Projects Leader
GEN Staff
Starting as a volunteer with GEN in 2016, Abbie has collaborated in many of GEN's focus areas including Communications, Education, and Outreach. She now holds the role of Projects Lead and is a member of the Core Circle. She has initiated and lead several school-focused projects as well as supported the Resilience project. Every year, she finds joy in coordinating the Hildur Jackson Award.
Originally from a tiny island (Bermuda) and currently based in the Netherlands, Abbie considers herself a world citizen as she has lived in many places, including 30 ecovillages and intentional communities. After completing her Masters in Sustainable Development and working with community-focused network NGOs, she pursued her passion for education, returning home to launch and run the international environmental education programme, Eco-Schools.
This sparked a further desire to learn hands-on skills which lead her to complete a Permaculture Design Certificate and then onward to adventures in ecovillages. She participated in workshops and conferences and contributed to natural building, gardening, and community engagement projects, some of which she remains involved.
Primary interests: Social (Lifelong Education, Diversity & Cohesion, Trust & Communication, Health & Healing); Culture (Nature Connection); Integral Design (Contextualised Design); Ecology (Seeds, Food & Soil, Green Building, Water Cycles); Economy (Sharing & Collaboration, Planetary Boundaries)
Events & Trainings held by Abbie Caldas
Power of Community Summit – Informal get-together and discussion
- Date: 9 February 2019
- Language:
- English
- Location: The Hague - Please contact the host for exact location, Netherlands
For any participants of the summit interested in sharing the experience with others in the area. This will be a very informal gathering to discuss the topics from the summit in a locally relevant context and brainstorm any potential applications. … Read more
Site content by Abbie Caldas
Blog posts
Community Resilience to Climate Change Companion Cards
This resource is for facilitators, educators, and local communities to learn about and map their resilience in local workshops and activities. It weaves in with the Tracker Tool which creates an online visual display. Below you can browse the attributes (center images), indicators (short highlighted text), principles (bold text), and recommended good practice (smaller text) by clicking the arrows. It is also available in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Dutch, and Vietnamese, with more … Read more
Youth in Action Project Concludes with Renewed Inspiration for a Next Chapter Thinking globally, acting locally, learning continously
As we tie the final ribbon of this chapter of the Youth in Action project, we celebrate threefold: strengthened relationships, ecological impact, and shared learning. The 5-partner Community of Practice formed a support network across the globe, while also engaging genuine participation of the communities on the ground. We measured the ecological impact from the physical implementations, through reduced waste, increased biodiversity, weaving of natural materials, safer shelter, and improved … Read more
Youth in Action Project Public Showcase Regenerative Education Projects Highlight their Journeys and Impacts
The Sprouts for the Future project is coming to a close. To conclude the cycle, the 5 education projects in the Community of Practice welcomed the public into the celebration. We were joined by fellow educators, ecovillagers, parents, as well as people just scoping out the potential of regenerative education. The core team shared the story of what the project entailed and set the frame for each of the education projects to offer their insights from the experience and the impact generated. … Read more
Youth in Action – Project Diaries Explore the journey details of each of the 5 project partners
Get to know more in depth how each project was decided upon, planned, and implemented. Project Journal- Self Directed Learning Center Project Journal- Uba Qynza Project Journal- Springhouse Community School Project Journal - Suai Long … Read more
Regenerative Educators Cross Pollinate Updates from the Community of Practice
This month’s Sprouts project opened the space to the wider Community of Practice and held a Regenerative Educators Cross Pollination session, a kind of reunion with our previous collaborators, with a vision to create more future collaborations. The updates from across the globe were incredibly inspiring. We learned from our partners that: In Colombia, the Minga work for food sovereignty continues. (A Minga is system of reciprocity where people come together to work towards a beneficial … Read more
Youth in Action: Navigating Challenges
With last month’s launch of the local projects, this month the Community of Practice held space for navigating any challenges that arose. It was important for the education practitioners to first celebrate the momentum generated from all the planning and weaving in of the school communities. And then, we took a step back to face head on anything that was or could be blocking the biggest impact we dreamed of. This is where the beauty of Community of Practice is revealed: no matter what one of the … Read more
Youth in Action: Local Projects have Launched After months of framing, planning, and engaging their local communities, the physical results of the hands-on ecological projects are now shaping up!
Read on to learn how each Local Project is developing, and how you can get involved with GEN's work with regenerative educators. 🍕 At the Self-Directed Learning Center at Kuthumba Ecovillage, South Africa, a ceremony was held to open the site for the new community space which received a lot of excitement and created momentum. The main foundation for the open-air structure with a roof, natural walls, and pizza oven has begun. 🐉 At the School Garden in Mongenegro, the initial design … Read more
Hildur Jackson Award Finalists 2023
It is that time of year to celebrate our dear Hildur Jackson's birthday with a special celebration of some amazing ecovillage projects. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Gaia Trust, we are delighted to provide some financial celebration as well. Find out more about the award and apply for the next round (applications due by July 2024) here. Celebrating this year's HJA winner! REDES (Réseau pour l' Emergence et le Développement des Ecovillages au Sahel) The main goal of the … Read more
Our experience in the EDE 2023 Reflections from the support team, Jule, Mari, & Rubén
In the current context of ecological emergency and huge social inequalities, it is more important than ever to support education for the design and promotion of sustainable communities that generate solutions integrating the 4 dimensions of regeneration. This year’s EDE offered exactly such an educational journey and was characterised by a diverse range of guest speakers with an abundance of knowledge and experience to share. The journey was a deep dive into the ecovillage approach, including … Read more
GEN’s Core Circle How we steward the GEN International team
Purpose: To cultivate an overall vision of GEN International’s activities and finances, coordinate the implementation of its strategy and projects, and ensure they reflect our values and purpose. Accountabilities: Participation Agreements As a Core Circle member of any kind, I agree to: As a Core Circle voting member, I agree to: Spirit of These Agreements We uphold these agreements because we believe they will help us cooperate, enjoy our time together, … Read more
