Rural coliving spaces: A Solution to Retain Population in Villages

Rural depopulation is one of the biggest challenges facing Galician villages today. The lack of job opportunities and services has led many young people to migrate to cities in search of a more promising future. However, this has left our villages deserted and aging, threatening to turn cities into large mausoleums while the countryside slowly loses its life. We believe rural coliving spaces can be a catalyst for change, helping to reverse this trend and breathe new life into rural communities.

At Anceu, thanks to new technologies, it is easier today to imagine a different lifestyle that combines digital connectivity with the tranquility and authenticity of rural life. This is why we founded Rural Hackers ONG.

In this post, we will highlight some success stories and initiatives that are helping us bring people from other countries, as well as from Galicia, to rural areas in Galicia. These examples showcase how rural coliving spaces like us are revitalizing local communities by attracting new residents and fostering cultural exchange and collaboration in rural settings.

Anceu coliving community

Rural coliving space as a driver of change in rural areas

Coliving at Anceu not only offers shared living spaces but also creates a meeting point for people with common interests who are looking for a different way of life. A great example is the story of Víctor, one of the first people to settle permanently in our village after living in Anceu Coliving space. Víctor initially arrived as a volunteer at a residency and began organizing activities in the communal house of the village, such as sports and basic technology workshops, which helped him connect with the local community.

Thanks to these encounters, he formed a strong friendship with Rogelio, who offered to rent him a small house in the village so that he wouldn’t leave. Today, Víctor not only lives in Anceu but has also started his own personal training and boxing business (Rural Champs), while also working part-time as an English and Spanish teacher thanks to digital tools. Víctor has also created a community garden where he and the village neighbors plant vegetables together. The colivers are also joining him in working on the garden, helping with the planting and learning about permaculture. This initiative not only promotes sustainable living but also fosters meaningful connections between the colivers and the local community.

Another case is Ana, who arrived in Anceu coliving space with her motorhome and her dog, Lagun, after traveling for a year. She decided that this was the place she wanted to stay, and in addition to renting a house, she has started a local project in collaboration with a woman from the village. Together, they are leading a generational handover of a business related to culture and literature, further linking the arts to rural life.

Ana, in her desire to keep connecting with the coliving community, has also created a wonderful initiative called the Nomad Book Club. This weekly gathering invites people to come together for about two hours to discuss a proposed literary text. Through creative dynamics and interactive activities, participants share their thoughts and get to know each other on a deeper level, creating a meaningful space for connection and cultural exchange within the community.

Rural coliving space as a laboratory for rural life

At Anceu, we are convinced that our village is a laboratory for experimenting with new ways of living in rural areas. So much so that our experience has attracted the attention of initiatives like the Fixar program, supported by the regional government (Xunta de Galicia). Fixar aims to bring 60 people from different parts of Galicia to experience rural life through coliving, with the goal of encouraging them to settle in rural areas and build community networks.

This September, we launched this initiative, and it is already proving to be highly beneficial, both for participants and for us. Throughout this process, we have strengthened our belief that much remains to be done in terms of weaving human and community networks in the rural world.

We’ve had the pleasure of meeting extraordinary projects and people, such as the bands Caamaño & Ameixeiras who are creating new music in the coliving. On a regional level, we collaborate with people like Kiko, who is dedicated to the conservation of the Galician mountains, or the both Lauras, who are reinventing their professions towards art and rural life in nearby villages. These synergies continue to grow: for example, Laura Calvo from Boor project will soon travel to Croatia to participate in an artistic exchange in Split as part of our creative spaces network. Also, we are already working with Laura Álvarez to organize our schedule for a visit to her village, A Barcia, where she plans to host retreats in her family’s house. We intend to stay closely involved to support her on her entrepreneurial journey, providing guidance and assistance as she develops this new project.

Our local community also benefits from connections with this Fixar community, such as our friend María, who will open a creative space in Ponte Caldelas (Cuve). There, we hosted our final gathering on the 13th October, bringing together all these initiatives and people to continue collaborating and creating opportunities together.


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