Ecovillage Design Education

Training for Sustainability

Damanhur, ItalyAugust 2-30, 2014

Leia Vita Marasovich

GEN-Global Ecovillage Network

About GENGEN started in 1995 to support the expirementatal creation and preservation of human settlements that regernerate our social and natural environments. It is an NGO with consultative status of the UN ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and acts as the bridge between ecovillages around the world, bridging academia, governments, the UN, and corporations. It is a network for people to exchange information and learn from each other.

What is an Ecovillage?Human-scale settlementsLiving labrotories for the future; creating new models of society that foster a fulfilling societyIntegrated design processHolistic; economy, ecology, social, and cultural dimensions

*The concept of an ecovillage is not only a physical space, but also a movement of people around the world who aim to live fulfinning and low-impact lives.

Types of EcovillagesIntentional CommunitiesTraining and Demonstration SitesUrban Regeneration NeighborhoodsPermacultureTransition TownsTraditional Sustainable Villages

Some Ecovillages Around the WorldFindhorn, Scotland Orissa, IndiaSieben Linden, Germany Ecovillage Network CongoDamanhur, Italy Ecovillage Network Senegal (the PresidentTorri Superiore, Italy transitioned 14,000 communities to ecovillages)Konohana Family, Japan Sekem, EgyptAuroville, India Kovcheg, Russia Huehuecoyotl, Mexico Dancing Rabbit, USA

To Begin....This is an accumulation of the information I learned at the Ecovillage Design Education Training for Sustainability in Damanhur, Italy. The course covered various topics from the structural functionalities of an ecovillage; such as economics, decision-making practices, food sovereignty, water treatment sys-tems, permaculture, and much more. I am creating this informative booklet to share the information I learned, as well as for me to test and remember what I learned. After such an in-depth course as this one, I find it valuable to reflect on the information that was shared.

Throghout the course, there were many activities and moments for sharing personal stories, challenging our leadership and communication skills, reflecting on who we are as individuals and our life mission, and much more deep and inner work. As a group, we became very close very fast, opening up publically to our insecurities, doubts, fears, and dreams. Throughout the four weeks there were many tears, laughs, hugs, sharing of songs and dance and physical contact between nature and ourselves. This aspect of the course was fundamental, for a strong community is made up of strong individuals. Although we were often hesitant to continue with the “personal stuff”, by the end of each activity we felt lighter, relieved, and often gained new insights and revelations about ourselves. I want to really highlight this aspect of the course that took us on an emotional rollercoaster, because it can’t be portrayed in this manual in writing.

This EDE was made by a wonderful group of 14 individuals who came from Norway, Germany, Swit-zerland, the Netherlands, Greece, Latin America, and California. A few were in a “transition phase” of their life, while others came with concrete ideas and dreams for their future ecovillage/community. I believe we all left with a bit more confidence in our own capabilities, a lot of inspiration, and most of all, new friendships for life.

In this manual, I will start by explaining the two partners of this Ecovillage Design Education course (EDE), the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and Gaia Education. The EDE is hosted around the world at various ecovillages in collaboration with the GEN and Gaia Education. The following pages will portray a selection of topics we discussed and personal reflections of mine. I hope you enjoy and spread the knowledge!

G A I A E D U C AT I O N

In 1998, 55 ecovillage educators, mem-bers of the Global Ecovillage Network with academic and pro-fessional back-grounds in a wide range of disciplines, were invited by Gaia Trust to Denmark to discuss new transdisciplinary ap-proaches of sustainability education, building upon the experiences of the ecovillage movement.

Gaia Education was created over a series of meetings among these international ecovillage educators. The group decided to call itself the GEESE - Global Ecovil-lage Educators for a Sustainable Earth - to ac-knowledge the importance of collaboration and roving leadership as it is exhibited by the migration behaviour of a flock of geese. The GEESE were united in the effort to make the knowl-edge and skills developed in ecovillages accessible to a wide audience.

Major achievement and milestones of Gaia Education to date have been:

First, the development of the groundbreaking Ecovillage Design Educa-tion (EDE) curriculum, which draws from the experience and expertise of a network of some of the most successful ecovillages and community projects across the Earth. The EDE was officially launched during the 10th anniver-sary of the Global Ecovillage Network at the Findhorn Ecovillage in Octo-ber 2005. The curriculum has a wide range of practical application and is

full of innovative materials, ideas and tools that have been devel-oped and tested in communities acting as laboratories of sustainable living.

