In the quaint little village of Anceu, nestled amid the picturesque landscapes of Galicia (Spain), a transformative ‘rural hacking’ workshop unfolded, drawing together a diverse group of more than two dozen coliving and coworking experts from nearly 20 different countries.
Together, they embarked upon a journey of discovery, seeking the elusive secrets behind the art of creating vibrant communities.
Among the participants was our very own Ben Kolp, owner of Málaga’s The Living Room Coworking.
The workshop, hosted by Anceu Coliving and backed by the European Creative Hubs Network (ECHN), was dubbed a ‘Rural Hacking’ retreat – exploring what it means to set up a successful coliving/coworking space in a remote location.
In Anceu, the challenge was to create a harmonious connection with the locals, avoiding any sense of intrusion. To achieve just that, one of the first steps forward was to rehire Rosa, a member of the local community who used to work at the location before it then became a coliving space. Then, they set about integrating – chatting to the locals, letting them know what Anceu Coliving was all about, and attempting to help improve the local area for both coliving members and locals alike.
Agustin, the owner of Anceu Coliving and a former member at TLR Coworking, spearheaded a project to revamp a local eyesore with the help of some artistic coliving members. More than 80 locals showed up to help.
Anceu then held an event called ‘Entre Culturas’ (between cultures) where coliving members made food from their respective countries, while the locals brought Galician food, and everyone came together at the previously underutilised village hall, the ‘Casa do Pobo’, for an evening to eat and play Galician folk music together.
On the back of this considerable success, the locals presented Agustin with the keys to the venue and said to use it whenever he wanted. Repaying this kindness, Agustin had WiFi put into the hall for free and made it available for all locals to use.
An edition of the now frequently repeated ‘Entre Culturas’ was celebrated during Ben’s visit in Galicia. That way all workshop participants had the chance to closely interact with the locals, share their own culture with them and learn about Galician traditions and customs.
Inspired by this example of integration followed by impact, and by the sessions he attended while in Anceu attending the ECHN’s ‘Rural Hacking’ workshop, Ben returned to Málaga full of inspiration. It also prompted him to reevaluate his perception of making an impact in his home base of Málaga.
Previously, Ben questioned the possibility of creating meaningful change in such a large and diverse city. However, during the workshop in Galicia, participants (initially only jokingly, but then more and more seriously) referred to their inspiring experience as their “bubble”. This made Ben question – would this “bubble of impact” work in Málaga if he started small and focused more specifically on the neighbourhood of Soho which immediately surrounds TLR?
To begin with, Ben and TLR have now joined the local business association in Soho and have also extended internship opportunities to local students studying at the University of Málaga.
Ben encouraged anyone who has any suggestions for how to grow TLR’s bubble of impact even further to get involved.
It is safe to say that, for Ben, his time in Anceu was much more than a workshop – it was a profound and transformative experience. The resulting insights from newly-gained friends based all across Europe into community building, local engagement, and the power of creating your own bubble of impact will stay with Ben for years to come – and will undoubtedly play a large part in shaping the future of TLR.
This fundamental mindset change was triggered by the wonderful people Ben has come to appreciate and admire during his time at Anceu Coliving in Galicia:
- Rita from the ECHN
- Agustín, Africa and the wonderful crew from Anceu Coliving
- Marina from Culture Hub Croatia [PROSTOR]
- Fabienne and Ben from Alpiness
- Jon from Sun & Co in Spain
- Ana from the Wellbeing Economy Alliance
- Morgane from Selgars in the UK
- Hugo and Arthur from Vine21 in Romania
- Lotte from Buinho in Portugal
- Katia from Château Coliving in France
- Juan from Rooral coliving popups in Spain
- Katya and Tony from Burgas Coliving in Bulgaria
- Francesco from Tertulia Farm Coliving in Italy
- Nikola from Sonta Coliving in Serbia
- Joana from the Dinamo 10 Creative Hub in Portugal
- Tom from the Making Rooms creative space in the UK
- Patricia from Quinta da Quinhas hostel and coliving in Portugal
- Bianca who is working on opening a coliving in the Pyrenees
For more information about the Rural Hacking workshop, see these phenomenal pieces written up by other workshop participants:
- The ECHN’s summary
- Anceu’s day-by-day review
- A detailed account from Anceu coliving members
- Reflections from Rooral
- A blog from Life on Fifth
About Kelly
With professional and educational backgrounds rooted in journalism, Kelly works as a freelance writer – crafting tech content, marketing pieces, social media texts, and newspaper articles.
Originally from Kilkenny, Ireland but currently living in Málaga, Kelly runs her own company called Kelly Mary Media OU and has been a TLR Family member since August 2021. When she’s not knee deep in work, Kelly is off trotting around the globe, documenting her many weird and wonderful (and sometimes cat-accompanied) adventures on her Instagram account @thesecornersoftheworld.
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