GEESE Newsletter_June 2015

Gaiaeducation

Geese informationNorthern Summer / Southern Winter

Gaia+10 MeetingHarnessing the Spirit of our Times

Paola Vidulich, Management Team

This July Gaia Education’s GEESE - Global Ecovillage Educators for a Sustainable Earth - will be gathering in Findhorn to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The inaugural Gaia+10 Meeting, taking place after the GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit, marks a decade of ground breaking and cutting edge education for sustainable development. Gaia Education educators, collaborators, academics & practitioners from across the world will be coming together to celebrate this remarkable decade and strategise the years to come.

The sustainability agenda has gone through some remarkably positive shifts during the decade. The contribution of Gaia Education and our partnership with the Global Ecovillage Network cannot be under estimated. Heralding transformative practises and programmes which respond directly to the interlinked challenges of our times and disseminate grass-roots wisdom through living-learning communities worldwide, our holistic approach to education for sustainable development has become a model for communities, organisations and universities worldwide.

Gaiaeducation Geese information 2015/2

As a movement, we stand in unprecedented times. Our successes are gaining increasingly mainstream attention, governments are getting involved, and the corporate world is listening. We are riding the cusp of a wave whose roots extend through the 80s and the formation of GEN, to the grassroots movements of the 60s and 70s which birthed communities such as Findhorn and the Farm, and Gaia Education’s DNA responding!

The Gaia+10 Meeting will be reflecting on passed successes, harnessing the power of new questions and galvanising the defiantly alive and creative spirit of these unique times, and we’re inviting YOU to join us!

Our achievements to date will not have been possible without you. Your continued engagement and contribution to Gaia Education has not only been necessary, but informs the very nature of our DNA. Join us in co-evolving Gaia Education - input your ideas into the Gaia+10 Meeting via Facebook or Twitter, using #GaiaEdu10 to flag our attention. Feeling abundant? Support the cause & invest in our shared future by donating at www.gaiaeducation.net/donate.

Education for Regenerative Cultures: It’s in Our DNA!

Giovanni Ciarlo, Gaia Education Chair of Management

From the early beginnings of Gaia Education’s mission statement - to promote a holistic approach to sustainable development by creating curricula for resilient community design & making this curricula accessible to every person on the planet - to the delivery of 179 programmes in 39 countries across Earth.

Reaching close to 5,000 people, Gaia Education programmes have been offered in settings ranging from tribal and traditional communities to intentional ecovillages, from urban slum settings to universities and training centres.


Our initial offering, the Ecovillage Design Education curriculum, has been translated into 10 languages, remains freely available, and is an official contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) - a key endorsement of its global relevance and timely appearance.

Today Gaia Education has diversified its activities into three learning streams:

• Face-to-face certified EDE programmes in partnership with over 60 institutions worldwide

• E-learning Design for Sustainability global classrooms in English, Spanish and Portuguese

• Project-Based Learning activities in the Global South, supporting the implementation of the Post-2015 development agenda

In October this year, we reach another incredible milestone: the launch of our Master in Integrative Systems Design for Sustainability programme. Offered in Spanish, this online MA in design for sustainability run along side our English & Portuguese eLearning programmes. See below to find out more and take advantage of early-bird discounts!

Welcome Chayaditt, Gaia Education’s New Board Member!

Chayaditt Hutanuwatra, from Thailand, has more than thirty years of successful strategic planning, project management, corporate restructuring & turnaround experience in SME development, tourism, property & the renewable energy sector. He has been advisor to several government departments, often guest lecturing in Thailand and internationally. He is currently Vice Chairman of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes & Chairman of the Thai chapter. While recovering from serious illness five years ago, his brother Pracha gave him the EDE curriculum. It inspired Chayaditt to find ways for eco-social enterprise in his activities. Since then, he has been a passionate advocate, bringing the ecovillage approach into the corporate world. Together he & Pracha set up Ecovillage Transition Asia to promote & support ecovillage initiatives in Asia. He is also realising a wood pellet eco-social enterprise, providing fossil fuel alternatives to Korea & Japan. Part of this will advance EDEs in Thailand.

Chayaditt Hutanuwatra


10 Years of Gaia EducationThe Inspiration & Relevance of Gaia Education

Everything in this cosmos is connected

We live today in a global web of interdependence, connected technologically, economically, politically, and socially. These expanding and deepening interdependencies provided the background for the establishment of the Global Ecovillage Network in 1995, and later Gaia Education in 2005.

