Article written by Carlos Jonay Suárez .

What do we want to get? This is probably the question that everyone asks, or should be done, when it will start with a new project. Or even, going a little further and personalizing it a little more, a question that anyone should ask their vital goals (in addition, January, which is playing at an end, is a good month for it)

As you will understand, this is no different with remote peoples and with the projects we develop.

And that, is one of the reasons for this post, respond to what we want to achieve with each project that we start up, and in this case specifically, what were the challenges that were resolved and the socio-economic impact that we generate through of ancient remote .

Connected Rurality: a matter of objectives

I think that in this last year I have resorted to this term more than I would like, but in the back be it among them, with the environment or with the projects that are developed within it. 

Connect goes from weaveing ​​networks, growing as people, learning, cooperating and understanding. In this process they develop, greatly, all those 'skills' that are in vogue from around the world, the 'soft skills' (with another term that I like a little more, and that I think it contributes in the context : The 'Human Skills'): Empathy, communication, team relationships (or with other people), giving constructive feedback, honesty or management of complex situations, are just some of them. 

If we talk about objectives at a more 'macro' level, although our projects are rather 'micro', we could list the main objectives we pursue in ancient remote as the following: 

• Demonstrate that it is possible to launch a sustainable tourism development in rural environments through the attraction of remote workers.

• Generate collaboration networks among local entrepreneurs of a town to promote its development.

• Promote the transfer of knowledge of both teleworkors to local entrepreneurs, and in reverse.

• Position ancient as an innovative municipality within the rural environment and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Promote the attraction of a different tourist profile , with a longer stay time and integrated into the local community.

In addition, all these objectives are collected, and align, with the number 17 of the SDGs: “alliances to achieve objectives” since, what we pursue mainly in pueblos remotos is that connection networks, and collaboration, between people who last over time.

Challenges to solve the needs of local actors

Another of the tasks that we mark in remote villages, and with which we permanently insist with the dissemination of our projects, is that of the challenges.

Because? Because the challenges are a form of connection and exchange of knowledge between local actors and remote workers, on the one hand, and a more connection link between the team of Pueblos Remotos and teleworkors, on the other hand.

In each project that we start up, we help and guide local entrepreneurs to define what are the main challenges they face, allowing us to know a little more their business model and helping us identify in which plots the participants can help them. 

These challenges can be from digitalization work (help with the implementation of digital products, or with the improvement of them, social networks, processes digitalization, etc.) to contribute new ideas of products, or services. 

But, this contribution does not remain only in the area of ​​'expertise' of teleworkors, but goes one step further. Participants also have the possibility of helping 'day by day', such as: production work, agricultural tasks or field work with local actors. 

Thanks to this, there is an exchange of knowledge, and cultural, which would not occur with the mere fact of participating in activities, or visiting the business of the municipality. 

Within ancient remote, 20 challenges were identified (an average of 3 challenges per local actor), of which, 17 were generated and 16 new ideas that were not raised are generated. Some of the challenges that were resolved were the following:

• Support in the creation of a new website for the Rural Hotel was from the Court, thus helping them save costs with respect to the previous website they had in operation. 

• Promote an ¨Twin-Ticht¨ of Verdeaurora volunteer along with The Animal Academy.

• Help/Support in the start -up of a billing program for Flypart Crafts.

• Strengthen the animal amadrination process of The Animal Academy using the notion digital tool.

• An Instagram workshop was given with content development examples for several of the local actors.

Socio-economic impact

Although, as I detailed above, the projects that we carry out through pueblos remotos have a more 'micro' seal than 'macro', we must always add the socio-economic impacts that occur.

In our case, in addition, we include a factor that for us is differential and that is one of our leitmotiv : the impact that is generated on the people who participate (whether in local actors, teleworkors and, why not, in ourselves )

In this case, and through the feedback collected in the satisfaction questionnaires with the program (both local actors, teleworkors) we can conclude the following: 

• 100% of the participants would repeat in an upcoming edition or recommend it to another teleworkors (in fact, in old remote we have 2 repeaters and 2 referred to by participants in Icod Remote) 

• 80% of participants say they have improved their professional and personal skills during the program.

• All participants have had a feeling with local entrepreneurs on a personal level.

• All participants say they had a feeling between them and with us (the team of remote peoples)

• All local actors felt comfortable, or very comfortable, with the realization of their activities (especially those who had not done them before) 

• All local actors comment that their feeling with participants has been very positive.

In the most economical field, project impact data have also been positive: 

• 86% of the total cost of the program had direct impact on local actors (main and secondary):

  • 56% in the main actors

  • 30% in other actors (suppliers, audiovisuals, leisure and excursions, etc.) 

• 5 new tourist products were created: 

  • Visit to the farm and garden, including a seed workshop, with the Greenaaurora project.

  • Milking of goats and preparation of your cheese (which you can then take with you) with the project La Casa del Cheese Cabrera Pérez.

  • Moroccanic initiation workshop, producing a 100% artisanal purse, with the Flypart Crafts project.

  • Visit to the facilities, knowing first hand the stories of the animals, as well as feeding them with the Animal Academy project.

  • Cooking and family dinner workshop "How to prepare a potato de beros" with the Rural Hotel La Age of the Court.  

Continue contributing with the same vision

According to who reads this, and with what tone reads it, these objectives, or what we have achieved, may seem very small steps, or 'insufficient "impact, but it is what, for us, the' tone ', the' with whom 'with whom And the 'for whom we do things, has a reason for being that we already explained before having started with any of our projects: 

Far from growth without brake and the looks that only the bullish metrics consider, we want to start a movement that generates another way of thinking, acting and working.