Second, the development of the Gaia Education Design for Sustainability- GEDS virtual programme in partnership with UOC - Open University of Catalonia- in October 2008.

Third, the launch of the post-graduate programme Gaia Education Design for Sustainability, also in partnership with UOC, in October 2011. GEDS will be expanded into a two year accredited Master’s Degree by fall of 2014.

Gaia Education is developing additional educational programmes to be offered on its website, includ-ing an on-line variant of GEDS with a focus on sustainability design, and a special version of the EDE curriculum for Youth.

The EDE is consistent with, and repre-sentative of, key values in the greater ecovillage movement, val-ues that include: honouring unity through diver-sity; celebrating diverse cultures and creeds; practic-ing racial, cultural, and gender equality; promoting social justice and environmental awareness; striving for peace and local self-determination; empowering individuals and local actors; raising con-sciousness and human poten-tial; and, generally, respecting the living Earth as our planetary home.

The EDE was introduced to the world to complement, correspond with, and assist in setting a standard for the United Nations’ “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development UN-DESD - 2005-2014.”

While the EDE materials are available for anyone to use non-commercially, most EDE courses are cer-tified by Gaia Education’s Certification Commit-tee, which evaluates the quality of the site, the content of the courses, and the proposed faculty. (Article taken from gaiaeducation.net)

Where EDE Courses have taken place since January 2012...

The Sustainability Wheel MandalaThe EDE course is broken up into these four main topics, which are believed to be the four primary dimentsons of the human experience. Each four dimensions contains five modules,

creating twenty topics in total.

Social Tools to Live in Community:

Charter/Common AgreementDecision-Making ProcessCompassionate CommunicationRolesSharing MomentsCommon Rules/BehaviorListeningWomen/Men CircleFacilitationMoments Expressing GratitutdeSociocracy/Holiacracy

Open SpaceRituals/CeremoniesVirtual CommunicationMusic/Dance/ArtDragon DreamingPartnershipsConflict-Resolution StrategiesRegular MeetingsCelebrationFeedback

Community4 key points to Community:1. Social: include participation by all, expressing that we are a “communion of subjects.” And the right to define how we want to live with nature and each other, as human

and environmental rights.

2. Worldview: include demands for a new social struc-ture. Sovereign states should themselves decide how they want to live with each other and nature in a responsible, socially just way. The goal is diversity rather than homo-geneity; and sustainability, rather than depletion caused

by the violent raping of the Earth.

3. Economic: include local economies under control of local democracy; and the subservience of economics to

ecology rather than the reverse.

4. Ecological: include clean soil, air and water, shelter and fresh local food in abundance while living in a diverse ecosystem, within a permissible “ecological footprint.”

Anyone can be a leader and on different lev-els. For example, you can be a leader on a smaller scale like taking the lead in a school project or on a grander scale like being the spiritual leader of a belief system/religion. During the course we prac-ticed enhancing our own personal leadership skills through various activities like giving short speeches on the spot or shooting energy out through our eyes to the room. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of a leader in a community, specifi-cally in the context of Damanhur. Damanhur was founded and inspired by Falco, Oberto Airaudi, who invested his life in enacting his vision and shared dream. As stated on Damanhur’s website: “Daman-hurians looked at Falco as their spiritual guide, a man who had the ability to contact the great reser-voirs of universal knowledge in order to extract the information that could lead to new scientific discov-eries and spiritual paradigms. In the first years of Damanhur, Falco defined himself as a ‘Governor’ and was actively involved both in steering the col-lective decisions and in choosing the people who should implement them. Gradually he stepped back from direct involvement, leaving the management of the Community first and of the Federation later, even though he was highly regarded, therefore his input was considered very important by everyone. From 1989, Falco had no social roles according to the Constitution of Damanhur; although he was very keen to be informed of all the activities relat-ing to Damanhur, he was reticent in expressing his thoughts, as he did not want people to feel com-pelled to follow his opinion.”

