosted a dreaming circle at the beginning of the year to plan activities and
direction for NextGENOA
Started to collect and share stories of inspiring youth-led projects in the region
via social media and newsletter (Green Lady - Vietnam, Young Eco Ambassador -
Cambodia, Friends & Forest - Thailand)
Provided support and seed grants for 3 local projects on Youth in Regeneration,
Healing Circles and Ecovillage Videos.
Joined The Green Unconference 2021 with a workshop "Food, me and the
Planet" about cultivating a mindful and enriching relationship with food.
Run an online campaign "Act 4 Earth - Small is beautiful" to promote eco-lifestyle
on the week of Earth Day 2021
NEXTGENOA

We grew the core team to include a new Social Media Officer, and a
Fundraising Campaign Manager.
Sharing Circle: Large WhatsApp group, with monthly facilitated video calls,
with the purpose of inviting youths to connect with the network, NextGEN,
and community life - an entry point for newcomers and peer-to-peer
project support.
Youth Exchanges and Trainings: We held one training for the creation of
Youth Exchanges and Youth Leaders, and one youth exchange
NEXTGEN EUROPE

Youth Ecovillage Scholarship: Gave the opportunity to 1 youth to travel to an
ecovillage and experience community living for 3 weeks.
Ecovillage Connection Discussion Group: Four youth got to their rich background
and experience living in their community. Each 1 hours call, focused on 2 two of
these topics: sustainability, decision making, education, ethics & conflict resolution
inside their communities.
Social Media: Created a Telegram for those interested in ecovillages to learn,
and connect with like-minded people. Continued increasing our presence on
Facebook and Instagram to share meaningful & inspiring content.
NEXTGENNA

Online training on fundraising
Published one newsletter
Awarding 3 Next GEN Africa projects Monthly council meetings
NEXTGEN AFRICA

Avatar Camp: we had one online edition of the Avatar Training, where more than
30 young people have participated and learned about regenerative practices.
We have created a new project called "Jóvenes en Territorio", which brings
permacultural knowledge and practices to young people living in the rural areas of
Colombia.
Online training on fundraising
One newsletter
NEXTGEN AFRICA
CASA JÓVENES
Ecovillage Connection Discussion Group: Hosted 4 discussion groups with 18
participants total, and received $120 in donations.
Youth Ecovillage Scholarship: Gave the opportunity to 1 youth to travel to an
ecovillage and experience community living for 3 weeks.
NEXTGENNA
PROJECTS AND GATHERINGS

NEXTGENOA
PROJECTS AND GATHERINGS
An in-person Ecovillage Design Education course was run and hosted by NextGEN
Korea
In October 2021, we participated and presented NextGEN Europe and our
work during the GEN Europe General Assembly. The ongoing collaboration
and exchange with GEN Europe is a key inspiration to our work.
We offered, through Yes To Sustainability, a fantastic course where youth
learned how to create their own Youth Exchanges funded by Erasmus+.
We hosted monthly ‘Youth in Ecovillage Experience’ Livestreams
- Inspiring storytelling from youth in our network.
NEXTGEN EUROPE
Collaborated with GENOA on different online calls during the year, among them
are sessions of "Introduction to ecovillages" in different countries
Finished our video project - we invite you to watch "Welcome to NextGENOA" on

Youtube

Cross-network collaboration for the mapping project with the participation in the

project’s coordination of two members of NextGEN Europe.
Yes to Sustainability projects were funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the EU
Partnered with GENOA and other organizations (Kai Farms, MAD Travels, Kids
for Kids, Lokal Lab in The Green Unconference 2021
We have strengthened our partnership with Buena Semilla Permacultural
and Gaia Union.
CASA JÓVENES
NEXTGEN EUROPE
NEXTGENOA
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
Co-hosted a webinar on regeneration with The Earthen Express -
a young youth-led project from India
We are building stronger connection and coherence with Global Ecovillage
Network Oceania & Asia (GENOA)

Awarding 3 Next Gen Africa projects
New members joined the Network
We managed to have a new Next GEN Africa council
Continued Partnership with the Whole Systems Network
Working more closely with GENNA
Partnership with the Great Medicine Show with potential funding opportunities
NEXTGEN AFRICA
NEXTGENNA
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
NextGEN is a youth-led global network of young change agents,

ecovillage youth, and supporters of any age forming an integral part of

the wider GEN networks.
The work is coordinated in five regional teams plus the Youth Council as

a global circle for connection, coordination, and cohesion.

Global Ecovillage Network Annual Report 2021

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Global Ecovillage Network Annual Report 2021