This March has been very special for us in pueblos remotos because we have celebrated our second anniversary! We feel very excited to be able to share this moment with all of you, and we want to take this occasion to make a reflection on what we have achieved and what we still have to do.

The year began talking about purpose in this article that I wrote: “ And you, do you live with purpose? ” I told you that my purpose is very aligned with the ultimate goal of remote peoples: contribute to the local communities of rural environments. This is achieved by performing the following actions:

1. Demonstrating , through our experiences, that there is another way of tourism.

2. Giving visibility to rural entrepreneurs and environments where they live

3. Creating connections that last over time, and therefore, generating connected rurality.

We have had to overcome many obstacles and challenges in these two years, it has not been easy, but we have done it with great desire and perseverance. Everything we have achieved has been thanks to the support of our collaborators and sponsors, to the confidence of the people who have made our experiences possible (rural entrepreneurs and local actors) and the commitment that ourselves (the internal team) have had with the project. 

We are still 2 people in front, Carlos Jonay Suárez and a servant, but we are still more committed than ever and we are lucky to have wonderful people around who have supported us from day one, they get involved and encourage us to continue. I feel like telling you how this path has been during these two years and above all, thank, with all my heart, to all those who have believed in our mission and help us meet our goals.

What we have learned along the way 

There are so many things that we have learned that it costs a lot to be able to synthesize. As we have mentioned sometimes, this idea of ​​focusing on rural environments emerged in a desktop and the first brainstorming occurred writing in the Hamilton 66 coworking where we have the "office." Telling this gives me the feeling that it was in another life, it has been all very intense.

One of the first things we realized is that no matter how much we like to work remotely, to set up this type of experience, we must be visited, and above all, you have to listen to the people of the place. They are the ones who know what are the challenges they face, what they need and what they want in their town. Thanks to that active listening, we were able to begin little by little to design what was that first experience in Icod de los Vinos, which we then replicated both in ancient and Fuencaliente. The initial analysis of the territory are key for the co-creation of the experience to work. 

What more things have we learned? That we have to trust ourselves and really believe that what we are "selling" has the value it deserves. Many times we tend to download prices and to give discounts, for fear that they will not buy us, but if we explain transparently, how much is it worth participating in an experience of remote villages? , we should be calm because the people who are our target market will understand, those who try to negotiate are that they have not understood the concept of the experiences we do.

“They have been two years of pure connection and I think that is, by far, the most beautiful thing this project has. Recently, I was surprised by explaining 'what is' the differential of everything we do and the truth is that my hair is still bristling when I think of certain moments, in everything we share and in the human quality of all the people who have passed through here. Without a doubt, if I have to stay with some of these 24 months, it is with that ” - Carlos Jonay Suárez. Co -founder of remote villages.

Reaching the community, to that Target Market , has probably been the biggest challenge to date. It is a niche, of a niche, of a niche, which we try to arrive. To be able to participate in one of our experiences you have to be teleworking, speaking Spanish and being willing to donate 2-3 hours of your time and also to allow you to pay the price that is going to implement experiences of this type, since the effort is a lot and dedication on our part.

In the end this is about to manage people, to generate connections between them and with the environment and continue growing together. Through the feedback and advice we have received from the participants in each of the activities we have done, of the conversations we have had with collaborators, Advisors and Friends have made us improve and, above all, they have encouraged us to continue. 

If I could highlight the greatest achievements to date, I might stay with the following: 

• The 3 21-day experiences that we have been able to implement in: i) ICOD de los Vinos, Tenerife in May-June of 2021; ii) Antigua, Fuerteventura in November-December 2021 and III) Fuencaliente, La Palma in June 2022. Each has been completely different, not only because the environments are different, but because the people who have been part of them are also, and you know that for us everything will connect people. However, there is something in common in all of them and that is that the best time for me is undoubtedly, the feedback session we do at the end of each experience. There you can see, feel and feel the magic of the connected rurality, when each one shares and opens with the whole group. And besides, it is when we learn the most to continue improving.

• "The Break" European Women's Entrepreneurship Project: our first European project and, in addition, we implement it in English. We open a new market in the town of Agaete, Gran Canaria. We collaborate with new partners, and add one more layer with the part of mentorization and accompaniment to the entrepreneurs with a team of wonderful mentors. Everything sounds great, but it was a learning that put us to the limit of our energies and our mental health. We had two groups that came very often and once again showed us that this we do goes from people and no matter the format that we give, each of the experiences will depend on the people who are part of them. A super experience that in fact we repeat this year again and that we are waiting for it to arrive to apply everything learned and continue to grow.

• Our first documentary: "The rurality connected: for a sustainable future . What a beautiful and emotional moment when through those 40 minutes that last, you realize that all the effort and what we are making makes sense. The documentary, filled in its entirety on the island of La Palma during the edition of remote peoples, represents a joint reflection of the need for change prevailing in our society, of the way we consume and the way in which we relate to our surroundings at all levels. The Premiere took place at the Chico Theater, in Santa Cruz de La Palma , on March 20, we lived that moment surrounded by several of the protagonists and about thirty attendees. The truth is that it imposes on the "great" screen, but without a doubt, it was worth the effort, above all, the currazo that Dany Ruz of unpredictable films to spin everything with such precision. Soon we will open it to the public and you can see it on our YouTube channel , we hope you like it and excite them as much as we are.

What we have left to learn

We are clear that in projects like this, social impact, we must always look in the long term not to demotivate and follow at the foot of the canyon. There are many things that we want to learn and we know that we still have a long journey. Actually, that is the beautiful thing, enjoy the road and feel that we continue to grow with every step we take. Falling, getting up, pivoting, proof and error, are part of that growth and there we want to continue. 

• One of the objectives we want to set ourselves is to train people who want to accompany us on this path. A kind of academy remote peoples where we can build together and help us reach more rural peoples and environments in which we can contribute our grain of sand. If it is something that may interest you, get in touch with us and so you add to this joint learning.

• Another goal would be to depend less and less economically on public institutions. Sometimes it seems that social economy projects such as ours and in this country, Spain, have a single way to survive and it is through aid and sponsorships of public bodies. With Pueblos Remotos we want to continue building relations with public institutions, as well as apply to European projects. We know very well the need to invest, and manage, well this money to generate a greater impact on the local economy of the places where we operate. On the other hand, we are also betting that the private market value this type of initiatives and that both teams of companies and freelancers choose our experiences and services.

• Finally, we would like to be able to devote more time to our community, to the people who have been part of our experiences and with whom we have created very special links. In fact, we are very happy to know that we are going to celebrate with them this second anniversary and that a new tradition begins: the annual remained of remote peoples! We will be from March 31 to April 2 in Villarejo de Salvanés, a small town on the outskirts of Madrid in which we will be 14 people representing all editions.

In summary, this second anniversary is an occasion to celebrate the achievements achieved and to renew our commitment to continue expanding the connected rurality. Commitment that materializes , becoming limited society 2 weeks ago! We want to move forward with our mission and get where we set out, because remember that we put them on ourselves. We hope to continue counting on all of you in this important task. Thank you for accompanying us on this path and for being part of this great family! Happy second anniversary, remote villages!