I asked a Damanhurian what they thought was the importance of the role of a leader in a community. They replied that in Damanhur, at this moment, it is not necessary to have one leader because Damanhur is made up of so many different groups and catego-ries, it would split the people if there was one leader. The Damanhurian further explained that Falco, who left his body in 2013, had prepared the community to become self-sufficient after his passing. So, Falco was naturally viewed as the “inspirerer” of Daman-hur because he was the main pioneer and visionary of the community who made many decisions for the collective whole, but he prepared the community in advance to be resilient without the permanent reliance on one leader. Rather, a few new positions were created of elder leaders and guides to continue the decision-making process. So, I see that the role of a community leader is to help propel the com-mon dream of the people and to be the person who inspires the people. From my observation, it seems that a group of people can stronger unite if they are taken under the leadership of someone or some-thing they fully entrust and admire. The relationship between the leader and the people is symbiotic; the leader empowers the people and the people em-power the leader. Additionally, the leader must have the ability to tune into the people, and the people must believe in the leader. In terms of a community, I think as long as there is something that the people believe in that is greater than themselves, they are bound to thrive. For example, it could be a leader, or it could be a spiritual belief or admiration for the phenomenon of nature. There has to be some refer-ence point, some symbolic representation that binds the people to work more effectively toward a greater mission.

ConfidenceCompassionGood ListeningVisionTrustMindful/AwareAble to FollowExperienceKnowledge/CompetenceIntegrity

Decisiveness/ClairityCharismaCommitment/ResponsibilityHumilityAbility to bring out the best in peopleDelegation

what’s the deal?

Birthname: Oberto AiraudiHometown: Balangero, near Turin, ItalyLife: 1950-2013Previous Occupation:Youngest broker in ItalyBest Known For: healer (pranatherapist), para-psychologist, medium, & hypnotistBook publications: 30

Qualities of a good leaderLeadership

Meet Falco

Damanhurians explained to me that Falco did not channel information, bur rather remembered it. He remembered things like the Sacred Language and Selficas, a discipline which combines a physical form, usually made of copper, with the pos-sibility to exchange vital energy. The Sacred Language is more than just symbols- it consists of movements and sounds that go along with each symbol, creating a beautiful communication through not only sound but also dance. You can see the dances performed at Damanhurian ritual ceremonies. Falco was also a painter, and began painting in 1985. His artwork is the application of the principles of the Selfica. He used various combinations of techniques that create works of great communicative energy. For all that he accomplished, Falco seems to have been an extroardinary being. Damanhurians told me he constantly challenged them, and anytime things were getting comfortable, Falco found ways to push them out of their comfort zone. Falco trained Damanhurians to be adaptable to change, and never to get too comfortable. Afterall, growth happens when you are challenged and outside your comfort zone. Long live Falco and his vision for humanity.

One of Falco’s Selfica Paintings

Collective Wisdomdragon dreaming

Dragon Dreaming is a framework for sucessfully implementing a project. The term was coined by John Croft in Western Australia and was inspired by the Australian Aboriginals. Croft explains that a project is an interaction between the “self” and the “other” (the environment). So, Dragon Dreaming integrates theory with practice to realize a successful project. The aim of Dragon Dreaming is a self-organising and non-hierarchical project implementation (such as an Empty Centered Organisation), in which no member of the team invests more time and energy than feels good to them. One thing mentioned dur-ing this session was: ask your worst enemy about your dream/project; what needs to be changed so it accomodates them?

Dragon Dreaming is built on three main principles:

1. Personal Growth – commitment to your own healing and empowerment

2. Community Building – strengthening the communities of which you are a part

3. Service to the Earth – enhancing the wellbeing and flourishing of all life

-Insight that comes from group experience & relationships-Access to an organic source/unconcious-A universal truth-A collective conciousness-A shared idea/concept that a group has but is formed by each individual independently

Collective wisdom, which may be said to have a more distinctly human quality than collective intelligence, is contained in such early works as The Torah, The Bible, The Koran, the works of Plato, Confucius and Buddha, Bhagavad Gita, and the many myths and legends from all cul-tures. Drawing from the idea of universal truth, the point of collective wisdom is to make life easier/more enjoyable through understanding human behavior, whereas the point of collective intelligence is to make life easier/more enjoy-able through the application of acquired knowl-edge. While collective intelligence may be said to have more mathematical and scientific bases, collective wisdom also accounts for the spiritual realm of human behaviors and consciousness. Thomas Jefferson referred to the concept of col-lective wisdom when he made his statement, “A Nation’s best defense is an educated citizenry.” And in effect, the ideal of a democracy is that government functions best when everyone par-ticipates. British philosopher Thomas Hobbes uses his Leviathan to illustrate how mankind’s collective consciousness grows to create col-lective wisdom. Émile Durkheim argues in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) that society by definition constitutes a higher intel-ligence because it transcends the individual over space and time, thereby achieving collective wisdom. (Article taken from Wikipedia)

