What initiatives can contribute to small villages thriving socially, economically, and environmentally?

The Open School for Village Hosts launched its inaugural training program in March 2023. The program lasted six months and welcomed rural pioneers from across Europe. Village Hosts are committed to revitalising small villages by identifying and leveraging overlooked community assets such as people, places, buildings, and skills, contributing to their social, economic, and ecological growth. They breathe new life into these spaces, promoting initiatives such as responsible tourism, nature experiences, outdoor activities, farm visits, educational trips, and wellness retreats.

The training curriculum covered essential topics: strategic vision design, resource mapping, place storytelling, activity curation, collaboration platform development, new business model creation, and pilot project design.

Holis is one of six partners in the Village Hosts project, serving as trainers and mentors to participants.

“The village hosts harboured a genuine desire to address unmet needs within their communities, regions, or themselves. This intriguing revelation prompted us to adopt a distinct approach, diverging from the conventional financial focus of incubators. Our purpose was to extend support to these delicate and intimately entwined ideas. Navigating the role of a mentor in such light situations proved challenging, as these projects intersected with the hosts' personal lives, rendering them fragile.” - ‍Simona Mancusi - Design Researcher & Facilitator at Holis. Responsible for OSHV Manifesto
Simona Mancusi
Service Systems Design

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