A Summary Report to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Submitted by: Lisa Glithero, Director, EYES Project

Submitted in agreement for your generous support of:

 

 

April 7-9th, 2006— EYES Project, Chelsea, PQ

April 28-30th, 2006—SEA to SKY Outdoor School, Sunshine Coast, BC

 

 

 

 

 

 

“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.  We have to learn to see the world anew.”— Einstein

 

 

 

Background

 

Education is always identified in national and international policies as the key to addressing environment, social, and development issues.  However, as Schumacher points out, “The volume of education continues to increase, yet so do pollution, exhaustion of resources, and the dangers of ecological catastrophe.  If still more education is to save us, it would have to be education of a different kind; an education that takes us into the depths of things.”  The modern schooling paradigm was built out of the Industrial Revolution—a place to prepare youth to propel the emerging capital market of the times.  This created a very prescriptive, mechanistic, and standardized approach to learning and indeed for the past century served to fuel a very ‘successful’ Industrial Revolution. 

 

However, today with a planetary population of 6 billion people and rising, we are in need of a different kind of revolution—a revolution of consciousness.  The interconnectedness of the human and natural world is becoming alarmingly clear as carrying capacity thresholds are manifesting in all sectors of society- be it health (increasing air pollution, increasing carcinogens in our foods), social (widening chasms between the rich and the poor, racial tensions, diaspora), environmental (diminishing biodiversity, resource depletion, climate change), economic (propelling an unsustainable fossil-fuel economy), or cultural (perpetuating an unspoken hierarchy that places western scientific knowledge above traditional ecological knowledge).  In short, we are seeing the finiteness of the planet and thus are in need of a major shift of values to ensure well-being for future generations.  To achieve a revolution of consciousness, we need to move beyond societal apathy and an economic bottom line imperative, and begin engaging in meaningful dialogue on ethics and values in critical mass.  In asking “what type of world do we want to prepare today’s youth for,” a sustainability and triple bottom line (economic prosperity, ecological well-being, and social equity) imperative are the emergent realities of this 21st Century.   We are in need of educators, educational settings (formal, non-formal, informal), and educational policies and pedagogy that model and practice this sustainability imperative. 

 

With the launch of the DESD, the UN has given educators and education policy makers an incredible opportunity.   ESD is not about simply integrating a course on sustainability or ecological design into the respective provincial curriculum.  It is about ESD becoming the new paradigm itself—in other words, revisioning the education system so that what students learn, how students learn, where students learn, and with whom students learn all become transformed.  The UN has given us a measurable timeframe.  It is up to us (educators, public service, NGO’s, governments, people) to give the DESD ‘wheels’—wheels that will ignite a new education paradigm for the 21st century.

 

The Voices for Sustainability Symposium Series Initiative was built out of the need and determination to give the UN DESD ‘wheels’ amongst passionate educators here in Canada.

 

Objectives of Symposiums

 

The primary objective of the Voices for Sustainability Symposiums, as stated above, was to give the DESD ‘wheels’ amongst educators in Canada.   Up until this point the DESD has been a policy driven initiative that has yet to gain much inertia on the ground, in communities, in schools, in the daily lives of the general pubic where essentially the sustainability imperative needs to resonate.  A ‘top-down—bottom-up’ collaborative approach to education is required to prepare our youth for a sustainable future.

 

Aware of the work of Learning for a Sustainable Future, EECOM, the Council of Ministers of Education across the 13 jurisdictions, and prominent environmental policy think tanks like Pembina Institute, the EYES Project (www.eyesproject.com) and Sea to Sky (www.seatosky.com) partnered to organize and deliver the Voices for Sustainability Symposiums out of a recognition of the need for opportunities for dialogue between diverse stakeholders in order to collaborate on a vision of what schools could (or should) be in order to meet the realities of the 21st century.

