The Regenerative Communities for All (ReGEN4ALL) project aimed to connect the world of academia (knowledge, research, and education) with practitioners and educators in community-led initiatives, acknowledging that adult education could benefit greatly from the knowledge gathered and disseminated in academia - and vice versa. The project aimed to bridge the gap between academia, practitioners and educators in community-led initiatives, particularly focusing on sustainable practices and lifestyles. It sought to enhance the quality and scope of adult education by making research about ecovillages and regenerative communities more accessible through a web platform and database. The project aimed to foster cooperation between researchers, educators, policy makers and community members, creating a cross-sectoral Community of Practice in the field of ecovillage research and education in different countries and scales. Ultimately, by gathering and systematising data, promoting a series of research colloquiums and connecting different stakeholders, ReGEN4ALL aimed to promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing to support the development of regenerative practices and policies.
Inspiration for this project came from the GEN Research Circle, which has been ongoing on a voluntary basis since 2015. The group has identified a growing interest in research on community life and sustainable lifestyles, and the lack of systematised information and forums on these subjects. They started meeting regularly to share resources and experiences, to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities for collaboration. In 2022, a research stream was included at the GEN Europe Ecovillage Gathering held in Denmark, attracting a lot of attention. Research workshops were integrated in the programme, gathering researchers from all over Europe, but also educational practitioners showing great interest in the academic field and how it can be utilised in their work. Following the GEN EU Gathering another conference took place in Denmark, the 14th International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) conference, a research conference, gathering scholars from the whole world where the conversation continued and this project was conceived to address the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, to gather and systematise data on this field and to support the dissemination of regenerative practices and low impact lifestyles.