Open School for Village Hosts

When: March - August 2023 / 15-19 May 2023
Where: Online / Grottole, Italy
Duration: 6 months / 5 days
Participants: 40
Fee: Free

application deadline: 20 January 2023

The participants of the Open School for Village Hosts will be individuals or groups already active in their village/region, or with a clear intention to return.

The Open School for Village Hosts open to 40 rural pioneers, social innovators, and enterprising local officials, regional planners, farmers, researchers, farm advisors, engineers, developers, elected officials. Local citizens with unique and valuable knowledge – based on local history and ecology – will be welcome. Must have an overall comprehension of english.

The Open School for Village Hosts invites applications from rural pioneers, across Europe, to join its first  training programme. It begins in March 2023, and lasts six months. Upon completion, you will have gained new skills, new connections, and the detailed plan for a pilot project in your village/region, that is suggested by you.

An unusual combination of knowledge, skills and qualities are needed to be an effective Village Host. Village Hosts need ‘hard’ capabilities such as digital skills, or business planning. But as collaboration experts – people who connect people – a Village Host’s most valuable skills are often so-called ‘soft’ ones: hosting, convening, facilitating, animating, and co-ordinating.

A Village Host needs to be an effective communicator and storyteller, and also know how to connect with the diverse members of a region’s community – from farmers, to local officials.

On completing the course, you will be comfortable in the role as a community host and convenor. You will be confident when approaching potential funders and government officials. You will have learned about new tools and resources. You will leave with the plan for pilot project in your own village/region.

You will be a member of a 40-strong Peer Learning Circle with members across Europe. Participants in the course will gain a rich collection of stories and inspiration for use in their future work. 

The course is free, but you need to commit time, presence and attention for three phases.
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Upon completion of your plan for a pilot project, you will be given a Certificate of Completion.

March, April 2023
‍Online training – about three hours a week for two months. Initial preparatory work is done individually or in groups for 40 people in total. Guided by lectures, and preparatory reading, you will investigate a situation local to you – the place, the issues, the actors, and the relationships between them.

‍May 2023  
‍Five day in-person training in Grottole, Italy (travel, accommodation and meals covered by us). 20 people will be selected and will attend lectures, workshops, and group assignments. Once back home the 20 people will peer to peer share their knowledge with the rest of 20 participants.

‍June-August 2023
‍Develop your local pilot project (three months) and online peer to peer sharing and learning. Reporting and reflection individually or in groups (digitally on the platform).