 

The symposiums were designed based on a shared set of principles by EYES Project and Sea to Sky educators (see appendix 1 for design principles).  The objectives for the symposiums included:

·          Bringing teachers and practitioners of environmental education together in a DIALOGUE-BASED event that focuses on turning theory into practice by building skills and excitement upon which to move sustainability education forward over the next 25 years and beyond

·          Building ‘learning communities’ of educators who understand the imperative of sustainability education and are transforming their lifestyles, classrooms and work environments

·          Offering an intimate education symposium that models sustainability by utilizing local foods, a self contained setting, low impact operations, regional participation for the most part, and setting up resources to make it a CO2 neutral event

·          Offering two innovative pilot symposiums upon which multiple future symposiums can be modeled in various bioregions across Canada

·          Providing invigoration, renewal, and injections of hope

 

Summary of Voices for Sustainability Symposium—EYES Project, Chelsea, PQ (April 7-9,2006)

 

Partners for the EYES Project Symposium included: Sea to Sky, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Pembina Institute, Learning for a Sustainable Future, Otesha Project, United Nations Association of Canada, Municipality of Chelsea, Bakery Group

 

51 participants gathered in Chelsea to form an extremely diverse, cross-sectoral learning community.  Formal, non-formal, and informal educators from the public, private and alternative learning settings were present, along with various Government, NGO, and private educational consultants.   Participants came from a national scope with representation from Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta and British Columbia.   Being the inaugural symposium under the Voices for Sustainability Symposium Series Initiative, we went beyond our bioregion in order to build inertia of this initiative on a national scope.

 

The majority of the sessions were formally facilitated with an intentional focus to make them as interactive, participatory, and action plan oriented as possible.  The sessions were divided between large group workshops and multiple small discussion groups. 

 

Attention was paid to basing the weekend around freshly made local, organic food with the cook on site to share his ethical choices with the group.  The workshops took place in three unique and inspiring spaces including: the ‘great room’—a historical gathering room in a local Chelsea residence; 2 locally made yurts; and natural settings amidst the gardens and/or along the Gatineau River. 

 

Summary of Voices for Sustainability Symposium—Sea to Sky, Sunshine Coast, BC (April 28-30, 2006)

 

Partners for the Sea to Sky Symposium included: EYES Project, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Pembina Institute

 

32 participants gathered at Sea to Sky Outdoor School on Keats Island, Sunshine Coast comprised of a relatively homogenized group of educators from formal, non-formal and informal sectors, as well as individuals from various NGO environmental-based stakeholders.  All participants came from BC (excluding 1) and 90% of the participants were from within a 3 hour radius of Keats Island, making this second symposium a successful model of an effective ‘bioregional gathering.’ 

 

The symposium was based around 3 “Big Questions” and a host of “Conversation Catalysts,” enabling all participants to take personal ownership for the facilitation of the sessions and direction of dialogue over the weekend.  Participants profiled particular topics of study and/or passion that attracted other interested educators to form break-out groups to discuss in depth the outlined topic.  This format proved to be very successful and empowering as participants were able to quickly identify potential like-minded peers with whom to begin building dialogue and to more readily foster collaborative partnerships. 

 

Attention was paid to incorporating Sea to Sky’s unique sustainability education programming into the weekend including their flagship music, theatre and prop-based approaches.  In celebrating multiple intelligence and a diversity of learning styles, this approach was highly effective in fostering a very intimate, open, and creative community.   The sessions took place in either Sea to Sky facility buildings or in natural settings amidst the old growth forests and coastal shorelines.

 

Outcomes and Legacy

 

Several shared outcomes were generated from both symposiums.   These outcomes included: 

 

1.       A renewed sense of understanding, urgency and passion for sustainability education

 

2.       An effective grassroot launch of the DESD with over 80 professional Canadian educators who are keen to give further ‘wheels’ to the DESD in their respective work places—they were thrilled to learn about the various resources, DESD posters, DESD logo permission, and international DESD weblinks on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO website.

 

3.       The development of the EYES Project’s on line “Educators Hub” (www.eyesproject.com) – a place for professional educators to share resources (books, articles, weblinks) that focus on building awareness, furthering knowledge, and promoting pedagogy of sustainability education.  Participants will take ownership to update and cross-promote the “Educators Hub” and the EYES Project staff will take responsibility for managing the webpage.

