The project had an OVERALL OBJECTIVE to assist national ecovillage networks throughout Europe to launch and thrive, thereby strengthening European cooperation in the field of ecovillage development, localization of the SDG’s and advocacy capacity through coordinated, legitimate and representative national ecovillage networks. The project thus pursued the following immediate objectives and goals: •The creation of a qualitative framework for setting up functional and thriving national ecovillage networks, through a MANUAL to guide the process. •The development of a MENTORSHIP PACKAGE, creating and piloting twinning and exchange schemes between national ecovillage networks. •To set up an ICT PLATFORM to systematize provision of information, knowledge exchange and problem solving to strengthen cooperation. •To showcase ecovillage networks on a national scale through SHORT VIDEOS promoting networking activities for active citizenship. •To set up a OLP (Online Learning Package) fusing the different educational resources and training materials made available through this project, showing the current state of the art and innovation that the already thriving ecovillage networks have to offer.
The Launch & Thrive project responded directly to a need and situation in which ecovillage networks within Europe felt the need to strengthen themselves. Some countries have national ecovillage networks that are thriving, whereas other countries have no national network, or its network are stagnant and uncoordinated. Until recently, there have been no systemic approach to the development of national ecovillage networks. Therefore, guidelines (manuals), assistance (tutoring), and coordination (ICT platform) were identified as useful tools and materials, but it was also essential to make visible the significance and impact of national networks (videos), their successes and challenges (exchange). GEN Europe, as the lead organization, proposed this project in order to better support national networks in a diversity of stages. For this reason, the project had the general objective of helping national networks across Europe to launch and prosper (Online Learning Package), thus strengthening European cooperation in the field of ecovillage development. The Launch and Thrive project was a project between 7 European countries, from the north (Sweden, Denmark), the south (Spain/Italy), the east (Ukraine), and the west (Germany/Switzerland).