Training course: OPEN RURALITY exploring rural social innovation generators and co-define new rurality

Location: Seclì (Lecce), Italy

Dates: 12-17 September 2016

Number of participants: 22

Participating countries: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain

Organizer: ITACA // LUNA_laboratorio rurale

Deadline to apply: 31 July 2016

Date of Selection: 3 August 2016

Inquiries about this training course: Arianna Tosi, Website: http://openrurality.eu/call4pax, E-Mail: info@openrurality.eu

For general Inquiries and consultation: Contact Us Here

Costs: This project is financed by Erasmus+ programme. We will be able to reimburse your travel costs up to the following maximum amount:
Italy: 0 EUR
Portugal: 360 EUR
Spain: 360 EUR
France: 275 EUR
Cyprus: 275 EUR
Greece: 275 EUR
Romania: 275 EUR
Food and accommodation is covered 100%. There are no additional participation fees.

OPEN RURALITY exploring rural social innovation generators and co-define new rurality

We will share a week in Luna_laboratorio rurale, in order to explore and analyze rural social innovation related topics, establish common definitions, analyze current models and best practices all around Europe, expecially in the participant countries.

OPEN RURALITY gives space and voice to our definition(s) of “rural social innovation”, facilitating critical reflection on what is meant by this tag, globally and locally, in Europe and in particular in the countries involved in the project, allowing us to participate actively in the international debate and creating a dimension of “open rurality” through the dissemination of project results.

The aims of OPEN RURALITY
– Increase in participants the level of awareness on the issue of rural social innovation and its high potential impact in social change;
– Trigger a peer-to-peer learning process and methodology through NFE/NFL by sharing best practices, experiences and rural social innovation projects, with particular reference to the participating countries;
– Establish a “common understanding” on the topic;
– Compare the “common understanding” with direct experience in the field, meeting local rural-social projects locate near the venue of the seminar;
– Create and disseminate, with a shared communication strategy, an “open database” containing all the information and data co-generated during the seminar.

The seminar will include a special day of exploring the field of rural social innovation, during which we will encourage personal and group empowerment, personal and group problem-solving attitudes, in order to enhance the language and emphatic skills, to improve intercultural awareness and open up synergies with rural-social local organizations and projects.

Participants also will be invited to prepare themselves for the workshop by collecting in a pre-departure research all the possible information about stories, projects, laws and statistics related to the issue of rural social innovation in their countries.

>> OPEN RURALITY will welcome participants interested and motivated to participate in a shared learning process on issues of rural and social innovation taking place in rural areas, with diverse backgrounds: we would like to recruit participants who already have a compatible background with the central theme of the project, like “young neorural innovators” or “willing-to be”, interested in deepening and expanding on the international front their knowledge/ideas in the field of social innovation, with particular reference to its rural applications and the potential for development that results at the local and international level.

>>> Regarding accommodation: particular feature of our seminar is that we will host participants in tents :-) all the necessary and needed things like showers, toilets are provided in the building/house of the venue. Participants need also to bring towels.

Regarding accommodation: particular feature of our seminar is that we will host participants
in tents :-) all the necessary and needed things like showers, toilets are provided in the building/house of the venue. Participants need also to bring towels. Please, keep in mind it!

> We cannot buy tickets in advance for participants!
We will make the reimbursement of travel costs
AFTER the seminar and after we will get the full travel documentation and participants have fully attended the activities keeping the taken commitment.

Organizers

Cultural organization based in Galatone, a small town near the city of Lecce, a nice place in the south of Italy, in Apulia region.
ITACA, thanks to the volunteers and the local community, is the creator of Luna_laboratorio rurale, a place ready to welcome activities of rural social innovation.

Why we named the project “Luna_laboratorio rurale”?
“Luna” means “Moon” – this is the name of the rural district where we’re based and also the popular name of the nearby little church dedicated to St. Mary of Constantinople. The district is placed at the crossroads of 4 small towns: Galatone, Galatina, Aradeo and Seclì.
“laboratorio rurale” means “rural laboratory” – because the main idea is to create a local landmark, an open and creative place, where people of all ages can learn from others, share experiences, grow together and create a new rural community, to build up a different future with new models of development.

Now…
We are cultivating the fields, we want to manage technical trainings, to promote innovation, protect the land and co-generate common values and employment opportunities. We want to promote traditions and make them the starting point for local development, creating positive circles of cooperation.
We believe that Luna_laboratorio rurale can become an experience of sustainability, promoting circular economy, not wasting any products and constantly reusing and rethinking everything.

Our adventure has just begun!