Coliving Sojuela Joven is 1 year old!

After a year of work in the creation and development of Coliving Sojuela Joven, it is time to reflect on all that has been experienced this year. Thanks to the support of the government of La Rioja, this emblematic initiative for the demographic challenge has been developed as an innovative pilot project for the first time in our community. One year later, with all the objectives initially proposed positively achieved, Coliving Sojuela Joven is ready to continue to achieve even more.

Global Visibility

The first coliving of La Rioja and also having a strong young perspective to revitalize the rural territory has been a newsworthy event for many media. Here are some of the impacts created.

Europapress, Ondacero, La Rioja, Rural Citizen, ActualidadLaRioja, CoworkingvaluesPodcast, Coliving Community, Cadena Ser, Travel Massive, 24hLaRioja, El día de La Rioja, COPE, RTVE, 941, Eldiario.es, TVR, La siete, España Rural RNE. 

Residents from all around the world

During this year of pilot experience, 22 people from all over the world have lived in Coliving Sojuela Joven for at least one month. The United States, Italy, Albania, Morocco, Ukraine, Poland, Burma, United Kingdom, Argentina, France, Mexico, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany and Spain are the 16 nationalities that have lived in our house and in Sojuela, discovering La Rioja from a very special point of view.

Teleworkers, artists, freelancers, students and researchers are the profiles of the people who come to the Coliving, building an interdisciplinary and international community, a very rich team where they can get to know different languages, music, cuisine and knowledge.

During their residence, they have been able to get to know the heritage of La Rioja, meet and exchange experiences with local people, improve their productivity and quality of life and even fall in love with a territory in which some have decided to stay and live forever. Whoever passes through Coliving Sojuela Joven leaves a strong memory, to come back whenever they want or never to leave.

Coliving Sojuela Joven

An old closed rural house reused to become a second home for anyone interested in getting into  rural life. Tradition and technology perfectly hand in hand to offer a complete experience. Comfort, charming private rooms, work and relaxation areas. A house in the center of the village so you won't miss a thing. 

International training courses host.

More than 150 young people from La Rioja and all over Europe have passed through Coliving Sojuela Joven in one year. Thanks to the power of formal education, youth participation and programs funded by the European Union and the Instituto Riojano de la juventud Sojuela has been able to become a first class educational center. Photography, entrepreneurship, gamification and traditional games, psychology, personal development, botany and yoga are just some of the subjects that have been worked on, taking advantage of the surroundings.

As fervent believers in the strengths of the rural world, we defend that this is the ideal place to learn. Discovering the peace, tranquility and closeness to nature that favor cognitive development, Coliving Sojuela Joven stands out as an idyllic environment for team building and life learning.

Local Impact

Young people from all over the world, with experience in volunteering, at university, in technological jobs and with a strong technical component, have much to contribute to a town that produces much more than the primary sector. Here, the encounter between different cultures is genuinely made. The idiosyncrasy of rural Spain offers a much more authentic image than what many tourists see of our country and the relationship between neighbors is welcomed with open arms on all sides.

The welcome from the local population is a pleasure. Having the teachings and advice of people who know the countryside, having the proximity to solve day-to-day issues or organize any proposal much more easily than in the city are a luxury. The dimensions in the village are much more human and this facilitates the integration of very diverse profiles. Despite linguistic, age or cultural differences, the exchange is very enriching. For this and much more, there is nothing left to say.

Thank you Sojuela!

Healthy life and well-being

To have a sustainable, ecological and regenerative agricultural garden. To have our own chickens. Living facing the mountains and surrounded by nature. The Coliving Sojuela Joven experience would not be the same without the embrace with the environment. The time that nature offers us provides our guests with a quality of life that is appreciated from the very first moment. The productivity in the projects, the mood, the energy and the good gastronomy are easily infected with these opportunities.

Mountains and sports form a basic pillar of life here. From the fronton of the village, to the moncalvillo there are many opportunities for open gym near us. Working in the orchard, playing paddle tennis or basketball or going for a walk through the vineyards or the forest are some of the options we can do without leaving Sojuela.

Awards and conferences

Being an emblematic initiative for the demographic challenge supported by the government of La Rioja offers additional strength to gain public exposure and participate in entrepreneurship awards and events. During this year, Coliving Sojuela Joven has been able to participate in the Vía Lactea program with which it got a mentoring by Cocreanet and also in the Rural Hub program from which we could benefit from an accompaniment of business incubators.

Coliving Sojuela Joven has also had the opportunity to make itself known in various international events in which the youth association Manfred on Tour has participated. As a culmination on September 27th, as part of the Rural Citizen rural talent program, Coliving Sojuela Joven will present at the Gran Kedada Rural in Kuartango, an event to disseminate good practices spread throughout Spain.

With the strength and the good moments achieved this year we continue, looking for more young people from near and far to live in Sojuela and fight against the demographic challenge!