FREE-IT
Digital sovereignty, ethics and free and open-source software for the ecovillage movement
Field: Adult education
Programme: Erasmus+ Small-scale partnership in adult education
Status: Approved, starting 1 November 2026 (14 months)
Partners: GEN Europe (coordinator), RIVE (Italy), Coopérative Oasis (France) and Baltic Ecovillage Network
The idea
Ecovillage networks rely on digital tools to communicate, make decisions and share knowledge. But those tools are often built on proprietary platforms that do not match the movement’s values of sustainability, cooperation and autonomy. FREE-IT supports adult educators, network coordinators and IT managers in making informed, ethical and independent choices about the digital tools they use.
What we will do
- Train a core group of around 12 adult educators, IT managers and coordinators in digital competences, using the European DigComp framework.
- Co-create a practical guide (vademecum) on free and open-source software, digital sovereignty and ethics, with case studies, a migration guide and first steps for communities. It will be published openly in English, French, Italian and Danish.
- Hold three expert webinars, recorded and made publicly available.
- Design a replicable workshop and test it at four ecovillage gatherings.
- Agree a shared set of open-source tools that the partner organisations will use and test themselves, starting with a transnational meeting at Sieben Linden ecovillage in Germany in December 2026.
Why it matters
Digital choices have social and environmental consequences, from who owns our data to the energy used by data centres. By linking digital literacy to ecological responsibility, FREE-IT helps communities decide together which technologies serve them, and shares what it learns openly with the wider adult education sector.
Who is it for?
Adult educators, network coordinators, IT managers and community members in ecovillage and community-led networks, including beginners with little technical background.
More to come
We will publish webinar dates, the guide and workshop materials here as they become available. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear first.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting National Agency. [Add the exact funding acknowledgement and logos from the grant agreement.]