Bademler Natural Life Village

Long ago, the people of Bademler lived nomadically in this region until the 1820s, earning their living from woodworking. They were known for making boats, ploughs, dibeks and similar items for the surrounding villages. They also cut trees for saddles and firewood. But as time passed and certain things changed, they gave up nomadism and settled down. At first there were only 12 tents and 3 houses in the village. They called it Bademler because there were some almond trees nearby.

In 1962, they formed a development group and the village became more and more famous. It covers 315 hectares and attracts many visitors. People live in bungalows, participate in agricultural activities and even learn to cook with the vegetables and fruits grown here. Thanks to a competition organised by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, the village was awarded the title of the cleanest village in Turkey in 2012.

Why is it regenerative?

The transformation of Bademler from a nomadic community involved in woodworking to a thriving settlement with agricultural activities and eco-friendly tourism initiatives exemplifies regenerative tourism. The village’s transition to a sustainable agricultural and tourist destination has not only preserved its historical roots but also created economic opportunities for the local community. The recognition as the cleanest village in Turkey further highlights the positive impact of this regenerative approach on the environment and local livelihoods.

Project partners met in Aveiro on the 14th and 15th of September 2023. It was the perfect opportunity to visit the destination with regenerative glasses on, to understand its many assets but also some of the challenges the destination is facing. Face to face project meetings always provide the partners with the unique opportunity to learn about the work of the hosting partner and get valuable insights about the destination. In this case partners were hosted by the dedicated team of management and tourism professionals of the University of Aveiro who shared a wealth of insights about a city that was new to many of the participants.

The Enforce project is well on track when it comes to the project work plan, which means that after having completed the Best Practice collection of innovative examples about storytelling for regeneration and also the Storyteller’s Guide, partners used the meeting to discuss the development of the Enforce Training Programme.

For the next few months partners will be working on developing the content in line with guidelines provided by the University of Usak, our project partner from Turkey.
The course should be available for piloting in January/February 2024 and will also be available in the partner languages once all translations are finalised.

The ENFORCE team met in the beautiful city of Luxembourg for its kick-off meeting. It took place at the premises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (also known as CCIL), which opened its doors to warmly welcome all partners.

The team was aware of the importance of this first meeting and approached it with the same enthusiasm, as it plays an important role in building strong bonds that will contribute to the success of the entire cooperation. With the common goal of building a solid foundation, the participants discussed in depth the first steps required for the project ENFORCE.

During this visit, the project objectives were discussed in depth to ensure that each partner has a comprehensive understanding of the overarching goals. The outcome of the kick-off meeting was extremely satisfying for all partners and generated enthusiasm among the team. It was a success and left everyone inspired and energised.

The journey of ENFORCE has officially begun and with the collective expertise of the committed partners, there is no doubt that it will thrive and achieve remarkable results.

Enforce

“The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein”

Project N: 2022-1-LU01-KA220-VET-000089887

© 2024 Enforce Project
Skip to content