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Gaia Association and Ecovillage

Argentine Permaculture Institute

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“Learning needs to return to its roots in the whole community of people and no longer exist in separate institutions. In this way, context, methods and personal development will happen all at the same time for all ages. This is a living, evolving, learning system that embraces global considerations alongside local concerns. This system is geared to plant seeds for the next 7 generations.”

Statement from the meeting on Education, Sustainability and Spirituality, in 1998, Denmark

Introduction

In June 1996 Gaia Association started the Ecovillage project in the Pampas biorregion, Argentina. From the beginning one of our main objectives has been education. During this years we have been receiving volunteers and students from more than 30 countries. From this experience, and inspired by the GEN program, we decided to start to organize our activities educational programs as a Living and Learning Center based on Permaculture.

The main programm we offer four times a year is Learning and Exploring Sustainable Life Principles

We share a sustainable and simple way of life, with the framework of a pioneer Ecovillage project in progress, plus the support of faculty's experience and a complete library to balance the studies. Intercultural exchange is itself a way to explore biodiversity. So the students can reach Permaculture through intuition and a living experience, what they will never forget. Much of the food they eat comes from the gardens they are learning from. They use solar ovens and high efficient mud stoves to cook. They participate in the natural building process, and then take a shower with water warmed by the sun or from wood grown at Gaia that they collect. And they can use computer or watch videos powered by Gaia's small wind farm. That is why Gaia L&LC is an ideal place to learn about sustainability with a Living and Learning pedagogy. Learning becomes fun, productive and creative.

Our objective is to share training programs to strength the development of sustainable projects mainly in our bioregion and in South America. For this objective we identify organizations and individuals that are already looking for an alternative. After the training they might become a good example for sustainable solutions to the crisis, and may train others in their regions, and transfer their experience to a wide sector of the population.

We consider the programs as an opportunity to learn how to live and enjoy the sacred connection with a site. We valorize the daily works that connect us with the natural order, the small scale and the service to the planet as a deep experience. The group activities give the sense of cooperation and interdependence, develop a critical capacity and help to understand the importance of a responsible attitude in the environment we are living and an ecological consciousness. The complementary balance betwen social strategies and physical infrastructure is one of the foundations of all the programms.

This living and learning process help us all in our personal growth. The students also become teachers and inspire us with their enthusiasm and joy, and give us good feedback that help us a lot to keep on growing as individuals and as organization.

Gaia L&LC also functions as a Permaculture research center, where different sustainable systems are put into practice on a daily basis. Ecological principles, local knowledge and new appropriate technology are combined to achieve self-reliance in food, shelter, energy and waste treatment, and more.

Who can participate?

Everyone willing to live and learn from an intense experience, but especially:

• Students seeking practical experience and skills in sustainability that the University can not offer

• People that want to acquire sustainability tools for their personal interest or to start a sustainable project in their region

• Those who want to experience temporarily a different lifestyle in contact with nature, in a simple and sustainable environment

• Those who want to practice Spanish in a different context, while learning other sustainable skills

The Programs

Gaia L&LC offers different programs. Courses can be structured for academic credits.

Each program has its own characteristics, schedule and activities that can fit with what you are looking for. All will have free time for rest, play and personal issues.

All the programms are in spanish but some can be translated into english if needed

The activities and schedule changes depending on what season the program runs.

Hands-on work is the main training tool. The technical skills and contents are learned in the context of a living and shared experience with a daily basis. Strong emphasis is placed on learning Permaculture principles and ethics applied to the site, where different stages of development of a functioning Permaculture system can be seen.  

A study body that is multicultural with students from North, South, West and East. They converge at Gaia to take courses, to exchange and gain training experience, or to seek advice on starting similar projects in their region.

Learning and exploring sustainable life principles

NEXT DATES:
6 to 13 november 2010

In this program participants live and share in a daily basis the Permaculture systems that we are developing in the site. During this program the student will learn about Permaculture principles through hands on experience.

Especially addressed to students that are looking for practical skills on sustainability that University/ College can not offer. Also for people that want to acquire experience to start a sustainable project in their region.
During the program there will be plenty of opportunities to see Permaculture living systems in different development stages, and you may be actively involved in this process and work.

Some of the topics we will learn and practice together:

Permaculture principles and ethics - Design strategies.
Global crisis analysis: searching for solutions within shifting paradigms
Forest Garden - Windbreaks.
Seed saving
Natural building
Appropriate technologies - Grey water systems/ dry compost toilets
Wind energy systems
Natural cooking
Group dynamics - Consensus decision making

Organized activities:
4hs per day - Hands on learning in different Permaculture areas
2hs per day - Theory (research, presentations, exchange circles, videos)
1,30hs per day - Community work collaboration (cook, cleaning, maintenance).
The programm is in Spanish, but there will be translation to English available if needed.
The cost for the program is us$400. Fees include accommodation and vegetarian meals. 
There are some scollarships available for local participants.

"Willing worker"

This program is especially address to those who have finished an educational program, and want to stay further to share the experience for a longer period,
while they continue helping in different areas of the Ecovillage.
 

It’s important to clarify that the volunteer program is an opportunity to collaborate and to share the daily life with a pioneer small community in South America. The focus is to help to concrete different projects towards sustainability.
At Gaia we are working hard in different areas,
and your help and willingness would be much appreciated.
But the volunteer program it is not an educational program
to learn permaculture techniques.
If you are interested to learn about permaculture, we suggest you to start the experience with a training program, and then if the experience has been successful for all, you can stay for a longer period in volunteer program.

Organización:

The minimum stay period is 10 days. Organized activities includes:
4hs a day - Work in different areas (natural building, agriculture,
community work collaboration in cooking, cleaning, maintenance)

The Volunteer work will be in exchange for half of your accommodation and
food; you'll have to pay a collaboration of us$10 per day.
If you are interested please tell us your time available, and we will send you the application form.

• The meals are ovo-lacto-vegetarian, please ask in advance if you have spetial dietary requirements. We offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no extra snaks included.
• The payment must be cancel at the beginning of the program. It will not be reimburse if the participant suddenly decide to leave.
• The foreign participants must have their visa in order, and an international health insurance.
• The participants must bring sleeping bag, towels, torch, boots, rain gear and comfortable working cloth.
• The shared rooms are simple and cozy. We request to mantain the bedrooms tidy and clean.
• We share maintenance and cleaning of common spaces (dining areas, bathrooms, living rooms, etc.). Please do not use toxic/chemical cleaning products.
• If you have a different task to propose, please check it out with the residents first. When we finish our tasks we clean the tools and tidy up the work place.
• We encourage the conscious use of energy (lighting, water, gas, wood) in order to avoid waste.
• We separate organic from inorganic waste. We classify and recycle containers of various materials. We don't throw papers, plastic, cigarette butts, etc. to the floor. Please take non-recyclable items with you (i.e. used batteries, etc.)
• It is not permitted to consume alcohol, drugs or hallucinogenic substances during your stay at Gaia.
• Please do not smoke in closed areas or galleries, and smokers are requested to keep their cigarette butts in a bag, and take them back with them.
• Fires are allowed only in the fire circle, in order to avoid forest fires.
• The organizers may suspend the program, if the participant do not respect the agreements.