SociocracySociocracy is both:-A social ideal that values equality and the rights of people to determine the conditions under which they live and work-A method of organizing effective, harmonious, and collaborative organizations—businesses, and governments, large and small.

Themes of Sociocracy:1. Governance Structure 2. Consent-Decision Making 3. Feedback Loops

The uniqueness of sociocracy in a democratic society is that it is not just a statement of the values of freedom and equality or the right to self-determination. Sociocracy goes deeper. It is a method of imple-mentation. Unlike democracy, it can be used in all our organizations: public, private, business, and social. It uses inclusiveness and coöperation to help organizations increase harmony, effectiveness, and produc-tivity.

Sociocracy is derived from sociology, the scientific study of societies or groups of people. It is based on the belief and experience that people who know and work together are more likely to make good deci-sions for themselves than a vast sea of voters or lawmakers.

Sociocracy guarantees a society in which freedom and equality are determined by the people who have an active role in consenting to a deeper democracy.Source: http://www.sociocracy.info/about-sociocracy/what-is-sociocracy/

Each circle:has its own aimmakes its own policies“higher circles” = longer-term, wider

The Process:A. Present Proposal (clairify questions)B. Quick Reaction Round (quick feedback)C. Amendments (if needed amend proposal)D. Consent Round (record objections)E. Discussion (improve proposal to deal with objections)F. Consent Round (go back to step D if objections)

Dam

anhur’s Social Structure

Key Factors for a Community:-Fundamental to have a real connection/link with local government and county-Create a real connection with people and the community- not just functional-Learn the local food, history, plants, etc. and fall in love with the territory-Take advantage of the knowledge around you-Form a cultural, agricultural, and political collaboration with the people and territory-You have to know the faces and they must recognize yours-If you are part of the land, you must participate in the activities of the land-Important to actively participate in local government-There will always be problems but you must be the more mature one-Ecovillages can be a tool for dialogue amongst all the different parts-Send the right people to the right places

Damanhur’s Political Participation:Damanhur has been actively involved with the local politics for many years. Since Damanhurians are spread out in more than one village, they have had councilmembers in more than 6 surrounding towns (even in towns where there are no Damanhurians living). Damanhurians see it as important to participate in the political life of the whole territory. Over the past 15 years, a Damanhu-rian citizen has been the mayor of the local town. However, this is potentially problematic because since the mayor is associated with Damanhur, he must be especially careful to not favor Damanhur in any way. From what I witnessed, Damanhur has a rather healthy relationship with the surrounding community. They even partnered with some local businesses, such as the gas station, to ac-cept their currency. I was very impressed with the professionality and efficiency of Damanhurians and their local participation.

Local/BioRegionalparticipation

Spiral Dynamics is a dynamic model of human development and development of memes carrying systems - such as a social network, society or company - in-troduced in the 1996 book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan. The book was based on the 1970s theories of psychologist Clare W. Graves.

Spiral Dynamics argues that human nature is not fixed: humans are able, when forced by life conditions, to adapt to their environment by constructing new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle the new problems. Each new model transcends and includes all previous models. According to Beck and Cowan, these conceptual models are organized around so-called vmemes (pronounced “v memes”): systems of core values or collec-tive intelligences, applicable to both individuals and entire cultures.

