The main objective of the Os Mixtos project is to fight against the depopulation suffered by the rural world. In order to achieve this, we carry out different initiatives such as the creation of a coliving center, we also participate in Erasmus+ and CSE projects, we are convinced that young people and culture are the only ones who can fight against the problem of depopulation in this zone. A second objective of the project is to publicize the history of this place, the Couto Mixto.
Local
Spain
Meaus/Baltar/Ourense
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Javier Last name: Morales López Gender: Male Nationality: Spain Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: OS PEREIROS, 2 (MEAUS) Town: OURENSE Postal code: 32646 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 696 62 39 60 E-mail:javimasou@gmail.com Website:https://www.inesto.it/OsMixtos
The Os Mixtos project was born from the concern of a group of people very aware of the depopulation of rural areas and its consequences. The project is developed in the so-called empty Spain, in the village of Meaus, province of Ourense, Community of Galicia.
We want to highlight the fact that part of the human group that develop this project has direct relatives who lived in this village and had to emigrate to a big city in 1964. They return to the place of origin of their ancestors with illusion and the conviction that another way of living in the rural environment is possible.
The main objective is to develop actions aimed at alleviating the consequences of the rapid deterioration of the natural environment affected by depopulation; the fields are abandoned and the elderly inhabitants are in need of actions aimed at accompanying them and making their life more dynamic, while valuing and maintaining their cultural heritage.
We believe that with the development of new activities, respecting the rhythm and the culture of the place, encouraging the arrival of new young settlers, facilitating the necessary channels for the encounter between the current inhabitants and the new ones, we are generating an important change in the natural and human environment of Meaus.
Other initiatives we are developing is the creation of a Co-living space. We believe that the new ways of working (remotely) can be compatible with the traditional ones. Old houses in the village have been renovated to give them a new life. To carry out this initiative, we have had the support of companies in the area, public institutions and the help of the neighbors, who have given their houses free of charge.
The project began in March 2020, and there were 16 people living in the village back then. Currently there are 29 people. This represents an increase in population of 81%, a value that leads us to consider a very important step forward and confirms that we are working in the right direction.
Repopulation
Sustainability
Youth
Inclusion/intergenerational
Non-formal education
Key objectives:
1.- To recover the area's traditional way of life in agriculture and livestock farming.
2.- To respect the environment free of products that damage the land.
3.- To achieve the objective of 0% herbicides and pesticides in Meaus and its surroundings.
4.- To integrate the knowledge of the local population in the cultivation of the land and the care of animals.
5.- To produce sufficient organic food for consumption and surplus for trade and catering in the area.
6.- To promote the creation of alternative jobs linked to sustainable agriculture and livestock farming.
In order to achieve the 1st and 4th objectives, we are counting on the collaboration of the villagers, who have volunteered as teachers to pass on their ancestral knowledge. In the village there are hundreds of hectares of uncultivated land, part of which has been cultivated in the traditional way, and the first fruits are already being harvested.
We look after our animals in a traditional way, personalizing their care and seeking synergy between the vegetable garden and the needs of animals.
To achieve the 2nd and 3rd objectives, organic fertilizers are being used, as well as chemical products free of synthetic, non-invasive means for growing and collecting food, and annual crop rotation.
In relation to the 5th and 6th objectives, the harvest is already being collected for community consumption and to supply a local restaurant.
Research is being carried out to find out the consumption of the local population and how to carry out a responsible and ecological consumption campaign.
Weekly markets of local and organic products are in the process of being set up.
The creation of alternative jobs is a short/medium term objective and linked to the development of the previous ones.
Key objectives:
1.- Intergenerational exchange.
2.- Development of cultural activities for the community.
3.- Alleviating loneliness among the elderly people in the village.
4.- Networking with NGOs.
5.- To beautify the surroundings of Meaus.
From the beginning of this project, the commitment to the recovery of the place involves beautifying the village of Meaus, and it is centered on its people, with them and for them. The fact that the youth have come to live in the village, gives them the opportunity not to feel alone, and to be able to share their knowledge and experience.
