“S.S.E. in small places”
July 24-26, Poretsou Monastery
“S.S.E. in small places” is the first summer school of Social and Solidarity Economy of “Another Way” which will take place on July 24-26, 2026 at Poretsou Monastery, in mountainous Achaia.
The summer school is created as an open space for meeting, learning and sharing experiences around the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), with an emphasis on the needs and potential of small and remote places.
In a period where many mountainous and regional areas face abandonment, limited and social isolation, S.S.E. can act as a tool for local resilience, collaboration and collective creation. Through workshops, discussions and project presentations, the summer school seeks to highlight practices that are born “from below”, from within the communities themselves.
The summer school is addressed to residents (associations, associations, bodies) of the local society, people participating in S.S.E. ventures, young men and women looking for cooperative models and work, residents of small or remote areas, as well as researchers, professionals, economic collectives and figures.
Summer school is a collaborative, experiential experience. All participants will have active roles in the smooth running of the organization.
Objectives
“S.S.E. in small places” aims to:
- informing and raising awareness of the local community around the Social and Solidarity Economy,
- connecting people and ventures from mountainous, island and remote areas facing common challenges,
- in the creation of cooperation and mutual support networks,
- in the transfer of knowledge and good practices from existing collaborative and community projects,
- in strengthening new social economy initiatives,
- in highlighting collective models of production, living and culture.
Topics
The topics of the summer school include:
- collaborative and community ventures,
- socially supported agriculture,
- ethical production and consumption,
- decentralization,
- local resilience and self-sufficiency,
- alternative work and living models,
- energy communities,
- education,
- good practices from small places in Greece.
Speakers
Participating speakers, presenters and workshop coordinators will be announced soon.
The ventures participating as presenters are the following:
(the list is being updated…)
Program
The program will include theoretical and experiential actions, workshops, project presentations, open discussions and cultural activities.
In each topic there will be at least one project from the Greek area active in the specific field. Initially, there will be a presentation of the project, followed by an open discussion on the respective topic.
The full schedule of the summer school will be announced soon.
Accomodation
Accommodation will be mainly in tents of the participants that will be placed on the grounds of the Monastery and is free of charge.
Alternatively there is a limited possibility for accommodation
a. in dormitories at the Poretsou Monastery, upon reservation, with a relevant fee of €25/person/night
b. in accommodation of your choice
Food
Meal options will be announced soon
Transportation
The transition to the Poretsou Monastery is by private vehicles.
An effort will be made to share participants in as few vehicles as possible to get here. The car-sharing list will be communicated to you after completing the participation application.
There is no public transport that reaches the Monastery.
There is a KTEL bus that starts from Patras at 14.00 (with final destination Dafni). You can go down to Tripotama village (arrival 16.00) and from there we will pick you up by car.
Correspondingly, the KTEL bus leaves on Sundays at 16.45 from Tripotama and arrives in Patras at 19.00.
Participation
Participation in the summer camp is free.
Registration will take place after filling up the form, for organizational reasons.
With the support of