SPIRAL DYNAMICS

Source: Taken from Spiraldynamics.org

fundraising

How to...Ask for Money/Pitch your Project...1. Clear Project: good explanation and explain why they should participate

2. List of 10 people to go to: establish in-person meeting

3.Give back: give something back to them in return

4. Ask them to be a participant in the project: so they feel engaged

5. Determine the balance point: don’t ask too much or too little

6. Ask if they want updates on the project/progress and ask if they know other people willing to support this project

Fundraising is connected to networks and links. It is important to give the people (whom you are asking money from) the possibility to participate

in and co-create your project. It is important to view money as a means of exchange. Don’t be afraid to ask for financial support for your project, many

people are willing to give. It’s all in how you ask, and who you ask.

outreach

HOWSocial network

Media/press/website/blog/festivals/articlesAmbassadors/Conferences

Education CentersProviding services to show who you are

Personal SharingFundraising

Unique Products/branding/marketing/symbolsDoing events in public

TO WHOGovernment/politics

NetworksMedia

BusinessesStudents/Teachers/Institutions

People from the bioregionRelated Projects

NGOsPotential members

Scientists/AcademiaFamily and friends

Organizations that give you recognitionVIP/Famous People/Artists

Doubters/DetractorsChangemakers/Cultural Creatives

Unions

some things you should know about money:

Super(Globalized)Foods

WILD FOOD-When we destroy biodiversity in nature, we destroy ourselves, the human civilization-The main reason for biodiversity loss is due to agriculture companies-There is a huge interest behind what we read (be careful what sourc-es we trust)-Variety is crucial for a healthy diet-If there are plants that can kill us, there are plants that can do us much good

• Up until 1947, currencies were physically backed by gold; however slowly the amount of existing gold could not equate to the proliferation of economic activity. Today, most of the money we exchange is not backed by physical gold.• GDP = Consumption + Investment + Export –Import• Export/Import relationship creates either a dependency or independency with the international world• 2 main powers: power of banks and power of politics• Federal Reserve prints money (banknotes) and Treasury prints mints/coins• Humans give money value; without us it is just paper• Central European Bank is owned by all the central banks of each European state/country• Government rents money from the bank and the government must pay the loan back while also paying interest, so Central Bank makes a lot of money (off of money that doesn’t physically exist)• It doesn’t cost a lot of money to actually print bills; for the cost of paper, color-ing, and machines that print the money, a lot of money is being made off of money• The idea of making money off of money started in the Medieval Times; for 20 gram of coins, the vendor would keep 1 gram• Money is for speculation; only 4% of all monetary exchanges are actually being used. The other 96% is constantly being traded/exchanged/invested/in flux• Money is just a value system and an intention of equal exchange• We shouldn’t neglect the idea of money (since it is based on concepts of worth, value, and exchange) but rather it is the system and institutionalization and poor dis-persement of money that should be changed • This got me thinking, what is money to nature? Specifically, with all the exchanges the bumble bee does between the hive, flower, and sun, what is money to a bumble bee?- It’s not about establishing a new economy but shifting the power- Capital should be concentrated in communities; keep money local!

Globalization is “a process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology.” Think of all the advantages to globalization. As it turns out, each advantage of globalization can also be considered a disadvantage. For example:

Advantages DisadvantagesDiversity in products Loss in DiversityConvenience/Accessibility Promotes Sedentary LifestyleCheaper Products Human & Environmental ExploitationInterdependence Dependency

One great example of globalization I have been thinking a lot about lately is the current craze of Superfoods. Superfoods are super tasty and healthy, yet the process to get them to our plate is all but sustainable. Superfood is “a marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits.” Examples of superfoods are: goji berries, maca powder, spirilina, cacao, acai, and chia seeds, to name a few. They tend to come from exotic locations in Asia and Latin America, but not always, and are often found in health food stores in Europe and America (from what I witnessed). Personally, I love superfoods and just this morning had a breakfast of chia seeds, goji berries, coconut, pomegranate, figs, and golden berries. It was delicious and I feel fantastic, but I understand this type of meal should not be a common occurrence. I traced back where all the ingredients I ate this morning came from, and I must say my stomach is very international: chia seeds from Paraguay, gojis from China, coconut from Thailand, pomegranate from California, figs from Turkey, and golden berries from Nepal. Thanks to the globalized world we live in, I have no problem finding an abundance of these products in a nearby health-food supermarket (this is in California for the record). So, what does all this diversity mean? On the one hand, California is teeming with variety and options. You can find literally any type of food, any style of cloth-ing, any type of car, or essentially anything from anywhere. Variety is great, however when the variety is not from the local bioregion, there are things to consider. As diversity in products increases, the loss of diversity somewhere else also increases. For products to be shipped abroad to the US (or anywhere), they must be grown on a large scale and produced in bulk. So, farm space that could be used to grow a variety of native edibles and plants, is being used to grow one crop that will only bring diversity abroad. Where there is fertile soil, there are immense pockets of biodiversity. So the more we support diverse and international products on a regular basis, the more we gear away from enhancing the diversity of products that come from our local bioregions. Like I admitted earlier, I personally enjoy superfoods and the abundance of unique products; however, I have a very delicate relationship with these products and understand that the or-ganic, gluten free, and vegan label geared toward health-concious people is one thing and does not automatically make these products the healthiest option for us or the planet. I believe that moderation is key; we can embrace the exposure we have to diversity, but let us not forget to harness the diverse cultures that linger in the soil right under our own two feet.

