Rural Europe on the move English_chapt1_6 | Page 40

CHAPTER 3
Experience
as learning
Sharing our stories with our Forum
Eigg: no security of tenure, no say, no
representation, no democracy, fear of
reprisal, top-down decisions - it was all
learn from each other. For an islander there, the kind of feudal set-up we had
like Colin Carr who had never travelled had to live with!”
Precious insights were gained
find so many things in common with in the process. “You see, after the
other rural areas of Europe. Invited wrecking game, it was easy to draw
to a following event in the Lesachtal out good practices in contrast: you
later that summer, he came back with wrote those on corresponding green
an even strengthened conviction. “In cards, and here were the conclusions
their valley in Austria, they were just like we needed to wrap up the event. In this
us,” he said, “few opportunities because way, rather than an abstract concept,
of the remoteness. The difference is that sustainable rural development had
they took security of tenure for their become a personal experience and
houses and land for granted, whereas this enabled it to become embedded
we had to fight for it.” in the participants’ psyche,” explained
No wonder that with such an
experience behind them, the islanders
Drennan, “or so we liked to think.”
For the Eigg community, this focus
could take part in the ‘Wrecking Game’ on the local experience brought
almost enthusiastically. The wrecking new a perspective and confidence:
game belonged to a dimension “Here were all these people coming
which Oliver Emmes liked to bring to discuss with us a common vision of
into Forum Synergies events to liven sustainable development, and we felt
things up a bit. He called it the fun validated that, informed by our ‘sense
principle. In this game devised by of place’ and community, our ideas for
Drennan Watson, also a member of the future were judged to be sound,”
the Highland and Islands Forum team, explained Karen.
everyone had to think of any methods
The week of both hard and fun
that could be used to threaten or discussions, of social and cultural
halt sustainable rural development. exchange had not only generated
“We had to write this on red cards on confidence, inspiration and
the wall,” Colin Carr reminisces, “it enthusiasm, but highlighted some
was quite a laugh, we all vied with important principles: the basic needs
each other to write the worst possible of people were the same everywhere,
“We felt validated that, informed by our
‘sense of place’ and community, our ideas
for the future were judged to be sound.”
Karen Helliwell
36
know what? It was just like the story of
Synergies visitors meant we could
out of Scotland, it was eye-opening to
10. Climbing An Sgurr,
Eigg’s iconic mountain
11. “And here’s to all of us,
and Eigg’s success!”
action we could think of. And you