Festival Somos: First Brazilian Ecoversities Regional Gathering, San Paolo
"When loving people come together to dream of a better world based on local knowledge, ancestral knowledge and live this exciting moment in diverse collectives; mother earth is speaking! When we bring together native peoples and communities, the earth is speaking. The earth is speaking, to the sound of ancestral songs, the bodies of indigenous territories and their instruments. I had the honor of playing Oboré at this festival. And I'm happy to be touched by all the sounds that the breaths of life have emanated. We are." - Martha de Lima, Obore: When the Earth Speaks
"We entered a phenomenon that we decoded as LOVE. Being in each presence at this SOMOS (WE ARE) gathering was like holding the invisible line with our hands to reconnect our hearts. We already knew that this daring intention to meet each other was to strengthen each one of us as human beings, as an alliance, as a web and as an articulation. What a treat to meet you! A real gift savored in the present! "Somos", daring to gather, was a moment of uniting knowledge and wisdom, individual and collective creations, strength, spirituality, ancestry, connection and inspiration. What a power to get to know each other better, to eat food prepared by dear people, full of love and exchange of experiences, to receive joy, love and trust. Yes!!! People are wisdom!!!" - Stela, Etno Institute
Forging Deep Heart Connections with the Indian Multiversities Alliance Gathering 2023
Previously on August, the annual Indian Multiversities Alliance Gathering was celebrated in the Heartfulness Center at Kanha Shanti Vanam Hyderabad. The gathering reunited 70 participants with ecoversities projects covering the entire country, ranging from the Himalaya region to Punjab, Delhi, Udaipur, Bhopal, Jamnagar, Baroda, Pune, Nashik, Mumbai, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Goa, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Calicut, Ranchi and Auroville. The four days of the gathering were full of deep reflection and reconnection with friends ancestors, as well as the contemplation of the way onward for the IMA.
“Adi, my son and I were on this unschooling journey on our own, and it's so encouraging to meet so many people on their alternate paths. This meeting not only strengthens our belief but also gives us a family to learn from. It was so easy to connect with people; it felt like we've known everyone for ages. I can only guess what can result when these forces are combined. I am taking so many stories back; my desire to uncover alternate stories and explore different spaces is now a mission" - Priyanka Modi, Ranchi
“I feel an interesting question to explore is - What is at the very root of learning and why do humans find it so difficult to learn. Openness to learn is easily the most precious human gift and yet the most rare”. - Kiran Gujanwale, Prune
“All IMA/Shikshantar meetups hold this magical power of connecting participants with the child within them and this meetup was no exception. Looking back, we can’t remember any moment when we were not singing, dancing, holding hands, playing games, hugging and laughing with each other. The camaraderie and deep bonding that we created in person will be the foundation stone for online collaboration round the year." - Atul Shrivastava
"Because we wonder, how humble curiosity can be a way to practise compassion and kindness towards ourselves, the more-than-human, other humans as well as society and structures that surround us. We wonder what quality this can bring to our inner dialog and wellbeing? What actions and new ways of interacting with other people, friends as strangers, material products and bigger systems and institutions will it birth?"
Follow Anne Sofie Nielsen and Anna Toft Sandgaardresidency in Schumacher College, in their process of exploring the art of being a facilitator, as they bring life and enchantment to the classroom, and discover the magic beyond it.
“The inspiration from meeting Ecoversities drove me to generate deep, loving and resilient networks, guiding me into trusting the uncertainty of this healing path, where there can be enjoyment in the not-knowing and where the compass is the heart. On this trip I set out to generate callings in the wintry, rainy and cold Southern Chile, in which 3 collective meetings took place from the core of Hilando Semillas into a local extent in the Lakes Region…"
Scarlett Saavedra “Flora” from Hilando Semillas relates her ecoversities pollinating journey across the forests and islands of the Mapuche Territory, sharing local knowledge and healing arts with the people of place.
Seeds & Dreams with Ecoversities Germinating Projects
The Ecoversities Germinator Service Circle nurtures young ecoversities seedlings while drawing wisdom and memory from elder members and collaborators. We wish to share a few gestating projects which are currently being supported by the alliance:
Design Your Infinite Possibilities is a Community Learning Space Program that provides humane education and self-directed learning opportunities with a learn by doing approach, providing capacity building tools for children, teenagers and young adults with the aim of creating alivelihoods and fostering right relationship with the Earth. “We are a small group of passionate learners and creators who are attempting to create a true sense of learning, where instead of following a deadpan curriculum created by someone else, the learners can reflect and truly think-feel about themselves, with their families, their communities, and the whole world, and discover the education they need and want for themselves" - Atanu, Design Your Infinite Possibilities: A Community Learning Space, India.
Spring Academy is an Intergenerational and Interdisciplinary Learning Community without borders. It is an agile and self directed learning community for all ages and socio-economic situations. "Spring Academy was born in 2015 out of research into educational reform in Greece and anywhere where educational choice is limited. This research was, and continues to be, in collaboration with educational reform experts and organisations from all over the world.The learning that takes place at Spring Academy is: embodied, ecological, combinational, interdisciplinary,hybrid, inclusive, intergenerational, multi-cultural and multi-lingual, trauma informed, consent based and free of adultist models.” - Zoe Valerie, Spring Academy, Greece.Read more at the Spring Academy website.
Relationality is at the core of the Ecoversities Alliance
Usually during the encounters surrounding the Ecoversities Alliance, a deep feeling of relationality emerges, a sensation that between us anything can happen. Do you remember having experienced this before? Do you have an encounter that you would like to share?Share it with us, we are waiting for you :)
Yesterday, Ecoversities collaborated with Work That Reconnects Network in a discussion panel for the ongoing Gaian Gathering! our talk was titled “Supporting the Next Generation of Engaged, Resilient Changemakers" with the participation of Catarina Rosa and Salomon Espinoza of Ecoversities, Dolly Rateshwar of Dharavi Dream Project in India, Chevanni Davids of Reimagined Learning Center in South Africa, Agatha Santana of Favela Da Paz Institute in Brazil, and Sandra Lezama of Mushuk Away in Ecuador. You can watch the recording for free by registering here!
If you know someone that might like this newsletter, someone curious who identifies with the goals and vision of theEcoversities Alliance- reimagining education, livelihoods, and the world - let them know about us!
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