The following actions are being developed:
- We maintain daily contact with the neighbors, sharing spaces for knowledge exchange and informal talks.
- We help elderly people to solve the problems they have with the use of new technologies, for example with mobile phones.
- We organize cultural activities: cinema sessions, open-air theatre and concerts. Part of the older population of the village had never been to see a play before.
We have held two workshops together with the NGO ‘’Caritas Mayores’’ on sewing and the use of mobile phones.
Houses have been rebuilt and will continue to be rebuilt, allowing us all to live in a more beautiful environment.
1.- To raise awareness of the concept of Community among the neighborhood.
2.- To strengthen the feeling of community.
3.-To encourage mutual care.
4.- To promote the repair and reuse of tools, vehicles, and any kind of things.
5.- To promote an inclusive and egalitarian community with the active participation of women.
The inhabitants of this area have the nickname of "Os Mixtos", which means "the mixture". And that is exactly what we want to recover: the mixture of cultures and people. This village is located between the border of Spain and Portugal, so its inhabitants have always been people from both countries.
For the development of the objectives, the following actions have been developed:
- Presentation of Erasmus+ projects and the solidarity corps, to recover the essence that should never have been lost. People from Italy, Germany and Portugal are currently living in the village.
- In informal conversations, and in some of the formal meetings with the neighbors, it is being introduced what it means to feel like a Community, something that had been forgotten due to the evolution of the village with the depopulation. Now we help each other to get things done. For example, it is not necessary for everyone to have a car, we all share the one we have, as well as other types of tools or machinery.
Neighborhood meetings are being held to discuss everyone's needs and possible solutions are agreed upon as a group.
When we attended the first meeting in the village, we noticed that there were no women. When we asked why there were no women, we were shocked by the answer. We were told: "Why would they come, if women can’t vote". Incredible as it may seem, in rural areas this custom is common. Thanks to the work we have done to raise awareness, women can now vote.
In this section, it is important to differentiate between the inhabitants currently living in the area and the new settlers.
Benefits at a personal level:
The original villagers benefit from the dynamisation and accompaniment we offer them. They have always been isolated and the fact of sharing their lives with people of different cultures, countries and ages, allows them to get to know other ways of thinking and living, as well as the possibilities of entertainment that were previously non-existent.
The new villagers, who have been participating in our experiences, are the new inhabitants of the village, so it is our job to help them find housing and to offer them different work alternatives.
Economic benefits:
Part of the autochthonous inhabitants have houses that were in complete abandonment. The agreement we offer them is a small renovation and we compensate them with the agreed rent. These houses are intended for people interested in living in the village. Our role is to act as an intermediary, given the level of trust they already have in us.
So far, 4 houses have been fitted out, which has allowed the settlement of new inhabitants.
Other places that have been ceded are being prepared to take on the project of the coliving centre. The same facilities are used for training courses and Young Exchange projects.
Thanks to the people attending the workshops and the volunteers, the economy of the area is increasing, while at the same time we encourage local consumption in establishments in the surrounding area.
Cultural benefits:
Both old and new settlers benefit from specific workshops and activities such as theatre, cinema and concerts. We teach the people that come to help us in our activities, that there is a different way of living, more sustainable and more respectful with the environment.
It is important to highlight that the benefits obtained by the whole community have been evident since the beginning of the project
Rural dwellers have many similarities across Europe and this case is not different.
We consider that 3 types of profiles coexist among the neighbourhood:
● Those with whom we count on their support in all the initiatives we carry out, which are the majority. They help us with anything, they attend events and they lend their properties so that new inhabitants can be welcomed.
● Those who after 3 years, even with the effort made to integrate them, still don't know what we are doing. This is a type of person who hardly relates to the rest of the neighborhood. It is difficult to approach these people, although we do not stop analyzing possible channels.
● Those who are against what we are promoting are a minority, and respond to the profile that any change is negative. The neighbors who are against, are the ones who motivate us the most, as we try to show them that change can be positive. We know that we have to earn their respect and approval.
● Institutional support:
At the regional level, we have the support of several local councils in the area. It has not been easy to get their support, as the ideas we propose are new and are not easy for them to understand. With time, we have managed to reach a better understanding and support.
