ESC: Live, Work, and Thrive in an Alpine Ecovillage & Seminar Center Sulzbrunn - 2026

The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) of Germany, set up in 2014, is an umbrella organisation working to support the experimental creation and preservation of intentional communities across Germany. GEN Deutschland serves as an alliance between rural and urban intentional communities. Through the sharing of best practice and innovative solutions, GEN Deutschland is creating a pool of wisdom for sustainable living on a global scale. Together we develop solutions in the four dimensions of sustainability: ecology, social, culture and economy. In our development we follow a participatory approach and try to create a good balance between personal development, work for the common good and the respect for planetary boundaries. The members of the network exchange experiences and cooperate in different areas within the field of sustainability – for example: ecological building, social entrepreneurship, youth work and education. Sharing good practice from ecovillages with a larger public across all generations is an important priority of both the network and it‘s member communities. Our umbrella organisation, GEN-International, has consultative status with UN-ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and is a partner of the UNITAR-CIFAL initiative which provides training in sustainable development to local government officials, youth leaders and youth around the world. GEN Deutschland is engaging in non-formal education addressing adults as well as youth. Most of our member organisations have worked with young volunteers, some of them for more than 20 years. Most of them have experiences with German based volunteer programs (like Ecological or Social volunteer Service - Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr oder Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr), some of them do have experience with ESC (European Solidarity Corps). Besides these programs, nearly all members have experience with international work-camps, short term visits and international workshops. Because of the character of intentional communities, where people do live together and share their daily life, communities do provide a very supportive background for young people as well as an inspiring setting for youth workers. The members meet twice a year: the Autumn Gathering is for members only, the Spring Gathering is open for newcomers and people interested in community living. The young generation is integrated into the organisational structures along with adults of all ages giving youth a voice within the network. The youth wing NextGEN (the next generation of GEN), a loose network of young people who are living in community, have grown up in community or are interested in living in community, meets twice a year and addresses topics like equity between the generations, multi-generational living and how communities can cultivate a lively spirit, promoting experimentation. The communities within the network are usually multi-generation communities, where children, youth, adults and elderly people do live together. In most cases there are income generating activities as well as not for profit activities. Every year since 2017, GEN Deutschland has participated in a series of youth exchanges under the umbrella of „Yes to Sustainability“, giving young adults the opportunity to experience various European ecovillages and exchange with peers about sustainability practises in both rural and urban settings while sharing the sustainable lifestyle of the host community. In addition, GEN Deutschland has participated in several youth worker mobilities to get staff and members trained especially around the topic of quality youth exchanges under „Yes to Sustainability“. GEN Deutschland this year plans to implement it‘s first youth worker mobility „Education for Future“ that trains youth workers from Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Slovakia in the four dimensions of sustainability (ecology, social, economy, culture) and develops their skills in the areas of participatory, agile and democratic facilitation, communication and decision making. These skills equip them to be better able to support youth that is actively fighting for changes in the face of climate breakdown. Fridays for Future being the most striking example, with a high level of energy, concern, eloquence and perseverance. The three-week training is scheduled in September at GEN Deutschland founding member Schloss Tonndorf. In collaboration with several like-minded organisations, GEN Deutschland runs the project „Zähne putzen“ (tooth brushing), an initiative offering retreats and resting periods to activists fighting for human rights, peace or environmental concerns in a number of ecovillages and other places, many of whom are young people in their twenties. In the future, the member communities of GEN Germany want to respond to the ever growing interest of young people and intensify their work in the youth sector including international collaboration projects.