ESC Intern
I was born in Berlin and then living in Halle, Germany where I study social- and cultural anthropology together with education sciences. Currently I am lucky to be living in the Findhorn Community in Scotland where I am doing a one year long internship with GEN as part of the European Solidarity Corps. Before studying I've been working and living in different communities around the world gaining a deeper understanding of alternative ways of living which inspired me in wanting to support this movement.
Site content by Lara Sophia Muhsik
Blog posts
Twinning for better engaged community, water and financial sustainability, creating wider impact: Govardhan (India) and Kibbutz Gezer (Israel) Succes stories of the Twinning Project
Starting with an appreciation for the diverse cultural background and geographic contexts of the partners, these twins relied on open communication and a shared vision for better-engaged communities along with ecological and financial sustainability. Through community profiling, they shared a learning journey to understand the different approaches to community processes, decision making, and strategic planning. The long-term plan they created together takes into account the benefits of … Read more
“Terra Preta Composting Twin Toilets” Collaboration: Nuestra Finca Sagrada (Nicaragua) & Familia Feliz (Spain) Succes stories of the Twinning Project
Turning a challenge into an opportunity, this collaboration addressed the realities of rural living with no plumbing or access to groundwater. As water scarcity increases and soil health depletes, partners creatively saw human excretion as an opportunity to re-value and re-purpose this raw material. Through the Terra Preta System (Dry Compost Toilet), a great low-tech solution achieved several goals, minimizing water use, reducing resource needs, enhancing soil fertility, creating closed-loop … Read more
“Green River” Collaboration: Jacutinga do Caparaó (Brazil) and Catfarm Community (France) Success stories of the Twinning Project
Water resiliency held a central theme in the youth-focused educational collaboration between these two communities, a partnership called Green Rivers. Members from Jacutinga applied their learning from an online course with Plant’agua association in Brazil, collaborating with 10 learners. They visited a local water planting school for inspiration and observed the terrains to develop locally relevant solutions that will guide them for the next 15 years. The results are already felt today, based … Read more
“Peace Ark” Collaboration: Peace Valley (Australia) and Korogonas Ark (Greece) Success stories of the Twinning Project
As these two partners combined live in-person and online participation events they were realising that they have been creating an arc of peace around the world. Both projects focus on bringing inner/outer peace and regeneration and therefore were deeply motivated by the shared vision of building cross cultural understanding, mutual support and honouring each other’s contributions. This has extended the field of their work, contributing to more harmony and the manifestation of the Story of … Read more
A “New Story” Collaboration: Centre des Hommes (Togo) & La Bolina (Spain) Success stories of the Twinning Project
With the goals of promoting dialogue about local development and migration while supporting ecologically balanced social entrepreneurship, the twins Centre des Hommes (Togo) & La Bolina (Spain) turned their ideas of a New Story into reality. Together with the additional support from a GEN Ambassador, the two communities produced an educational video series and launched a website for Centre des Hommes. The Community members shared their experiences, exchanged resources, and reflected on … Read more
Requesting nominations for a core team to support Pan African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP)
Way Forward: PAEDP Development and MoUs with African Governments Proposal for Creating a Core Team and Implementation Plan GEN & GEN Africa AdHoc Working Group Background/Introduction In the Light of the implementation of the Pan-African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP) in Africa, GEN and GEN Africa have worked closely in bringing this concept to the UN Climate Summit Conferences (COPs) and many African countries. So far, 9 African governments have signed MoUs with GEN … Read more
