Closing soon! JOIN US in Vienna on 27 & 28 May for a two-day education and facilitation training seminar - scroll down to learn more and apply for a free space!

The monEy collage

A fresk-style workshop exploring the monetary and finance system — How it’s failing us, and how to shift it in service of life

About

Amid rising cost-of-living, increasing economic and geopolitical uncertainty and AI-fuelled risks — there are growing calls for stronger financial literacy. Everyone should learn how to budget and avoid being scammed. But better financial literacy can only go so far in shielding us from financial and economic risks.

Why we need Monetary literacy

From conflict-driven inflation to AI-induced job losses, crypto bubbles and climate breakdown — the greatest risks we face are systemic: they arise from an economic system that prioritises profits and growth over people and the planet that supports us.

And they are held in place by out-dated rules that drive extraction, exacerbate injustices, fuel speculation and prevent money from flowing where we really need it — in service of meeting human and more-than-human needs. As without a healthy planet, without social cohesion—we have no financial stability.

So if we are to genuinely improve economic wellbeing, we need to work to change that system.

Demystifying money and finance

Many people already sense the system isn’t working—but feel powerless to change it. The abstract nature of money and finance can act as a barrier.

But money—and the system governing it—is just a human invention. Today, that system is benefitting an elite few. Yet history has shown that collective movements, by demanding and creating alternatives, can produce fairer and more just outcomes.

Our goal is to help more people understand how the system works today, so that they can play a role in shifting it in the interest of the common good.

The Money Collage

Over the past six months we’ve been testing and refining a half-day workshop, inspired by the Climate Fresk, that helps people get to grips with how the monetary and finance system works, and feel empowered to make it work better.

Groups of 4 to 7 participants create a picture of the system with the help of 36 cards that, combined, tell the story of where money comes from, the ideas and forces driving the system we have in place today, its core rules—and the outcomes on people and planet. This embodied, interactive form of learning is proven to help convey complex topics in an engaging and stimulating way.

After creating their Collage participants then explore possible interventions. What new policies, rules, models or cultural shifts do we need? What examples or proposals exist that can be spread or scaled? And most importantly — what role we can play, individually and collectively?

Join us for our first facilitation training!

The Money Collage was developed by the Regenerative Economy Lab in autumn 2025 as part of the Regenerative Finance Pioneers programme, supported by Erste Foundation via Civic Innovation Lab.

So far around 50 participants have attended a workshop and provided feedback including monetary and finance academics and scholars, educators, designers, creatives, activists, and finance experts.

We are now licensing it under the Creative Commons and offering facilitator trainings to enable people to run workshops in their contexts. Our first training session will take place in Vienna on 27 and 28 May 2026, in partnership with ISSET (Institute for Spatial and Social-Ecological Transformation, WU Wien).

This workshop is free of charge, but spaces are limited. We particularly encourage other educators or facilitators in the new economy space to apply, but are also happy to welcome newcomers to critical economic education, in particular young people, women and those from marginalised backgrounds. Registrations close at midnight on 24th May 2026!

Scroll down to apply or write to us at: hello@regenecon.eu.

Apply for ‘The Money Collage’ education and facilitation training seminar

on 27 & 28 May 2026 in Vienna, austria

Programme overview:

Day 1 - 27 May - HEADS & HANDS

Morning: Thematic learning sessions taking participants through each of the ‘Rounds’ of the Collage, from the origins of money to the roles of national and international institutions, banking and finance, and links to our crises
Afternoon: Systemic interventions — options for debriefing the Collage, adaptable to different audiences. Includes exploring leverage points, ‘possible alternatives’, role-playing key actors. This is followed by a facilitation skills session
Optional evening social activities

Day 2 - 28 May - HANDS & HEARTS

Morning: Pilot workshop — participants will co-facilitate their own workshop with peers and external guests, supported by the Regenerative Economy Lab team
Afternoon: Peer-to-peer feedback, personal and group reflections, wrap-up and next steps

Extras:

Pre-reading guide: to help participants get the most out of the seminar
Post-workshop materials: The Money Collage cards (digital and print formats); facilitation guide, access to an online community to meet and exchange with fellow facilitators and share resources; option to become a member of our Association and guide the ongoing development of the Collage.

The seminar will start at 9am each day and run to 5-5:30pm. We’ll provide the full programme plus pre-reading guide to participants following successful registration.