At a national level, the support for our project is very good, from institutions such as the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago or the Galicia Europa Foundation. They are very helpful as they advise us on the best way to consolidate our project and they help us create synergies with similar ones.
At European level it is much greater. Thanks to programmes such as Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps or Creative Europe, we have managed to increase our network of contacts. They have shown us insightful ways to carry out our objectives and have facilitated our participation in current European projects.
We are currently collaborating in cross-border projects with Portugal and we are partners in projects that are being carried out in It
The initiative is multidisciplinary and multicultural in the sense of learning and knowledge.
The group of people who conceived and have set up this project have different disciplines, such as economist, digital marketing specialist, speech therapist, photographer, artist, farmer, etc.
We all started this project from an ethical principle: we understand that everyone can contribute with something and that this contribution is essential.
From the beginning, all the knowledge we acquired from our neighbors was fundamental for the development of the project. They taught us how to cultivate the fields and take care of the animals. They have been the best teachers we could ever have as nobody knows the characteristics of the land in the area like they do.
Throughout their lives, they have practiced what we know as a sustainable economy. For us, they were the inventors of this concept, although they never knew they were practicing it. And although we now implement new alternative systems, such as permaculture, we do not stop applying all the knowledge we have acquired from them.
One Erasmus+ project that took place in Portugal was the one that marked our future path. There, we discovered the power of European youth and all that they can bring to the local community and more specifically to rural areas.
We are currently designing a similar project with some of the participants and with some of the instructors we met in the programme, in order to raise awareness among young people about the many life alternatives they can find in the rural villages.
In May 2022, we participated in an Erasmus+ programme called "young entrepreneurs". This allowed a young man to come into contact with our project. He moved to Meaus for a period of time, and we shared ideas and knowledge. He returns to the village from time to time, and we have started to plan future projects together, such as the coliving centre.
It is an innovative project because it combines efforts to integrate different types of people with very different characteristics, with the main focus on mutual care between people in a very degraded rural environment, without forgetting the rescue of more sustainable ways of life by valuing respect for people, animals and plants.
It is also an innovative project, because it proposes to integrate new ways of working in an environment that is friendlier for people and at a lower cost for the planet, while establishing the possibility of synergies between the different forms of production, making them more sustainable.
Participants are listened to. That is why it is a living initiative that changes every day. It is a project with a life of its own.
Supporting the use of new technologies among elderly people in rural areas, who due to their characteristics cannot access them by other means, is a value to be added in this project, without this help they would be disconnected in a short time from the basics to develop a life with a minimum of independence.
A very central point is that we believe in the circular economy, in sustainability, that money is not the engine of change or of life, and that there are alternatives that have been used for centuries, such as bartering, which can allow you to have what you need without the need to consume.
Our banner is the importance of community. Here we all help each other. If one of us succeeds, the team succeeds.
We believe that it is possible to replicate our initiative 100 percent anywhere in Europe.
Unfortunately, the problem of depopulation of rural areas, the overcrowding of cities, the aging of the population, the lack of opportunities for young people and climate change are very serious and widespread problems.
The initiative we are developing is very easy to replicate, no large investments are needed. The most difficult thing, and at the same time what should be the easiest, is to find people willing to collaborate.
Participatory and empowerment methodology:
We use the principle of Community and mutual help to carry out this repopulation project. We believe each member of the team has skills that he or she puts at the disposal of the others. And at the same time, each of us has our deficits, which are compensated with the help of the rest of the members.
Non-formal education:
Not everyone has the ability to study using traditional methods. We believe in people's potential and we want to help them find the best way to use it. We believe that motivation and confidence are the best ways to find the right results. The courses we develop are aimed at fulfilling these principles.
If we look at the statistics at a European level, the number of young people who dropout of school prematurely is increasing. They end up not finding their place in the educational system. Through our initiative, we intend to educate the youth by showing them that they can make a living in the rural areas. We believe the rural world is full of opportunities, and that we just have to show them what they are.