Nettles grow all around Italy. We often harvested wild nettle, figs, hazelnuts, and acorns and made creative dishes with them such as nettle chips and fig jam. The pic-ture below is wild Italian nettle.

WaterDamanhur has a very impressive and responsible water system. Sit-uated in the pre-Alps, Damanhur has phenomal access to clean and abundant water sources. All the water they use comes from the lo-cal mountains, and all the waste-water and leftover water is intel-ligently given back to the earth through gray and black water de-sign systems. For a brief overview, here is how I can best explain the whole water cycle at one Daman-hurian nucleo, Casa de la Luna:

Black water VS GreywaterBlackwater: waste water from the toilette (has been in contact with fecal matter)Greywater: waste water from the sink, laundry, shower, etc. (can be recycled to water plants as long as biodegradable soaps are used, and there is no boron, chlo-rine, or sodium chemcials washed down with the water).

Blackwater and Greywater must be treated separately to avoid cross-contami-nation. The wastewater systems should mimick a marshland or wetland. Human waste is considered a pollutant and can have chemicals, while pee is sterile. 1 liter of pee can be dilluted by 10 liters of water to use for watering plants.

Natural Swimming Pool = Water Filter & Storage

Filter pump &storage room

zeolite to purify water

Water travels up this hill through underground tubes designed in a circle to propel water up without electricity.

water source

How to Build a Straw Bale House

Measure the space and size of the walls you need to build.

Construct the wood frames.

Measure the width, length, and height of each straw bale and find the total average and f igure out how many straw bales you need per wooden frame.

Stuff the straw bales into the wooden frames and fill any loose space with straw or wood. Add a diagnal wood strip once the straw is in.

Cover a layer of fairly wet cob (sand, water, mud) over the straw on both sides of the wall. Massage the cob into the straw, and add another layer of cob mixed with straw roughly 3 inches deep, and let dry.

Prepare the spot the wall will be placed: fill the foun-dation with cooked adobe balls and then place the wall on top and nail it into place.

Lastly, add a third layer of cob and smoothe the surface. To prevent damage from rain, add some linseed oil.

2.

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6.7.

At Damanhur, children are highly regarded and they receive a lot of support, attention, and oppor-tunities from the community. Damanhur created a program called “Il Programma in Atto”, which translates to “the Program in Progress”. Every 3-6 months each nucleo has a meeting focused on the children living in that nucleo. These are fixed moments dedicated to the life of a child. After a certain age, the children are required to attend the meetings. This is a time for the house members to check in with the child, ask if the child needs anything, etc. Aditionally, every Damanhur citizen pays a small monthly fee that goes towards the school, regardless if you have children or not the fee is the same price for everyone. In this sense, every citizen is contributing to the education of the children. The money goes towards paying for the teachers, tutors, field trips, etc. Also, there is a rotation system for carpooling the children to school. Different members of the nucleo are responsible for driving the children to school, which saves car trips and puts less stress on the parents. At Damanhur, children usually move out of the nucleo around age 15 or 16 for high school. There is an unofficial nucleo just for the youth of Damanhur who wish to live together. The only requirement to live in the House of Adolesence is to mantain a steady GPA, which was decided by the youth themselves.

The success of an educational system depends on the relationship between the school (teachers) and the family. Since children amplify the energy at home that is emitted by the parents, it is important that the parents have trust in their child’s teacher. In an ecovillage, like Damanhur, education always seem to be a hot topic as parents have difficulty in agreeing on the manner in which the children should be educated. Nonetheless, the tribal set-ting is very important and there is much room for a child’s growth when they are around children in different age groups.