Nature is sacred

The natural circulatory systems we are part of are to be celebrated and respected. A key task for our generation is to strengthen living systems and cease violent attacks on nature. Redefining the sacredness of nature is the first step toward finding new ways forward. Every step we take matters.

Vision of a peaceful world

Gaia Education embodies the values of understanding and love among ecovillages and transition projects. We share a curriculum and a vision that it is possible to create a peaceful world where no one is left behind.

Hildur Jackson Founder of Gaia Education

Author, visionary, mentor, philanthropist

21st century civilization is inexorably heading for a major collapse for a number of reasons, of which the ultimate one is the failure to understand that the human species is an intimate and inseparable part of nature. When we abuse nature, as our modern technologies do, we are inviting disaster.

Gaia Education is a global attempt to convey the facts concerning this interdependency to all who are interested in engaging with change. Nothing could be more relevant to the coming crisis. No matter how it develops, slowly or quickly, through violent climate change or resource wars or mass starvation, major physical destruction and a massive die-off is likely. A new civilization will eventually rise, one which will vow not to repeat the same mistakes, one based on the recognition of humanity and nature as a single entity. Gaia Education’s role is to help prepare us for that future.”

Ross Jackson Initiator of global ecovillage movement

Businessman, economist, author, philanthropist

Founders:

Hildur & Ross Jackson

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Celebrating 10 Years of Gaia EducationMaster in Integrative Systems Design for Sustainability

Finally, here it is, Gaia Education’s Master programme, scheduled to open in October 2015!

This October Gaia Education and its institutional partner, the Open University of Catalunya (UOC), are launching the first of its kind online MA degree programme in design for sustainability the - Master in Integrative Systems Design for Sustainability, GEDSiS. This innovative, advanced programme aims to train and strengthen the design skills of all types of design professionals, including educators, architects, engineers, environmental managers, etc. so that they may develop their careers within the framework of a culture favouring the development of sustainable habitats, communities and organisations.

The two year Spanish programme includes modules on Ecosystems and Social Dynamics, Sustainable Economics and Systemic Thinking, Permaculture Design, Organizations as Ecosystems, Complexity and Bio-mimicry, Urban Ecosystems Design, Rural and Indigenous Communities and Inspiration and Adaptation.

Gaia Education, in partnership with UOC, is striving to offer the GEDSiS Master degree in both Spanish and English in the years to come.

Book your place in the new GEDS Masters programme between

• 10th - 30th June to receive a generous 20% discount, or

• 1st - 30th July to receive a welcoming 10% discount!

For further details and to register, visit www.gaiaeducation.net/master


GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit: Living the New Story Findhorn, 5-10 July 201520 Years of GEN: 20 Years of Regeneration - Coming Home to our Planet

Leila Dregger, Global Ecovillage Network

20 years ago a group around the Danish couple Hildur and Ross Jackson founded the Global Ecovillage Network, launched at an Ecovillage Conference at Findhorn. They understood that the power of communities and ecovillages to love, work with and regenerate the life systems that they are a part of is essential to building a sane and sustainable culture. From that insight, it was a natural step to dream of a community of communities, a network of trust, mutual support and knowledge-transfer between these ecovillages worldwide. Together, they show that another world in fact is not only possible, but is emerging in many places.

This year in July we will be returning to Findhorn to celebrate 20 years of GEN and 10 years of Gaia Education at the GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit: Living the New Story. Taking place from July 6th - 10th, the GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit is an invitation for everyone to join in celebrating 20 years of walking our talk! Visit www.findhorn.org/GEN+20 to book!

GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit: LocalisedStream in from around the Globe!

For all of you who can´t attend the summit in person, join the GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit without leaving your home, without travelling and with no carbon emissions - we have set up streaming to come to you instead! Sign-up your household, your community, your organisation and join the conversation!

Visit gen.ecovillage.org/node/5538 for further details and to sign up!

10 Years of Gaia EducationFeatured Partner: Gaia Trust

Over the last 10 years Gaia Education has been generously supported by Gaia Trust, a Danish-based charitable association founded in 1987 on the initiative of Hildur and Ross Jackson, with the intention of supporting the transition to a sustainable society through grants and proactive initiatives. Our appreciation continues to go out to Gaia Trust. Thank you!


Design for Sustainability Online - GEDS English

The distance learning course GEDS is based on the four core dimensions of Gaia Education’s Ecovillage Design Curriculum: the social, worldview, ecological and economic dimensions of sustainability.