A space for exchange in rural areas:
The creation of a coliving is motivated by the people’s desires to leave the cities. We offer a place where they can work in a more sustainable way, where peace and tranquility surround us. If we can show people an alternative, it is very likely that many of them will consider a change of life, and leave their cities to live in a village.
A possible and more sustainable way of life in rural areas:
The greatest challenge we face is the depopulation of the rural world. In Spain, 900 villages have disappeared in the last 10 years and the forecast is that 1900 more villages will disappear in the next 10 years. These figures are terrifying, as experience shows that the villages that disappear never recover their life.
If we add to this data the fact that 56% of the world's population lives in cities and that the forecast for the next 10 years is that this percentage will increase to 66%, the result is an unsustainable way of life.
To initiate is to move forward:
Our challenge is to change that dynamic. We are aware that it is impossible to do it only by ourselves, but if we do not try to do it, we will be failing before we start. To start is to add up.
To increase the population of the village so that its human and natural rehabilitation is possible:
Our main goal is, little by little, generate a sustainable life. The more people we have living in the area, the more needs we create. Meaning that, if we are currently 29 people living in the area, there is no need for a bakery. But if we increase the population to 50 people, that bakery will be necessary, and so on with all the needs. In this way, we want to create a chain effect.
Few people will be motivated to leave their comfort zone if they are not offered acceptable conditions for starting a life in a natural environment that meets their basic needs.
Generate generational exchanges and cover the need for companionship:
If loneliness is the main enemy of villages, the more young people there are in the area, the more life that place will have and the more people will have companionship.
Bringing people from different ages and cultures together, meet needs that urban life is unable to cover.
The progress we are making on the initiative is much better than expected. We have managed to repopulate the village by 81%, we have begun to collect the products that we have planted without using chemical fertilizers or any pesticides and most importantly, we have managed to involve the local community in the organized projects. All these advances have made it possible to create a circular economy.
On a cultural level, we have also achieved the objectives that we set at the beginning of the initiative. We have organized the first concerts, the first plays and the first workshops. All these initiatives have made it possible to value the cultural heritage of the area (Couto Mixto). Thanks to the approved European projects, this year 2023 we will begin to organize the first training courses with young Europeans, which will bring European culture closer to the inhabitants of the village.
The objectives that we set ourselves in a short-medium term is to continue increasing the population, we currently have 28 inhabitants and the objective at the end of 2023 is to reach 50 inhabitants. The neighbors are happier every day with the work that we are carrying out, which makes it easier for us to get homes more easily.
The next objective is to launch the coliving center, this fact will increase the economy of the area and more and more people are interested in making a change of life and decide to settle in the rural world.
And at the level of Erasmus+ projects, our objective is to continue developing new projects that are beneficial for the local community and for European youth. By belonging to the European Solidarity Corps, our goal is that young people in the area can participate in European projects that are developed in other countries, this will allow them to discover new opportunities and skills, which can later be reflected in the area.
Physical and human transformation of a highly degraded territory:
We are developing actions and workshops that contribute to raising awareness about the serious problem of climate change. The implementation of organic gardens and our own animals allow us to maintain food sovereignty, one of the cornerstones of our project.
A lost cycle is being re-born:
The continuous multigenerational contact facilitates the transmission of traditional ways of work and knowledge from the villagers. From the use of animals to work on the fields to the use of natural fertilizers. Without forgetting the cycles of the moon when it comes to sowing the products.
Sustainability is possible:
We have as a basic principle that sustainability is possible if we devote attention and energy to it. We educate participants and volunteers, in an eminently practical way, on the need to take care of the environment and learn to reuse and repair what already exists.
In collaboration with the schools around the area, we are starting to hold conferences and workshops where we show that our current lifestyle, sustainable and respectful to the environment and people, is possible.
Showing what we do to other communities:
We open our project to other communities who are interested in it. We are visited by local schools who collaborate with the work we do, from helping us with planting to taking care of the animals.
We are also carrying out this initiative with families who come at weekends to share our daily work.
Encouraging young people to move towards the future:
We use our visits to schools to raise awareness of the Erasmus+ programmes and the European Solidarity Corps,and we show young people what it means to be a European citizen and the opportunities it can offer them.
