How does a project take root over time? Beyond legal tools and plans, it is the encounters, spaces for dialogue, and shared moments that bring collective dynamics to life.
In December 2025, our project manager traveled to Brazil to follow the second phase of the Termo Territorial Coletivo (TTC) project, implemented by Comunidades Catalisadoras with the support of urbaMonde. This mission builds on ongoing efforts to adapt the Community Land Trust (CLT) model to Brazilian favelas, aiming to strengthen land tenure security and community agency.
In the community of Terra Prometida, the visit coincided with the end-of-year celebration of the Popular School of Agroecology, organised by the Serra Prometida Integration Center. Together with community partners, the TTC project team facilitated a community dialogue with residents. This moment provided an opportunity to share recent progress, particularly advances in community structuring and territorial planning, and to open discussions on mobilisation perspectives for 2026. These spaces for dialogue are essential: they allow communities to reflect collectively, recognise the progress they have made, and sustain engagement around a shared vision.
A few days later, in Shangri-Lá, a year-end community assembly brought residents together for a collective review. Members of the local coordination shared updates, including the construction of a leisure area—a tangible symbol of collective action. The meeting continued with a constructive dialogue on perspectives for the coming year and concluded with the screening of an urbaMonde documentary on housing cooperatives in Nicaragua. This cinematic moment allowed the community to reconnect with its own origins, as Shangri-Lá was also built on mutual aid and cooperative values. This reminder was particularly important in light of the community’s current mobilisation challenges, helping to revive the importance of solidarity among residents.
Beyond community meetings, the mission also included strategic working sessions with the local project team. A collective evaluation day provided an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from the first phase and identify priorities for the coming years, while integrating new team members. These exchanges strengthened internal coordination and helped align strategies to consolidate the project over the long term. It was also an opportunity to screen urbaMonde’s documentary on housing cooperatives in informal settlements in Indonesia. Its screening with the Brazilian team highlighted many parallels between the two contexts, revealing shared challenges and similar collective responses. The documentary was very well received and offered valuable international perspectives to inspire and inform the team’s work.
From Terra Prometida to Shangri-Lá, a shared dynamic continues to grow: communities coming together, reflecting on their journey, and collectively shaping their future. Documentary screenings, assemblies, and strategic workshops have shown that these shared moments are far more than symbolic—they strengthen cohesion, inspire action, and lay the foundations for lasting transformation.
