In September of 2018 I moved to Armenia where I met Jeppe Strands from Denmark.
We started
The vision of Ciliica Living is to create a productive community that empower its members to create value for themselves and the people around them. To bring together creatives, makers, entrepreneurs, and gap year takers and people who are a bit of all of these. To be far more than just a place to stay. To be a place that inspires its members and makes an impact.
Members bring their own projects or joined community projects that we developed together by sharing our skills and passion through workshops and collaboration.
I left Armenia in June 2019 to study in Norway but the organization is thriving in the hands of the amazing Jeppe Strands.
Cilicia Living is focused on three key aspects:
The individuals, collective living and growing together.
The development of valuable projects by the members.
And aiding in building a strong economic foundation in the communities around us.
After the Velvet Revolution of 2018 Armenia was an exciting place to (and it still is). Nikol Pashinyan, the new prime minister, with his anti-corruption campaign spurred grass-roots business growth. "Ride the wave of the revolution" Hrachya Aghajanyan told us, our friend and eventually patron of the Cilicia Living.
Why? Because community living is awesome. Because we have the resources, place and passion to create a space, environment and community to support individuals in realising their projects together with amazing people. And because we are creating the space we wish someone else had already created when we graduated high school.
A day at the Cilicia Living of 10 years from now goes something like this:
You wake up and enjoy the view of the Armenian mountain side and then stroll off to the kitchen to enjoy breakfast with your mates than one of them cooked before you woke up (because you’re making it tomorrow). Afterwards you go outside for a workshop on linguistics and you reflect on how this can be used in your own project that you work on until lunch. What is your project? I don’t know exactly, but I heard it’s about sustainable and inclusive economic models or an awesome new jazz album. After a lunch where you discuss the rock-climbing trip you’re doing next Wednesday, you get tips to get past the current hurdle in your project and Marine helps you out with the logistics of it. You go for community dinner, drink a beer or two and join boardgame Monday on the terrace.
We are a space for a big range of people including gap year takers, but this often overlaps with the entrepreneurs, creatives and makers we see coming in.
How two guys just out of highschool are building their dream community:
We took a chance and embarked upon the coliving adventure.
Why? Because community living is awesome. Because we have the resources, place and passion to create a space, environment and community to support individuals in realising their projects together with amazing people. And because we are creating the space we wish someone else had already created when we graduated high school.
