Laina

Asociación Cultural Laina is a non-profit organisation created in 2014 in Sieso de Jaca (Huesca, Spain). Sieso de Jaca is a rural village that was abandoned in the 1960s and has been rebuilt and repopulated since the mid-2000s by a community project. Today, around 20 adults and several children live there permanently. Laina works to promote sustainable ways of living based on community life, care for nature and strong links with the territory. The organisation aims to recover rural life, restore traditional buildings and landscapes, and share knowledge related to agroecology, traditional crafts and collective organisation. Its work is based on cooperation, mutual support and participatory decision-making. The organisation is run in a horizontal way, through assemblies and shared responsibilities. Laina’s activities are organised around three main areas. (1) Education and non-formal learning: the organisation runs workshops, courses, youth camps and volunteer projects. Topics include agroecology, bioconstruction, community living, communication skills, emotional awareness, group facilitation and participatory democracy. Learning is practical and connected to daily life in the community. (2) Sustainability and environment: Laina develops agroecological food production, regenerative agriculture, extensive livestock, beekeeping, seed saving, forest care, water management and renewable energy systems. Buildings are restored using traditional and ecological construction techniques and local materials. (3) Community culture and social cohesion: the organisation works on inclusion, gender equality, intergenerational exchange, conflict management and collective care, and revives traditional forms of community work. For more than 15 years, the community linked to Laina has hosted volunteers and groups from Spain and Europe. Volunteers take part in daily tasks and community life as a learning experience, without replacing paid jobs. They are supported by experienced educators, facilitators and technical mentors. Through its work, Laina responds to challenges such as rural depopulation, environmental damage, social isolation and the climate crisis. The organisation sees rural areas as places of resilience and innovation, and offers young people practical skills, meaningful experiences and inspiration to take positive action in their own communities.