Drawing on experience and expertise developed in a network of some of the most successful ecovillages and transition settings across the Earth, GEDS is relevant to you whether you’re a student or educator, involved in urban or rural community development, a permaculture enthusiast or an interested business leader, GEDS is of relevance to you.

Design para SustentabilidadeOnline - GEDS Português

Aprenda design para sustentabilidade com experts dos mais avançados laboratórios de sustentabilidade, ecovilas e iniciativas de transição do mundo! Adquira visão sistêmica e competência prática para o redesenho de seu projeto e organização através da comunidade de aprendizado

“Gaiana”. Gaia Education online em Português oferece módulos em Design Social, Econômico, Ecológico e visão de Mundo enriquecendo as habilidades de agentes de mudança social atuando em contexto urbano ou rural.

Máster en Diseño de Sistemas Integrados para la Sostenibilidad - GEDSiS

Máster en Diseño de Sistemas Integrados para la Sostenibilidad, GEDSiS, de 2 años de duración, es un curso oficial de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, de interés para todas aquellas personas que quieren crear comunidades u organizaciones sostenibles. Este es el primer y único curso en el mercado que aborda el diseño sostenible desde una perspectiva holística que incluye las cuatro dimensiones principales de la sostenibilidad: social, económica, ecológica y visión del mundo, de la sostenibilidad. El GEDSiS ha sido diseñado para capacitar a personas generalistas, capaces de comprender e integrar de forma simultánea numerosas y diversas disciplinas, e interesadas en desarrollar un papel activo en la transformación de sus comunidades y organizaciones.

GEDS EnglishOct 2015 – Sep [email protected]

GEDS PortuguésOut 2015 – Jun [email protected]

GEDSiS EspañolOct 2015 - Jul 2017geds-españ[email protected]

www.gaiaeducation.net/GEDS


Project Based Learning: Northern SenegalGuédé Chantier, Lahel, Moundouwaye and Diarra

Gaia Education’s capacity building activities with the communities of Guédé Chantier, Lahel, Moundouwaye and Diarra in Senegal are continuing with great achievements and outcomes to date. The Project Based Learning initiative, conducted in partnership with CIFAL Scotland and funded by UK Aid, launched in July 2014 and will continue through to March 2017. Its purpose is to develop community land to produce more food more efficiently, increasing the communities’ resilience and capacity to adapt to the advancing effects of climate change. It is directly benefiting over 3,000 community members, especially women, by enhancing their agricultural and economic knowledge and skills.

The below summarises the project’s recent activities and achievements

• Permaculture: Villagers are developing the now fully fenced plots and the health restoring plant vertiver has now been planted on all sites. Cowpeas and ground-nut will be planted by mid-June with a maize windbreak, further restoring the health to the soil as well as providing dry season crops.

• Agroforestry: Training was conducted in April and composting and land preparation has continued since. Seeds have now been purchased and nurseries will commence on each site to prepare seedlings.

• Food security: We are finalizing the food security strategy and will be focusing on food preservation to improve nutrition and livelihoods.

• Exchange visits: The team is forming a strategy to conduct 3 large exchange visits in year two, bringing interested farmers from other neighboring villages (additional to the four we are working with) to showcase and demonstrate the techniques and methods being used.

• Change agents: 50 change agents have been identified across the four sites and personalised profiles are being generated for each to formally acknowledge their role in the project.

• Local monitoring committee: The committee met for the first time in May and comprised of two local mayors, a representative from each site and the in-country project team. This team will help steer and bring awareness for the project at a local level.

www.gaiaeducation.net/PBL

Funded by UK Aid


EDE: São Paulo, BrazilGaia Nazaré UNILUZ 2015

Taisa Mattos & Larissa Oliveira

Located in Nazaré Paulista, in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil, Nazaré UNILUZ is a holistic university and learning centre focused on the development of the whole human being. Nazaré has a rich history with ecovillage training in Brazil - it was the host site of the first Ecovillage Training in Brazil back in 2002 and subsequently promoted 3 Brazilian Ecovillage meetings, in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since the 2008 meeting, Brazil has hosted numerous immersive experiences for urban EDEs, such as the EDE Rio de Janeiro and EDE São Paulo.

Despite this history, Nazaré had not yet hosted an EDE… Until now! In March this year we launched the first EDE in Nazaré UNILUZ to a very diverse group of 21 participants. With ages ranging from 21 to 70 years old and coming from very different backgrounds, participants joined mostly from São Paulo State, but also from Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza. The group also includes UNILUZ community members.

