Saturday, February 25, 2012

Nationwide PermaCulture Initiative

Permaculture Goes to the White House… With Your Vote!

Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education, Education Centres, News, Urban Projects — by Ryan Harb February 25, 2012

I’ve got some incredible news to share with you! The permaculture initiative that I facilitate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA) has been selected by the White House as a finalist for the Campus Champions of Change Challenge award! This means we are in the final round and the general public is now voting for which teams will get a trip to the White House (judges selected 15 projects from more than 1000 applications!) The top 5 winners also get featured on a television program called ‘The Deans List’ on MTV.

You know the really good news when you read it, by the feeling going up the back of your head and the joy that sings from your heart. This might have potential if WE the people give it our all. A #Nationwide #Permaculture #Initiative could provide everyone with purpose. Something a desparately demoralized USA critically needs. jg

Campus Champions of Change Challenge

Last fall, the White House announced the launch of the Campus Champions of Change Challenge. After reviewing a record number of entries, we are delighted to announce the Challenge finalists and are ready to kick off the next phase where the public will have an opportunity to choose the top five projects they think best embody the President’s goal to win the future.
“All Across America, college and university students are helping our country out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” said President Obama. “I hope this challenge shines a light on their efforts, and inspires Americans of all ages to get involved in their communities.”
The top five vote getters will be invited to an event at the White House. They will also be featured by mtvU and MTV Act and be given the opportunity to host an episode of mtvU’s signature program, “The Dean’s List.”
The deadline to cast your vote is Saturday, March 3rd at 11:59 p.m.
Standings will be updated in real-time so be sure to come back to make sure your favorite project is in the lead.
Instructions

Create an account. You can sign-in at the top right using your existing Facebook or Google account, or create a login expressly for the challenge.
You get 3 votes. You can use all 3 on one entry, or spread them out on a different entries.
After you vote, remind your friends to participate! Click the “Like” button to your right – you can even add a comment to your wall by hovering over the button afterwards.

PLEASE VOTE

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What Unschooling is not

We cannot tell you what unschooling is when the point of unschooling is to unleash the individual. Because to nurture self-expression and inspiration and find the unique individual purpose within, is different for everyone. This is the point.

We cannot tell you what unschooling is going to be for you and your children because unschooling is an individual experience. We can only refer to what unschooling is not. Each individual has a multitude of possibilities and inspirations. It is our role as parents to lend support and guidance so our children can realize their purpose as it comes to them.

This unfolding process can appear through examples and experiences, mentors. As long as you're there in support and as facilitator you offer opportunity to learn via freewill according to inner directive. That 'stewardship,' of our children, is the role as we see it, as parents. We learn as much from our children as we expect them to learn from us.

Unschooling is not instructive but constructive. Unschooling is not curriculum nor assessment based but more about becoming, about faith in natural processes unfolding, rites of certain passage. The best we can do most of the time is get out the way. Unschooling is not a rat-race but self-paced. Unschooling is not competitive but cooperative. Unschooling does not sacrifice the individual for the whole but waters the roots to enjoy the fruits..

Missing component in Education today

One critical missing component of typical education today is a focus on the development of Emotional Intelligence. You have probably heard of it. It ultimately has to do with the empowerment phase necessary of balanced education. This is opposed as you know to disempowerment. People who are achieved in emotional intelligence can actually put knowledge to work effectively. Those with limited experience in this area accumulate knowledge in the left brain while the right brain gets a headache. Connections become lost due to fragmented understanding. As coursework was taught to them in fragmented ways so goes the confused, undeveloped in emotional development and disempowered not knowing why. By designing the modern-cultural aspects of education devoid of relevant connection with emotional intelligence, modern culture is, by-design neutered. .. Devoid of the tools necessary for its' own empowerment. . Something critical to us all, at such rapidly transitory times.. We must evolve and Adapt. An immediate good first step could be a degree of Unschooling for all teachers with emphasis and inclusion to learning how to bring E.I. to the class.