Context & background of project Consortium members were all Bristol-based social enterprises offering workshops and training related to health, wellbeing, and creative arts supporting social and ecological renewal for a more life affirming, equitable and sustainable world. It had been challenging to create the capacity needed to scale up to work meaningfully at the EU level. We chose our partner CEA because we heard inspiring reports from participants of Erasmus+ funded projects on their return from trainings there. Objectives of project “European Co-Existence” aimed to support consortium members to significantly increase their work and impact at the local through to EU level by increasing: - Resources to support social and ecological renewal - Community engagement and cohesion - Resources to share, collaborate with and learn from others in Europe - Quality and attractiveness of trainings - Ability to deliver longer residential trainings - Resources to meet needs of more diverse and disadvantaged learners - Ability to meet the needs of learners based in countries other than the UK - Career development opportunities - Innovation, creativity, strategic planning and entrepreneurialism - Resources to create increased paid opportunities and employment for staff & volunteers - Learning of Spanish or Catalan - Participants' personal sensibilities of nature connection, passion for life and work, self-esteem and confidence - Availability of fun, engaging and motivating nature based trainings - Active citizenship around social & ecological renewal at a local through to EU level. Number & profile of participants This one year project involved 71 trainers all of whom are community educators supporting & promoting learning that empowers active citizenship around social & ecological renewal. Participants were experienced in a range of educational approaches and passionate about their professional development to better deliver on their commitment to social and ecological renewal. Half the participants were facing economic obstacles and working as volunteers. Description of activities Between June 2015 and May 2016 participants travelled to Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu in Spain to participate in one of the following trainings: Empowering Renewal: personal skills & emotional resilience to support social & ecological renewal, Permaculture Design Course: skills for sustainable livelihoods, Action from Depth: empowering active citizenship, Permaculture, Nature Connection & Deep Ecology: practical & theoretical nature training, Wanderers Retreat: immersion into wild nature, Mindfulness for Social Change: empowering effective & nourishing social change, Theatre of the Oppressed Training: theatrical tools for anti-oppression work, Transformative Collaboration: empowering effective collaboration within & between groups & projects, Creative Tools for Social Change: supporting community empowerment through creative processes, Meeting the Wild: immersion into wild nature & self. Methodology An Action-Learning methodology was used throughout to ensure all activities are embedded within the context of a reflective learning process. A participatory methodology ensured partner organisations, participants and learners/target groups all played an active role within this Action-Learning & Learner-led process. Results & Impact Delivery on aims and objectives was well achieved. Participants increased the innovativeness and impact of their trainings, abilities to meet the needs of diverse/disadvantaged learners and of those not UK based, language competences, their learning from European pool, ability to gain paid employment, confidence/self esteem and much more. Organisations increased capacities to manage and deliver at EU level, share and collaborate with other organisations, empower greater active citizenship, provide paid employment, deliver high quality educational programs and so on. The level of quality and impact of all participating organisations was markedly increased. Results were also seen to impact at local, regional, national and international levels. Longer term benefits We feel excited and inspired by the culture shift we see happening in educational practices and the impact this is beginning to have on social and ecological renewal work across Europe. Through this project, we have witnessed and been part of creating some of this. The connections made and burgeoning visioning around education supporting social and ecological renewal is and will continue to become far more learner-led, enticing, dynamic and suited to diverse needs. A broad network of practitioners working together strategically to integrate and disseminate nature based practices into educational work across Europe has been fed by this project and will continue to grow. We believe this project has been part of helping to create a more life affirming, equitable and sustainable world. And it doesn't stop here!