The Damanhur School was opened in 1985, brought about by the initiative of parents who desired to be directly involved in the education of the children.The Damanhur School supports the holistic development and education of children from 6 months to 14 years old. Parents, teachers and tutors work together to create a personalized program for each child according to their inclina-tions, characteristics and interests. Currently, the school has 60 students from diverse nationalities.

The Damanhurian School has kids from nursery to Middle School and came into being within the ‘Damanhur Education’ Association, with the as-sistance of volunteers. The school is recognized by the Comprehensive State Institute of the area. In accordance with a holistic view of learning, the school places the child at the centre of the educa-tional path. Presently, there are 140 parents – in-cluding some of the inhabitants of the Valley who are not Damanhurian citizens – who have chosen the Damanhurian School, considering it to be at the forefront of education.

The primary goal is to create an environment where ‘one learns how to learn’. The Damanhur School has founding principles which touch upon the expression of creativity, spiritual awareness, the valuing of diversity, the environment and peace through doing work with all age groups.

One of the fundamental elements is traveling, in the sense of getting out of the classroom and experiencing learning and growth through practi-cal experience. In fact, children of all age groups have frequent travel experiences in Italy and abroad, tailored to their age, to acquire knowledge and independence outside of their usual environ-ment. Since 2005, the School has been awarded the green flag of the FEE Eco-School, an interna-tional organization that acknowledges those who are active in environmental projects. Source: Damanhureducation.it

Health at Damanhur

At Damanhur There Are:5 Doctors at Damanhur (4 work part-time, 1 works full-time)3 Midwives3 psychologists1 Beauty Healer (takes care of the beauty of the people)DentistsNaturopath NursesSpiritual Healers (sound/color healing, allergy healer, homeapothy, nutrition specialist)

Other Facts-Damanhurians typically eat meet 1-2 times a week. Roughly 80% of their diet is vegetarian; but when they do eat meat it is high quality organic and local meet. They believe in a complete diet that is seasonal, organic, and locally grown. A large amount of their food comes from the gardens that are at each nucleo. -A tree is planted when a child is born.-Prana healing is used as a tool to mantain the body in health-Damanhur is home to the very popular School of Physiotherapy-Belive in the power of the Selfica for healing purposes; selficas allow us to physically contact different energies that work to balance or develop parts of ourselves

Damanhur’s Health FundEach month, Damanhur citizens pay a fee of 5 euros that go toward a communal fund. This fund is used when people need financial help in medical assistance. For example, if someone needs a special treatment, they can request to access this money, or this money can be used in situations that need immediate attention- like visiting an ill relative abroad.

Children and Education at Damanhur

Conflict ResolutionCompassionate CommunicationThree aspects of communication to dealing with conflicts:1. Self-empathy: connect compassionately with what is going on2. Empathy: listening to tohers with deep compassion3. Honest self-expression: expressing oneself authentically and inspire compassion in others

Conflicts arise in our everyday lives, and when handled properly, it can be a tool for growth. The word conflict is derived from the word configere: com- “together” and figere “to strike”. Conflicts arise from beliefs, trauma, rankings, power, and internal factors. Instead of quickly reacting to a situation, compassionate communication suggests we step into the other person’s perspective. Obviously, there is always a reason we are mad at someone or when someone is upset with us, but if we can go deep into what factors are stem-ming those feelings, we may be able to avoid a conflict.

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Try This:Divide the group up into partners. Persona A thinks of a conflict with someone they may have. Person A does only body motions represent-ing how they feel during this conflict as themself and then does mo-tions to represent how they think the other person feels whom they are in conflict with. Then Person A combines the two movements together. Partner B observes. Next, Person B acts as the person with whom Person A is in conflict with, and tunes in to react accordingly. Person A does most the talking as if they are in the conflict. Person B can respond, but only to stir things up and take the conflict further. Next, The roles switch, and Person A acts as the person they are in conflict with, and Person B acts as Person A. At the end, the partners switch and the same exercise is done for Partner B. This can be an intense exercise and bring up many emotions.

