Throughout 2022 we began a series of knowledge webinars through which we shared some tips, advice and above all we showed examples of people who are doing for the rural world.
You can watch our two previous webinars through the blog posts: How do we generate a positive, and real, impact in rural areas? and How do coliving & coworking spaces work in rural environments?
Last week, specifically on Wednesday, February 22nd, we resumed these knowledge webinars with a panel entitled 'Starting a Business from Villages or Rural Areas' and for which we were able to count on:
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Diego del Árbol : Director of Volvemos.org , a project that helps all those who want to return to Spain from other countries of the European Union, and the ideologue of RemotoEU, a European-level project that is analyzing teleworking legislation to promote the mobility of people between different European territories.
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Conce Macías : Project Director at AlmaNatura, a project that helps, through public/private partnerships, to revitalize rural areas.
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Oscar Perez: co-founder of Hola Ghana, a volunteering and cooperation NGO with more than 12 years of experience and The SOCIAL MBA, a 100% online MBA focused on Social Economy and Impact.
Within the debate we generated, we were able to learn more in depth what is behind these projects, why they were launched, and what they are currently doing with them.
The Zoom chat was very active and many interesting resources were shared through it, which we share with you at the end of this blog post.
Answering some key questions
Among the 'key' questions we posed to our panelists were those related to the challenges they face and the impact of what they implement.
Thus, in response to the question , "What are the biggest challenges you identify right now for starting a business in a rural area?" we obtained the following reflections:
[Oscar Pérez]: We started this project in Colombia 6 years ago, we've gone through a coliving space in Asturias and now we're developing it from a village in Cantabria, and what I identify is the same thing, that it's difficult to find 'that generation of connections or social capital'
[Diego del Árbol]: I agree 100% with Oscar regarding access to talent and connections […], but I would add two more points: internet access, especially in certain rural or isolated areas of Spain, as this is fundamental for digital work. And the second point concerns the awareness of public administrations to understand that entrepreneurship is also possible in these environments and that, to achieve this, a series of basic services must be provided.
[Conce Macías]: At AlmaNatura, one of the first things we notice is the issue of 'limiting beliefs,' that is, all those beliefs that suggest nothing can be done in rural areas or that there are no opportunities to start businesses or create (for this, it's important to change the narrative, for example, changing 'Empty Spain' to 'Rural Revitalization'). Another point I agree with is the importance of Social Capital; we need to surround ourselves with people who inspire us. And finally, innovation, since it's one of the biggest challenges/blocks always identified in rural areas. There are a lot of interesting projects and role models in rural areas who are doing very interesting things.
If we move on to the question , "What impact are your projects having on the rural environment?"
[Diego del Árbol]: I love to measure, but with what we're doing at volvemos.org, we've placed more emphasis on the stories and the faces of the people behind it. Even so, if we're talking numbers, since we started we've helped around 3,000 people return home, 20% of whom have done so from outside Madrid/Barcelona.
[Oscar Pérez]: What we've done is work from a rural perspective to build a global project. Even so, from Cantabria we're trying to energize the impact entrepreneurship community, within which we have a group of about 50 people (Red Impacto Cantabria). And another objective is to decentralize the social economy from Madrid and Barcelona through projects like 'The Break'.
[Conce Macías]: We've been active for over 25 years, reaching more than 400 towns nationwide. We've empowered over 15,000 women in the last three years, and through the 'Hola Pueblo' project, we've been supporting 80 people for the past year and a half. In terms of numbers, it's fantastic. But we also have to consider the non-quantitative aspects, with questions like: How do we improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas?
The video contains more interesting questions, both from us and from the participants in the webinar, so we invite you to watch it and, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
We hope to announce a new panel or new training content soon, so we can continue learning and growing together.
Links of interest shared during the webinar:
Experiencias 2023
Pueblos Remotos Fuencaliente 2023
Join our experience in Fuencaliente (La Palma) and experience the magic of Connected Rurality.
Pueblos Remotos Antigua 2023
Join us for our experience in Antigua (Fuerteventura) which will take place in October 2023.