The programme is running over 4 nonconsecutive weeks between March and September. Having just passed the midway point in the journey, it is impressive to notice the incredible impact the EDE is having on participants. They are already working together, creating community, and seeing each other as a family. The way participants are feeling empowered to “be the change that we want to see in the world” is very visible and inspiring!

Giuliana Milani, a participant inspired by the EDE and the amazing cooperative games, created a game in her city to fund raise money to pay off an old debt of her university. Mobilizing students and the local community, within a couple of days and with a lot of fun, they were able to raise 11,000 Reals (US $3,600) to pay off the debt! She will receive a “Motion of Applause” from her city’s House of Councillors for her performance.

Many other participants have shared about the impact of the EDE in their lives. What an inspiring journey, can’t wait for our next modules!


Case Study: Mallqui Sonqo

Students: José Luis Ricapa Ninanya, Eduardo Rubén Lavecchia, Lorena Del Carpio Suarez, Susana Beatriz, Ricagno Ricardo Viera, Luciana Carbó, Sandra Majluf, Francisco Aceto, Octavio Bonino

Project Type: Ecovillage Design

Location: Argentina

MALLQUI Sonqo is an ecovillage design project integrating a learning community and based on the principles of permaculture and a paradigm of free education. With a broad worldview which includes respect for nature, MALLQUI Sonqo seeks to embrace cultural, social, ethnic and spiritual diversity, respecting flexible connections between the individual and community, where play and art are part of daily life and the gifts of each are enhanced. The design is inclusive of productive activities developed to generate wealth based on community work, promoting the exchange of knowledge and social integration where people of all ages can fully develop their potential for co-creating their own training.

www.gaiaeducation.net/case-studies

EDE Gaia Argentina 2015

Gaia+10 Meeting

Invest in the Next 10 Years!

To help us offset travel costs of those travelling to the Gaia+10 Meeting from economically challenging regions of the world, we’re inviting you to invest in our mutual future by making a donation. Visit our donations page to pledge your support!

Your donation not only gives us the support and uplift to continue developing Gaia Education’s mission, but it actually makes you an active participant in the work we do, empowering others like you to join the sustainable design movement worldwide!

www.gaiaeducation.net/donate


Project Based Learning: Orissa, IndiaKoraput Tribal Youths Sensitise Public of Fossil Fuel Dependency and Scarcity

Empowering and Building Capacity of Tribal Communities to Increase Food Security, Strengthen Social Cohesion, and Enhance Climate Resilience is a Project Based Learning initiative supported by The Scottish Government, Gaia Education and our local partner, THREAD.

40 community leaders and tribal youths of Four Gram Panchayats of Laxmipur Block of Koraput Distric in Orissa took part in a Transition Training to develop community-led responses to climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy. These graduates and young tribal activists subsequently engaged the public at the Laxmipur market to discuss ways to enhance climate resilience and promote local solutions to fossil fuel dependency, making headlines!

www.gaiaeducation.net/PBL

Funded by The Scottish Government


EDE: Navarro, ArgentinaEDE Gaia Argentina, Febrero 2015

Cintia Brindesi y Gustavo Ramirez

Durante los días 11 al 28 de Febrero pasado celebramos el Curso de Diseño de Ecovillas – EDE- certificado por Gaia Education, una fiesta para el corazón y el espíritu.

28 participantes descubrieron la magia de la vida comunitaria y las herramientas para que esta pueda manifestarse y mantenerse a través del tiempo.

El curso fue ofrecido por siete profesores de Argentina, Estados Unidos, España y Uruguay, los que volcaron toda su experiencia sobre la vida comunitaria y la sustentabilidad.

Herramientas como la comunicación no violenta y la resolución de conflictos fueron abordados en forma teórica y por ejercicios prácticos que permitieron en los participantes, el vivir estos procesos. En el aspecto ecológico, se analizó en detalle el diseño de las Ecovillas, en un escenario descendente de energía fósil, grandes cambios climáticos y crisis económica. Siendo presentadas en profundidad las claves que estos asentamientos poseen para construir una sociedad resiliente.

El hecho que el curso se realizó dentro del marco real de la Ecovilla Gaia, le dió una gran dimensión a la experiencia ya que los temas teóricos, fueron vividos día a día a medida que transcurrió el curso; produciendo esto el sentimiento más fuerte que quería lograr este curso.


Los participantes de diversos lugares de Argentina, Alemania, Chile, Perú y Uruguay se llevaron semillas de esperanza de que sí se puede!!!