In my Opinion these are the factors that contribute to damanhur's success:

Mindset and behavior is attuned to change and discomfort-Many Damanhurians expressed that they never get too comfortable; even when things run smoothely, going outside your comfort zone is conducive to growth.Complimentary currency -Credito makes Damanhur independent and more in control of their money while not supporting the corrupt banking system.Temples of Humankind-I believe this form of active participation is a key instrument contributing to Damanhur’s success; everyone can participate to work towards a bigger, physical goal that is truly astounding. Wide range of diversity-No matter what your skills are or background is, I believe there is a place for everyone at Damanhur and there are many opportunities to contribute what you have to offer or what you want to learn more about. Expertise, research and innovative technologies-Damanhur conducts a lot of research and has experts in many fields who join forces to create innovative technologies from Music of the Plants to improvements in solar technology.Water source and good soil for agriculture -Water and good soil is essential for a sustainable community, and Damanhur has a lot of it, thanks to its location in the Pre-Alps and to the Damanhurians who know how to responsibly manage these systems.Authenticity: Esoteric language, Selfic healing techniques, and Damanhurian names-These aspects of Damanhur really make it unique and feel like its own independent village.Businesses and the Crea-The Damanhur Crea is the social/hangout place where people can also get almost anything they need.The Crea houses many small businesses such as a dentist office, hairdresser, market, investment firm, and Solera, a solar panel company. This provides people with opportunities to start a business or work in an existing one.Active in local politics-Damanhurians are not secluded from the village they reside it, but are very involved with the political life of the region. A Damanhurian has been the mayor in the local town for the past 15 years.Health and Safety MeasuresThere are a few Damanhurians who are firefighters and helped take out fires abroad as well as locally. Also, Damanhurians were very active with the Red Cross in the past, and today most donate blood. Lastly, Damanhur has doctors/healers available and possibilities for financial support for health-related reasons. Attention to Education and Children-Damanhur has a school for children as well as a university for adults. A lot of attention is payed to the children of the community, initiating a sustainable future.Art and music-Art and music are very apparent asepcts in Damanhur, and bind the community in celebration, ceremony, and community. Spiritual foundation and leader-Having a common spiritual belief is important and creates values for which individuals in community live by. Falco was someone who Damanhurians have always admired, and they agree upon his teachings and guidance as essentially principles to live by.

m ag ci

I always lived with a strong conviction in the idea of magic. Not in the ethereal magic trick way, but rather the idea that our lives exist in a series of magical events and synchronic mo-ments. This, which I believed but not often talked about, was very present this past month at Damanhur. Not only was I recognizing the magic around me and witnessing the synchron-icity with others, but also our guide (during our Sacred Wood excursion) also kept repeat-ing the word and idea of magic, as it became an unconcious normalcy. To me, magic are the moments where we recognize the utter intel-ligence of existence; the planet, Mother Nature, the human body. Magic are the moments that happen in between the cause and effect. Magic is the design of a perfect symbiosis between the alchemy of different dimentions, elements, chemicals, frequencies, and energies.

At Damanhur, the power of a thought was often tested. Throughout the month, I experienced myself and heard many other stories of an ex-perience where you think of someone or some-thing, and the next moment the person or object appears or is offered to you. Of course in a small community it is more likely to bump into someone, but Damanhur covers a vast territorty

and all the times I experienced these collisions, it was rather unlikely for all the people to be in their respective circumstances. Additionally, timing was always of the essence.

Damanhur is located on a point on the planet where four synchronic lines meet. “The syn-chronic lines are energy channels that flow through our planet and connect us to the uni-verse” (Damanhur.org). The only other place where the lines cross paths is said to be in Tibet. Falco and others researched and pin-pointed the synchronic lines after some years of exploration.

Whether it is an affect of the synchronic lines, or it’s just one of the mystical elements of life, after I left Damanhur I began to recognize the synrchonic events happening in my daily life back home. Once I became more aware of myself and my surroundings, I recognized that I had a synchronic moment at least once every day. If anything, living in community can bring up the simplest realizations that can influence the decisions you make later on. Trust in your-self and the magic around you. Remember, it’s too late to be pessimistic.

Made by: Leia Vita Marasovich

leiamarasovich@gmail.comSeeptember 2014

Thank you to Macaco, Damanhur, all the 2014 EDE participants, GEN, Gaia Educa-tion, and everyone who made this course and information possible. Please share.