A presentation delivered at a workshop during the Cultural Innovators Network Forum 2017 in Berlin. #OpenVillage: connecting community spaces for living and working together in the post-job economy Description: How do we build communities which deliver cultural, social and economic value, but care for members' well-being? OpenVillage is an open project in-the-making by Edgeryders. We design, scout and create together spaces where people can work on their projects by joining their time, money, equipment to produce sustainable work. Join in to build this together! http://openvillage.edgeryders.eu/

1. /video of Edgeryders company and community/

2. THE EDGERYDERS JOURNEY
#OPENVILLAGE: How to make the good life
happen for ourselves?
noemi@edgeryders.eu
CIN Forum | Berlin, 1 September 2017

3. Edgeryders: meet the community
The Problem
Our Solution
#OpenVillage: what is it and how we build it
*** GROUPWORK ***
An invitation
CONTENTS

4. “After the flood in Tbilisi on the 13th of June we have
once more discovered that government and city hall
are totally impotent and it’s time to take initiative in our
own hands.” Photo credit: www.cwb.be

5. Targeting groups
“we got many organisations that offer different kind of
assistance but it seems like refugees do not have
access to the information”

6. “How do I map 1000+ Routes?
How do I entice volunteers?
How do I explain this complex system?
How do I know I’m done?

8. edgeryders.eu
4000+ registered
788 active members
18360 comments
5000 RELATIONSHIPS

9. THE PROBLEM
We cannot do good, impactful work for our
communities if we ourselves are struggling to
cover basic needs.

10. OUR SOLUTION
OpenVillage = a network of community houses in
where people work and live together
● PROJECT level: open source solutions to environmental,
social, cultural problems
● PERSON level: physical and mental wellbeing
● COMMON narrative of prosperity

11. WHAT OPENVILLAGE DOES
● Prototyping: members with hard skills around software, hardware and wetware hacking, as well
as crafts; new artefacts, like DIY water traps and mycelium-made surfboards.
● Business incubation. Promising ideas and initiatives can be assessed for viability and solidity at
an early stage.
● Learning programme. Knowledge is shared between houses. Besides upskilling the local
community, the programme spots a light on would-be entrepreneurs.
● Residencies. Financial support is provided for highly skilled individuals (like hackers or serial
entrepreneurs), who come to spend time to share their skills and support others along their
journey.
● A place to live. Attractive living and working quarters, a convivial atmosphere, interesting people
to talk to over breakfast and a sense of mission.

12. ADVANTAGES FOR PARTICIPANTS
● Saves living costs
● Speeds up project development in a skilled group
● Builds new markets & business contacts

14. unMonastery in Matera, south Italy
(2014)

15. "everyone felt that they knew of places with serious structural problems, which
were often the same - things such as underused building stock combined with
homelessness; a feeling of community breakdown and lack of rootedness; high
levels of youth unemployment; low levels of computer literacy..etc. At the same
time, we each felt that we had a set of skills that were under-used... or which
we could put to use in a socially-conscious way.

17. / video about Edgeryders event @ unMonastery /

18. Lessons learnedlearned
A life/work space can not be too close to the needs of a single client.
Neither can it be dependent on the grant cycle. It needs to be financially
self-sustaining, and benefit several projects and lines of business.
We also learnt how important it is to be diverse, open and
outward-looking for fresh air and fresh ideas to circulate at all times. In
order to be impactful, the space should be part of an ecology, rather
than the project of a limited number of people.

19. Our OpenVillage house
Brussels (2017)

22. OpenVillage MENA
(coming up!)

23. openvillage.edgeryders.eu/mena/

24. Where are you in this picture?
1) What is your passion?
2) Can your work progress in OpenVillage?
3) Can your life improve in OpenVillage?

25. Group work I
Take notes in shared doc: goo.gl/vg5Mvx
Post edited stories on
edgeryders.eu/c/openvillage/people-projects

26. Assignment:
The group(s) builds a roadmap for their projects to be translated/ evolved
collectively in the OV House X. Participants can imagine an OpenVillage in their
immediate surroundings, research its conditions, look up pictures online, draw an
imaginary space etc. The space can be a working space, a house, an unused
building.
Start by agreeing within the group and picking 5 Dimensions of Wellbeing/
Methodkit cards that represent the most crucial aspects for your projects AND your
personal wellbeing in the OpenVillage house.
For each dimension describe/ illustrate what challenges it poses to each member
and how the space could contribute to solving that challenge.
GROUP WORK IIAf

27. An invitation to stay connected..
Call for participation

29. Thanks a million!<3
noemi@edgeryders.eu
Get involved:
http://edgeryders.eu
Official project communication:
http://openvillage.edgeryders.eu
http://openvillage.edgeryders.eu/mena/