Entre los profesores participantes contamos con Giovanni Ciarlo, Director de Gaia Education, quien quedó asombrado por el entusiasmo y los proyectos de diseño que generaron los participantes, comentándonos que superó ampliamente sus expectativas.

Este EDE es la continuación de un proceso de diseño del curso que comenzó en el año 2007 cuando la Asociación Gaia ofreció el primer EDE Argentina; un largo camino se ha tejido en todos estos años para ofrecer los mejores contenidos y organización del curso.

Este trabajo será continuado con el apoyo de Gaia Education, investigando como seguir mejorando y adaptando el curso a los tiempos que estamos viviendo.

www.gaia.org.ar

Join 39 Countries Globally in EDE Certification!

Certified EDE programmes have run in 39 countries across the globe! Will your country be next? Certifications take place three times a year and the new certification round is now open, closing August 31, 2015.

To certify or re-certify your upcoming EDE programme, now is a good time to start getting your applications together to avoid last minute rushes.

Visit www.aiaeducation.net/certification or contact our Julia for further information - [email protected].


GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit: Book LaunchEcovillage: 1001 ways to heal the Planet

In the midst of the GEN+20 and Gaia+10 celebrations this year in Findhorn, the new GEN book Ecovillage: 1001 ways to heal the planet, edited by Kosha Joubert and Leila Dregger, will be launched.

The book introduces a selection of ecovillage projects from all over the world, aiming to give readers a taste of their richness and diversity. Most of the chapters are based on interviews with founders or long-standing members of ecovillage communities, with a few chapters are about regional or national networks of ecovillage transition.

The book will be available at a discounted price during the GEN+20/Gaia+10 Summit. Visit www.triarchypress.net/ecovillage.html for further details.

Designing For Sustainability - CHANGE

Liz Maria Abi Rached, Brazil - Gaiana

CHANGE. That is the word that inspired me. How could live more sustainably, even in an urban centre? How could I contribute to building a better world, reducing my impact on this planet?

Permaculture inspired my initial desire to CHANGE. And the world I was dreaming of, was already forming. I just needed to apply myself.

Seeking new opportunities and knowledge, I saw a TV report about a community in Scotland – Findhorn. 8 months later I was unpacking my bags in Findhorn. Among the many incredible experiences of this journey, I had the opportunity to hear May East, my first encounter with Gaia Education. She inspired my deepest dreaming. Returning to Brazil, I sought out Gaia Education programmes and came across the online GEDS Portuguese programme. It started at exactly the right time and was exactly what I wanted - a programme I could follow remotely while maintaining a connection to this incredible movement.

The GEDS programme aroused many feelings, deep reflections and rich self-analysis. Exchanges between tutors and participants were amazing! The programme challenged old ideas and inspired new ones. The practical internship allowed connection a personal and practical connection with all the virtual content.

Most importantly, it supported me in my own personal CHANGE - in becoming a more conscious person in small daily actions, with a broader view of what really encompasses the whole vision of sustainability!


EDE Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil4 - 23 Jul 2015

EDE CAP Eco-Communautauire, Canada10 Jul - 10 Aug 2015

EDE Florianópolis, Brazil10 Jul - 15 Nov 2015

Gaia Brasilia, Brazil18 Jul ‘15 - 28 Feb ‘16

EDE João Pessoa, Brazil24 Jul - 13 Dec 2015

Gaia Escola, Brazil30 Jul ‘15 - 9 Jul ‘16

EDE Damanhur, Italy1-29 Aug 2015

EDE Overijssel, Netherlands1 Aug ‘15 - 27 Feb ‘16

Gaia Jovem Serrano, Brazil7 Aug - 20 Dec 2015

EDE Azores, Portugal15 Aug - 18 Sep 2015

Gaia Jovem Rio de Janeiro, Brazil29 Aug - 15 Nov 2015

Youth Changemakers Training, Spain2 Sep - 3 Oct 2015

EDE Findhorn, Scotland3 Oct - 6 Nov

Gaia Viçosa, Brazil10 Oct ‘15 - 23 Apri ‘16 2015

Gaia Education eLearning ProgrammesEnglish: Oct 2015 - Sep 2016Portugues: Oct 2015 - Sep 2016Español: Oct 2015 - Jul 2017

Upcoming Gaia Education Programmes around the World!

For details of the these & other current & upcoming programmes, head to www.gaiaeducation.net/ede

The Park, FindhornForres, IV36 3TZMorayshire, ScotlandUnited [email protected]: +44 131 225 3407

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www.gaiaeducation.net

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