Currently at Avnø Oasis Ecovillage, our community consists of a core group of 7 adults and 3 kids, several explorers of the project, and 5-10 volunteers. The total number of people staying here varies from 10 to 60+ people of different ages at different times of the year, depending on events, how many people are home, as well as the number of volunteers, students, and guests. We aim to raise the number of permanent residents to 30 adults plus our kids.
By January 2025 our members are:
John (USA), Kristiane (Denmark), Lena (Ukraine), Olha (Ukraine), Lasse (Denmark) are partners of the project. Our kids are Rada, Timur and Zoryana.
Bob & Isabel are explorers. Hauke Christian is a co-liver. Activity partners include the board of Vitalitetsfonden, Rikke & Bernhard, Lucia, Karin, Alicia, Thias, Philippe, Christian, various members of LØS, who are teaching parts of our courses, and others.
My name is Kristiane. I am in Avnø Oasis because I love to see people, plants and projects grow. I was part of starting this project because I wanted to create a greater impact than I could do alone. To witness the transformation that people who come here go through no matter if it is volunteers, explorers or students is absolutely fantastic. To experience that the connection with the other core members becomes deeper every time we together handle a difficult situation is very satisfying for me. I have only experienced that with some of my children before. Our focus on empowerment gives me hope for a brighter future on earth and motivates me to continue to do my very best to realize this project.
I'm John, 79 years old, grew up in Oregon USA raised on a dairy farm. Graduated from University of Portland in Oregon with a degree in accounting and a minor in economics. Worked with my brother in a home building company and land development company. Later owned a manufacturing company, manufacturing, wood, lockers, and racquetball and squash courts internationally. Currently at Avno working with the maintenance and bookkeeping since its founding in 2020.
When Olha participated in the Ecovillage Design Education course in Ukraine in 2020 it totally changed her life! She is now one of the active members of Avnø Oasis community, a board member of GEN Ukraine, a certified Gaia Education trainer and an ecovillage researcher. Having a pedagogical background, Olha has coordinated and around 15 various educational programs and courses in Ukraine and Denmark. She is both the coordinator of this course and the main facilitator. Olha loves being honest, talking about deep stuff and making fun.
I am a permaculture designer and mother. I have three children. I enjoy growing trees from seeds, beautifying the planet with gardens. I garden and teach permaculture in our community. Personal development is also important to me. I feel like I have found the perfect place for myself here because I can learn and share knowledge and live surrounded by nature and wonderful people.
Rada is 12 years old. She is creative and likes to read books. Timur - 9 years. Open and sensitive. Like to play Lego and cars. They attend a Steiner school close by. Zoryana is 3. Goes to kindergarten. Active and independent.
We are often 7-10 different nationalities around the table 🙂
As an international community, our main language is English. However, we want to stay integrated into our local area, so Danish is learned by the residents, and spoken in situations when only Danish-speaking people are present.
Living in a community can be socially demanding, but it also provides opportunities for personal growth, healing, and deep connections with other people. It is an opportunity to learn to find a balance between taking responsibility for your personal needs and the community’s needs. There will be people and situations that trigger your weak spots or bring out your strengths. It’s essential for an enjoyable community life that you (and everyone else here) are eager to learn and develop yourself through your stay and that you are willing to work with tensions/conflicts that may arise. Here you can find our procedure for dealing with conflicts in a respectful manner.
Legally, all activities of Avnø Oasis are run through Vitalitetsfonden (CVR 417046). We use sociocracy for decision-making and organisation. It gives everyone a chance to be heard and provides transparency (of course, if practiced correctly 🙂). Residents, volunteers, and contributing guests participate in one or more working circles matching their skills and interests.
You can read more about sociocracy here, in our library, or participate in our sociocracy courses.
Regular community building activities are:
• daily morning circles at 9:00 — to start the day with a song or activity and hear the announcements
• weekly sharing circles at 19:30 on Sundays — to share what’s alive in our minds and hearts
• opening and closing circles for people coming/leaving etc.
• Coordination group meetings
• Sometimes there are also womens circles, biodanza, morning yoga/exercises, video evenings and other workshops, courses and events organized by volunteers, students, residents or as part of Avnø Højskole.
In our infopackage you can find more about how our working groups are organised, and the various ways to experience the inspiring community life with us.
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