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FROM THE SEED TO THE TERRITORY | Civic Europe

FROM THE SEED TO THE TERRITORY

Fomenting Active Democracy Through Conviviality

Creators

Who is behind this?

Noélia Marreiros

Cooperative

Portugal

Idea

Idea pitch

To build a transition community platform for economic social and educational change with active citizenship based on the sociocracy and neighborocracy model, through the main actions. Create a cooperative to consolidate a local sustainable economic food and services system (already started) and activate/ manage a co-work space, a community kitchen, and support participatory activities; Implement and support Children and Neighbourhood Parliaments, with professional training and monitors team.

Where will your project idea take place?

In the southwest Portugal, Aljezur Municipality, in Rogil, a civic desert territory.

What is the specific societal challenge faced by this region?

Lack of active civic engagement and opportunities for youth engagement.
No civic infrastructures causing youth to leave the area.
Absence of civic infra-structures for all citizen to meet and build connection, no library, no cultural agenda
Disconnection between citizen groups.
Disregard for natural environment with a sudden increase of intensive agriculture and destructive impacts on protected areas. This farming policy promotes a call for underpaid immigrants labours, who by its turn form a new segregated group in the society.
The increase of tourism explotation promoting low quality jobs and due to its seasonality, contributing for more job precariousness.

Who are you doing it for?

Our platform aims to reach children and youths from our municipality and ensuring their active citizenship
For the community in general and especially for segmented or disregarded social groups, the elderly, the disabled, the immigrants.
For local farmers, producers and consumers. This project will enhance producers that follow sustainable practices and will promote the engagement and shift of the ones that are still not adapted to this reality.
For the existing local institutions/representatives, engaging them on the community decisions and initiatives promoting the creation of links between institutions, the decision making moments, and local community.

How do you plan to get there?

Renting a space where the following services and activities will be initiated: cooperative headquarter, healthy shop for artisanal local products, a weekly offer of baskets of local agricultural products, communal kitchen, bistro, co-work space for users that will collaborate with projects and events for the benefit of the community, exchange network of professional services under time banking concept.
Promoting sustainable farming practices through professional training which will promote a shift on local economic and environmental reality.
Promoting courses, conferences and workshops on democratic activism.
Implementing children and neighbourhood parliaments, which integrates self-governance training in order to be empowered to experience citizenship.

What are the expected results?

Foster an active and direct collaboration of all population on local decision making policies – neighborocracy concept; community meetings for sharing experiences and knowledge.
Our structures will work as an incubator for an alternative shared local governance system. An empowered community practicing sociocratic tools, assuming responsibility and autonomous posture.
A new distribution system for the local producers, fair trade and under environmental sustainable perspective.
The shift on agricultural practices towards more sustainable and resilient farming methods.
Youth participation and civic involvement in the community decisions on local social, environmental and economic issues. Creation of new opportunities for youth.

How does your idea strengthen active citizenship at a local and community level?

Implementing Children Parliament and neighborocracy.
Youth and their education will play a central role in the effective implementation of sustainable goals, and neighborhood parliament, constituted by local people having an active and direct voice in the submission and approval of local solutions
Implementing programs to activate existing infra-structures and creating new civic structures, new cells of action
The cooperative will be promoting sportive and cultural activities, happening in the natural park so that environmental issues are highlighted
Establishing a net of local producers and consummers, implementing local sustainability. Promoting healthy economy we are strengthening a pilar of the society
http://www.childrenparliament.in/

Why is this idea important to you?

In this world all we want is to be part of something great, something that definitely matters to us, and each and everyone has the ability to contribute somehow in the community. Therefore, to think globally and act locally.

We believe in giving power to our children. Together we will be gardening our lives and communities with simplicity, love and responsibility, harvesting autonomy, and freedom.

€ 55250,-

Total budget

€ 50000,-

Funding requested from Civic Europe

Major expenses

Honoraries 41,400 EUR
Rental 9,600EUR
Support material 2,400 EUR
Admin costs and insurances 1,850 EUR

Cooperant fees, Bistro, events, Maria Cabaz, shop and local sponsors will be generating a contribution of 5,250 euros all together.

Team

Noelia

Nuno Carvalho

Idea created on May 24, 2020
Last edit on May 27, 2020

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