To practise a different sort of gardening ,inwardly planting fields of sincerity ,outwardly being clever enough to catch the smallest of rains.... to gain knowledge through doing acts that involve touching matter of all shapes and sizes and which can lead one to be able to see clearly.... To Create models that speak for themselves, that sing songs self evident in their simple clarity. … Read more
Water Retention Spaces Creating jobs in rural areas
Better standards of life in rural areas by providing meaningful work that also improves local infrastructure … Read more
“SORBE” (Cementing locally) Drying harvest in a healthy environment
Food Quality Control … Read more
Responsible Tourism Community based tourism: how it benefits local people by creating revenue streams while protecting environments
The Ecovillage Design Education course (EDE) is a wonderful way to promote eco-tourism. The social, cultural, economic and ecological potential that exists within coastal villages brings new and bigger visions for participants. Sandele Eco-Retreat hosted a second EDE for participants from 10 coastal villages. The participants decided to form PeCEN – “The People’s Coast Ecovillage Network”). It was emphasised that eco-tourism is just one of many possible local businesses and that it could bring … Read more
Medicinal Gardens Building regional autonomy in the area of health and strengthening local sovereignty in healthcare
Part of the 11-year-old University of Resistance’s curriculum is to share ancestral health knowledge. It has become survival knowledge as well as a tool to regain community power and autonomy. Creating, together with the Global Campus network, medicinal herb gardens in different hamlets of the Peace Community, studying ancestral and indigenous medicinal knowledge, seeds exchange across several regions of Colombia and abroad as well as creating a model of medicinal herb garden for children to … Read more
University of Resistance A collaborative University of farmers building regional autonomy in the area of education for non violent resistance
Eleven years ago, the community’s response was to organize volunteer teachers to give basic classes as a traveling university. “We began to realize that we are the owners of our education,” said Tuberquia. The names “Campesino University,” or the “University of Resistance.” reflect the core values that guide the education process in a campesino (farmer) culture. The community’s declared principles of resistance, solidarity, plurality, transparency, freedom and justice are taught hand in hand … Read more
Overcoming trauma Supporting children to overcome trauma and become responsible adults.
If life is a game called "I'm building the world", them it's fun to play. Beginners are not responsible for anything, like babies. But step by step the players learn about self responsibility and respect. There's the thrill and the theatre of initiation to become a Student. Through many challenging steps, the students prove to themselves and their mentors that they really can add beauty to their world, act courageously, accept criticism and much more. Eventually they too become mentors, ready … Read more
Happiness Promoting human and ecological wellbeing
It is important that we promote a holistic vision in which human happiness or wellbeing are seen as inseparable from ecological wellbeing. This means integrating the wealth of information about the human need for community and contact with nature, with the information about the need for biodiversity. In this way, we can spell out the multiple benefits of human-scale adaptation to the natural world, and shift the direction of the economy away from monoculture, towards diversity - a fundamental … Read more
Localisation-economics of happiness Promoting the renewal of local communities, economies and cultures
The answer lies in shifting away from economic globalization towards localization. Whereas the global economy demands monoculture, both human and ecological, localisation is a process that adapts economic activity to diversity -- a fundamental principle of life. The worldwide localisation movement, including local food and finance, ecovillages, permaculture and transition towns, demonstrate that local economies rebuild our connections to one another and to the natural world – connections that … Read more
School yards to fruit forests Productive multi-purpose school grounds/ greening school yards or compounds/ school food forest/ school orchard gardens
Integrated land use design (ILUD) is an inclusive and participatory process that is used by the SCOPE and ReSCOPE Programmes in east and southern Africa to green the schools and turn the bare school grounds into food forests. In the ILUD process parents, teachers and the students come together and redesign the school environment into a functional landscape that meets the needs of the stakeholders at the school. They plan, implement and monitor together the establishment of a multi-purpose and … Read more
