The Galician rural areas have been suffering for years from an avalanche of projects by big companies to despoil their natural resources (mining, macro-farms, wind farms).More and more citizen and environmental platforms are expressing their rejection, given the lack of planning and clear and coherent criteria.We want a model of rural development that is the result of participation and social debate,public planning and rationality,which integrates respectful forms of production in the territory

Galicia, a small region ( 29,5 km2) in the northwest Iberian Peninsula

Galicia is a territory of environmental sacrifice
Mining:4th largest producer region
Wind Sector:180 wind farms > 4000 wind turbines installed, produce 115 kw/km2 (Spain 46) Nearly 80megawind farms planned 99.5% of renewables are owned by private companies
Macro-farms:industrial farms with a vertically integration model,uprooted from the territory, generating large quantities of waste that pollute water,soil and air
Outdated regulatory framework, which favours speculation by large companies, and without real public participation, which makes the processes not transparent.Local communities do not even know what affects them, nor how, let alone how to react.
We want any person to know how they will be affected and to feel legitimised to refuse to accept it, to resiresist and denounce it

Work will be done with the communities directly affected. There are many communities that are unaware of or do not have the capacity to fight these projects. The anti-mining platforms (contraMINAccion) and macro-farms (Auga limpa xa) have more experience, but the boom in wind farms means that there is still not as much social organisation.
They are very fragmented collectives but they have points in common, they can help each other and create synergies. The struggle of a people is not only for itself, but to set a precedent for all those who cannot.

PHASE 1: MAPPING THE STAKEHOLDERS AND PROBLEMS
Using participatory research and action techniques, a mapping of the problems, the affected areas and the actors involved will be carried out, either directly (resistance groups, looting companies) or as potential allies.
Visits will be made to the territories accompanied by journalists, online influencers and other strategic actors.

PHASE 2: CREATING SYNERGIES AND STRENGTHENING THE MOVEMENT
Meetings to identify commonalities and synergies.
Participatory workshops to exchange materials and experiences, identify the strategies used by companies, the needs of the groups, etc.
Training workshops on political advocacy, future scenarios, non-violent resistance and guerrilla communication (management of social networks, creation of audiovisual material, press releases, etc.).

PHASE 3: RESISTANCE MANUAL
With all the information gathered above, a document will be produced in a simple and understandable format (templates are available on the FoE network). Other material:
Guidelines on how to argue and access information (legal support).
Information for counter-arguments (translation of the academic language of social, economic and environmental impact studies)
Transformative alternatives that ensure the defence of the territory and citizen participation
Co Creation of audio-visual material

Identify common problems and keys to strengthen and improve the actions of groups affected by extractive projects.
The workshops will bring the different groups and platforms into contact with each other, which will result in greater knowledge and mutual support.
Tools and/or materials that help in the struggles of the different groups and their visualisation.
Increased neighbourhood participation, especially of women, to promote social cohesion in communities.
Collective creation of arguments and transformative alternatives that ensure the defence of the territory and resilience in the face of the climate emergency.
Generate a successful pilot experience, whose knowledge and materials can be exported to other collectives and territories.

The project aims to adopt collective strategies of resistance, struggle and improvement of their conditions through the search for information, visibility, alliances, dialogue with administrations and professional and social organisations and joint negotiation. Learning from their own experiences and from other territories and collectives. In short, to provide tools and empower rural people who are fighting for their way of life, their land and their water.
Above all, to see that this struggle is possible and that all is not lost, that there are still tools and strength to change what seems impossible. The power of citizenship is stronger than we are led to believe

Patricia Iglesias: participation and activism technician for the association. Forestry engineer, she lived and worked on the family farm and has a great knowledge of rural life. Training in human resources management, group facilitation and coaching. Participates in local environmental platforms.
Ángel Dorrio: Senior environmental technician with experience in administration and management. Long experience in networks and citizen platforms. Legal advisor. Community manager
Miguel Díaz: responsible for Network Development at national level. Biologist and activist, trainer in non-violent action, with experience in different organizations in the state. In charge of extending the project processes to other territories.

Staff (Administrator/Activism organiser/Outreach) : 11.856 €
Materials (Design/Printing): 3.600€
Office expenses: 1.200€
Travels, accommodation and food (Visits/Conference): 6.200€
Workshops (Desing/Facilitation/Materials/Rental) : 7.400€

In addition to advice on how to improve our project, we would like to hear from other potential allies, motivating and inspiring stories of struggles and resistance activities in other territories.