New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
mari@ponsia.fi

Basic information
Initiative title
From Countryhouse to Slow Life Retreat

Full initiative Title
Transformation of an Old Countryhouse into Nordic Wellness and Nature Retreat

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
Vera Icon C / O is located in a historic farmhouse in the beautiful Finnish countryside, surrounded by forests, fields and a river. Providing a space for multidisciplinary wellness activities, we strives to help people find a connection between mind, body and nature.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
National

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Finland

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
The actual venue is a countryhouse, (Mynämäki, Finland). The restoration line of the vocational school (Raisio, Finland) participates in the restoration of it and the barn. A number of Finnish and international teachers and instructors participate in the training program of the retreat (e.g. Rome, Italy; Vilnius, Lithuania). International marketing students (Turku, Finland) are responsible for building and branding the travel program.

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): Vera Icon C / O
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Mari
  Last name of representative: Krappala
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Finland
  Function: Founder
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Krappalantie 33
  Town: Mynämäki
  Postal code: 23100
  Country: Finland
  Direct Tel: +358 50 3678918
  E-mail: veraicon.clo@gmail.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
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In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
New European Bauhaus or European Commission websites

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
The guesthouse was established in the farmhouse in 2018. In the summer of 2022, its services were expanded by starting the planning and implementation of the retreat program. The retreat program includes various courses that combine cultural-historical Finnish rural life with pedagogical, physical and spiritual exercises of slow life and connection with nature and community. Both Finnish and international body/mind instructors are invited to lead the courses. The owner of the place, pedagog and doctor of arts Mari Krappala is responsible for the coordination of the services and courses.

The Trade School in the area participates in the restoration of the buildings with the students and teacher of the restoration line.

The guesthouse is developed together with local chefs and food producers.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Community

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Countryside cultural history

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Aesthetics

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
New rehabilitation / wellness methods

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Nature connection

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Vera Icon combines old country life and new body and mind exercises in its retreat programs. The programs are rehabilitative and empowering. The programs include various nature connection exercises, meditation, yoga, forest walks, sauna and river swimming.

The environment is aesthetically beautiful and calming. The buildings are from the 19th century and the main building has been restored for accommodation and catering. The renovation and repurposing of the barn continues. Trial versions of yoga and nature connection courses were held last summer on the upper floor of the barn.

Vera Icon's Sustainability is based on reviving the old milieu partly with methods that have always been there, partly with current methods of nature and body awareness. We strive to use sustainable, local and recycled resources, producing minimal amounts of waste.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The goal of Vera Icon's project is to create an aesthetic and multi-sensory experience for retreat participants with the power of a multidisciplinary professional team. Professionals of the body, art and mind are also responsible for the training parts of the retreats. Connecting visual arts exercises and producing fiction will also be tried out as part of the retreat program.

Another goal of Vera Icon's project is to awaken an aesthetic and experiential atmosphere by transferring exercises from the yoga mat to nature and vice versa.

The third goal is to create a place that leads from the old rural milieu to a peaceful and slow life, physically and mentally. There is e.g. for meditation, the main building's salon with hand-painted wallpaper. The house has old farmhouse furniture, lots of art and old dishes. Among other things, in connection with meals, the aim is to tell about the cultural history of the place and objects.

The fourth goal is to develop the aesthetics of flavors by designing the food service with local chefs with vegan versions of the 100-year-old cookbook.

The fifth goal of the project is to create a sense of community both in nature and in the same retreat.

The the sixth goal is that professionals renovating buildings in accordance with crafts students create and develope renovation methods combining new and old construction methods.

The seventh aim is that the whole project will be documented on Instagram and on the blog.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Using service design methods, retreats are designed to suit different types of groups. The groups consist of about 15 people, so everyone's individual needs can be taken into account, even within the group.

Retreats are offered both to clients from the social sector, as well as a wellness service for those in need of rest.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
Professionals and students from different fields participate in the renovation of the place and the planning and development of its operations; professionals with old artisan methods, yogis, physio/psychotherapists who teach modern body-mind exercises, and food preparation professionals with historical and new methods and ingredients. The initiative opens up several job opportunities within various fields. The initiative benefits the local economy by bringing a new group of tourists to the countryside.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
The aforementioned have been engaged in the design and implementation of Vera Icon as independent entrepreneurs, students and teachers. The municipality of Mynämäki is involved with its own company that supports local small business operations, and Turku Business region assists in the start of international operations.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
Restoration training program students, tourism students, business school students, their teachers, physiotherapists, mindfulness specialists, yoga instructors, therapists, carpenters and local catering services have all participated in the development. The applicant is responsible for coordinating the entire group. The representatives have both collaborated and worked in harmonious coexistence, resulting in innovative solutions combining traditions and functionality.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
Vera Icon combines the old milieu with new teaching, rehabilitation and training methods. Local and global also meet when we open the retreat to international guests. Vera Icon brings both traditional and experimental wellness practices into the Nordic forest. Combining different practices results in a new kind of approach to the wellbeing of both people and nature. By bringing yoga to the Finnish forest we offer a new way of approaching Nordic mythologies and local folklore, while learning new ways of coexisting with nature.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
It is possible to document and share the exercises developed during the training sessions of the retreat as a book or as virtual programs, e.g. via social media channels.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
The restoration methods follow the curriculum of the vocational school. To these can be added the visits of old craftsmen who are still rarely found in the countryside.

The training methodology of the retreat consists of a multidisciplinary group of teachers and instructors. The central idea is to combine mind and body exercises, to do them partly in the attic space reserved for exercises and partly in the forest and elsewhere in nature. It is also possible to combine artistic methods, for example in feedback discussions on exercises.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
Vera Icon responds to Europe's state of war with peaceful, community-building gestures. Vera Icon takes people to nature, opening a new view for them with nonhuman beings. In this way, in the time of climate change and massive deforestation, small but stable steps are taken towards a more sustainable, nature-friendly lifestyle.

Vera Icon battles unemployment and furthers the economic development of the Finnish countryside by collaborating with different fields, as well as making advances in the tourism sector. Vera Icon chooses it's employees and collaborators based on knowledge and skill, therefore fighting both gender- and income inequality.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The guest house has served as accommodation for an international clientele for five years. Groups from all over the world have visited the destination. The operation of the Vera Icon company will properly start in the spring of 2023, when the final phase of the renovations, and the implementation of the retreats will begin. Improvements focusing on the guest rooms will be made in order to accommodate the visitor's needs and comfort. Marketing initiatives will focus on the accumulation of both national and international clients.

Vera Icon has proven to be successful in bringing together multidisciplinary actors, and will continue providing a place for collaboration, learning and growing.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-19850.pdf
- pdf-1-19850_0.pdf
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
Vera Icon collaborates with wellness instructors that are willing to include in their teachings knowledge and understanding about more nature friendly, sustainable ways of living.

Vera Icon provides a supportive, hands-on learning environment for students from various fields like restoration, business and tourism, with the help of several international expert teachers, all while keeping sustainability in mind. Vera Icon helps support both teachers and students in their journey to become more eco-conscious and openminded to multidisciplinary collaboration and learning.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes