November 2009

Start anywhere, follow it everywhere

During this past year, we’ve witnessed the power of individuals coming together around their ideals to make change happen. We’ve also recognized that change unfolds emergently, with many people coming together and taking it a step at a time. There are no one-stop-shop solutions that will fix all of our problems; there are no heroic leaders that can step in to eradicate all our troubles. At Berkana, we’ve been working for years with the idea that it is the steady work of building healthy relationships that leads toward sustainable change and resilient communities.
 
For more than five years, Berkana has catalyzed these relationships through initiatives in Southern Africa, South Asia and North America. We have helped create communities of practice around sustainable food systems, alternative learning models, women’s leadership and more. As these initiatives continue to deepen and broaden their work, we see the opportunity to extend their reach and experiment with new ideas, new domains and new communities joining in these bold efforts. This month, we're highlighting three of these initiatives. Please consider supporting one of these innovative initiatives directly, or join us building our capacity to work with them all by supporting Berkana's Opportunity Fund.

Swaraj University: Self-directed Learning

Swaraj University is a three-year learning program that creates opportunities for young learners in India to develop the knowledge, skills and perspectives they need to create sustainable livelihoods and to build healthy and resilient local communities. This self-directed learning process invites learners to identify their vision and develop the skills and practices they need to manifest that vision. The program is as much about developing the capacities and confidence we need to create and follow our unique learning paths as it is about strengthening the leadership capacity and livelihood opportunities in communities. The response has been overwhelming, and the first cohort will have 30 students, beginning in Udaipur, India, January 2010. Read more about Swaraj University or sponsor a student now.

Youth-Driven Transformation of Communities Through Food

In 2008, Berkana launched a community of practice around "youth-driven transformation of communities through food." Organizations in Boston, Montreal, Los Angeles and Oaxaca, Mexico, are engaging in learning exchanges and regional gatherings which have generated rich learning, both practically and theoretically. Santropol Roulant just distributed their final CSA basket for the summer, a program inspired by a learning exchange with Community Services Unlimited; CSU continues to build their bike fleet for food access and delivery based on their learning from the Roulant. We believe that our experiences with the community of practice over the course of the past year offer valuable learning to other organizations and individuals in this field and beyond. We want to make this knowledge visible and ask you to contribute to our production of a booklet about the role of youth in transforming the landscape of urban agriculture. Make our learning visible now. 

Calendar of Community Events

Embodied Presence Practice with Arawana HayashiNovember 21, 2009, Boston, MA, and December 10-13, 2009, Rosendale, NY. Participate in a capacity-building workshop on meditation and embodied presence practice to support and deepen change work using Theory U. The workshop offers non-verbal methods for recognizing limiting thinking and for cultivating the capacity to move toward sensing the present, presencing an emerging future, and realizing beneficial results. Read more about this opportunity.

Survival Academy, December 8-18, 2009, Copenhagen.
Survival Academy is an opportunity to learn, share knowledge and take action on climate change. Join others who believe we need to share responsibility as citizens, employees, consumers, social entrepreneurs, politicians, activists, leaders, and members of communities and organizations to meet the challenges of the world at this time. Read more about this opportunity.  

Authentic Leadership in Action Institute, January 10–15, 2010, Elspeet, Netherlands.
Join ALIA Europe for a six-day immersion in the fresh ideas, paradigm-shifting tools, and strategic conversations you need to guide your team, organization, or community through complex change. Visit ALiA Institute for more information.

Art of Protection, January 28-31, 2010, Hazelwood House,  Devon, UK.
This training is for people who wish to move through the disturbance in their initiatives in a wise and strategic manner.  It is for those who want to protect their innovations, and see them to fruition – leaders, entrepreneurs, consultants, hosts, mediators, managers, health practitioners, teachers, etc. Learn more or register now.

The Berkana Institute works in partnership with a rich diversity of people around the world who strengthen their communities by working with the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions and environment. As pioneers, we do not deny or flee from our global crisis. We respond by moving courageously into the future now, experimenting with many different solutions.

Whatever the problem, community is the answer.

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