All about
Community Café
Community Café is a platform to share and exchange knowledge, resources and most importantly stories from ecovillages and alternative spaces to inspire change!
Our journey first began in Arterra Bizimodu, an ecovillage in the stunning Navarra region. Living there brought us closer to community living, sustainable practices, and regenerative worldviews. We were inspired by this alternative model and felt an urge to share it with the world!
After leaving Arterra, we continued to meet, discuss, and refine our vision, mission and the platform through which we could bring this idea to life. With our shared passion for design, filmmaking, and storytelling, we realised that one of the best ways to reach a wider audience and especially young people would be through widely used online platforms. That’s what sparked the idea: to collect raw, authentic stories from people and places offering alternative worldviews, and to share them with the rest of the world!
In 2023, we felt the importance of adding an in-person dimension to the project, so we partnered with Sunseed Desert Technology and applied for an Erasmus+ grant to fund in-person activities and connect young people to ecovillages. On June 6, 2024, we received the Youth Participation Activity grant.
By February 2025, we kicked off our first activity at Sunseed Community!
This 5-day event, called ‘Storytelling for Change’, brought together 20 participants into a new and unfamiliar environment (for most) for an unforgettable and transformative learning experience. Over the week, participants dove into hands-on experiences in sustainable living, eco-friendly practices, and explored how storytelling can drive change.
After these empowering sessions, it was time to take action! Participants were invited to take the lead in organizing local activities aimed at creating a meaningful impact in their own communities. Four major local events took place at our partner venues: Ängsbacka in Sweden, Sunseed in Spain, SerVivo in Portugal, and Catfarm in France. These events were entirely organized and led by the young participants of Storytelling for Change! It was inspiring to witness them stepping into leadership roles and making a meaningful impact in their local areas.
What's next for Community Café?
September: In September 2025, we decided to embark on an exciting journey from ecovillage to ecovillage, traveling from Portugal to France. Along the way, we’ll stop at our partner organisation and we will share stories from all these inspiring places! Be sure to follow us to tag along on the journey!
January-April 2026: Later in the year, we’ll also be hosting a series of online talks and spaces for exchange and connection. These will be completely free, and we’d love for you to join! Stay tuned for announcements on the dates!