GPC Member Updates From Europe

Updates shared by Bruce McCombie: Philanthropy Partner for Europe, Middle East and North Africa

Catalonia

GPC members Victoria Engelhorn and Stef van Dongen will be hosting another SOIL Hangout at Muga Valley, their bioregional project in Catalonia, as part of an ongoing series of place-based gatherings.

The SOIL Hangouts bring together practitioners, funders, and thinkers working at the intersection of land stewardship, soil health, regeneration, and community. Rooted in place and practice, they offer space for dialogue, shared learning, and connection around how landscapes can be restored while strengthening local livelihoods and cultures.

The gathering is hosted at The Home in the Valley, part of the wider Pioneers of Our Time ecosystem. Those interested in place based, regenerative approaches to land, livelihoods, and community are invited to learn more and sign up.

Further details: https://pioneersofourtime.com/the-soil-hangout-2026/

Turkey

GPC member Melisa Sabancı has recently published Gate 27’s first Social Impact Measurement Report, reflecting five years of work in Turkey at the intersection of art, science, and industry.

Rather than measuring impact through scale, the report focuses on depth, learning, and responsibility. It explores the change experienced by artists and residents participating in Gate 27 programmes since 2019, and how structured, interdisciplinary support can enable professional development, intellectual deepening, and long-term value creation.

The report offers a thoughtful contribution to wider conversations on how impact can be understood and measured in cultural and creative practice, particularly where the aim is not growth, but meaningful and sustained change.

GPC members Evens Family Foundation recently played a leading role at the Political Tech Summit in Berlin , curating a dedicated Youth Track that explored how political power, trust, and participation are evolving in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Against a backdrop of declining trust in traditional institutions, the Youth Track examined how younger generations are engaging with politics through new spaces, platforms, and relationships. A flagship session, “Trust Me: How Young Creators Became Power Brokers in Politics”, focused on the growing influence of creator led communities and what this shift means for democratic systems seeking to connect with Gen Z.

The programme highlighted the importance of taking youth culture, digital agency, and emerging forms of civic participation seriously, and reflected the Evens Family Foundation’s long-standing commitment to democracy and social cohesion in Europe.

London

GPC member Kim Samuel recently shared an update announcing a new partnership between the Belonging Forum and Sightsavers to create an inclusive sensory garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, 19-23 May 2026.

Designed so that people with visual impairments and physical disabilities can experience connection through sound, scent, touch, and taste, the garden reflects a commitment to accessibility, care, and inclusive design. Created with Barker Langham and Ostara Garden Design, it explores how thoughtfully designed spaces can support belonging and invite people to engage at their own pace.

Following Chelsea, the garden will be relocated to Chailey Heritage Foundation, where it will become part of a therapy farm for children and young people with complex physical disabilities.

France

Fondation Archery, founded by GPC members the Deau family, recently shared an update following a session focused on building collective intelligence with young people in France.

The session highlighted Archery’s ongoing work to support young people in developing the capacity to think, learn, and act together in complex contexts. Through dialogue, shared inquiry, and collective reflection, their programmes create space for engaging with difference and uncertainty in thoughtful ways. The session offered a practical snapshot of Archery’s work with young people, and the ways they are creating space for reflection, dialogue, and shared learning. It also echoes themes many across the GPC are exploring, particularly around trust, collaboration, and how young people navigate complexity together.