4.       The launch of the Bioregional Learning Communities Initiative (BLC) (see Appendix 2 for further details).  The goal of the BLC initiative is to bring self-identified committed educators who live in the same bioregions (within a 2-3 hour radius) together to form a rich learning community who will regularly meet to share,  support, and collaborate with one another to move sustainability education forward in their respective workplaces, communities and bioregions.  Participants at both symposiums recognized the need, importance, and excitement for the BLC initiative and offered the following suggestions on how to foster their  further development over the 2006-2007 year and beyond:

o         Keep the groups small (10-25)

o         Self-identified, committed educators

o         Established BLC’s will appoint a coordinator to organize meetings and BLC direction

o         BLC’s will share the same principles of ESD and the overall goal of moving ESD forward in Canada but will be as unique as the people who comprise each learning community and the bioregions in which they occur

o         Seek local environmental and sustainable development  mentors across all societal sectors to inspire and educate the BLC participants

o         Gather as often as each BLC sees fit to share success stories, innovative ESD programming and curriculum, work collaboratively on bioregional sustainable community building initiatives reaching out to various invested and diverse stakeholders, further personal knowledge and skills of BLC members, and profile existing models/programs/opportunities for youth/educators in the ESD field in Canada

o         Maintain an ‘on the ground solutions’ focus, bridging solutions with existing and emerging municipal, provincial and national policies.

o         Each BLC will link to a cross-regional, perhaps national, nexus

 

Out of the two Voices for Sustainability Symposiums, 5 potential BLC’s have emerged.  The 5 potentially identified BLC’s are:

 

Ø       Greater Ottawa Area, ON

Ø       Kingston, ON

Ø       Greater Toronto Area, ON

Ø       Sunshine Coast, BC

Ø       Fallsbrook, NB

 

EYES Project and Sea to Sky staff will work with the above identified BLC educators over the next few months to further develop the BLC initiative and support their respective growth regionally as well as implement a cross-regional (national) nexus of BLC’s.

 

5.       Overwhelming interest and in some cases confirmation for multiple Voices for Sustainability Symposiums to take place next year during the 2006-2007 school year.   Sea to Sky Outdoor School has committed to hosting annual symposiums for Sunshine Coast educators (last weekend of April) in order to further momentum and build long-term community on the coast.   Out of the 2 symposiums, 3 new potential bioregional hosts emerged for next year including: Nelson, BC; Westport, ON; and Fallsbrook, NB.  Similar to the BLC initiative outlined in outcome #4 above, the intended goal is to have 4-6 Voices for Sustainability Symposiums happening annually across Canada in different bioregions with the hopes of furthering the sustainability imperative on a national level.  Some discussion was made around the need for national gatherings, perhaps every other year that would allow BLC’s to collaborate on a cross-regional level.

 

6.       Tentative agreement by the majority of symposium participants to collaborate on producing annual reports throughout the decade that would highlight local actions in their workplaces and communities in respect to furthering ESD.  The DESD provides a wonderful opportunity to measure our personal growth as educators over an outlined 10 year period.  EYES Project and Sea to Sky Outdoor School staff will work together over the coming months (and years)  to collaborate on coordinating the annual report initiative.

 

7.      Finally, a core team of EYES Project and Sea to Sky staff, along with identified advisors began formal discussions on developing the concept of building a Sustainability Education Centre(s) in Canada.  In short, it would be a learning centre based on ecological principles and design that would serve as both an innovative school for the respective community but also as a nationally and internationally recognized centre that would serve as both a model school as well as a centre that would bring diverse groups together to engage in critical dialogue on sustainable community development.  An identified core team will begin working on a feasibility study and formal business plan over the next 12 months. 

 

Conclusion

 

The Voices for Sustainability Symposium Series Initiative was an incredible success for both lead organizations, EYES Project and Sea to Sky Outdoor School, as well as for 83 educators and/or sustainability practitioners across Canada.  Two well organized events were delivered, creating unique opportunities for critical dialogue on the sustainability imperative—dialogue that is so necessary in the Canadian education sector.  The symposiums affirmed that further gatherings, built on the same design principles, are wanted by educators, as well as the creation of Bioregional Learning Communities (BLC’s) that would enable personal growth and collaborative opportunities for educators committed to the ESD movement emerging in Canada.  EYES Project and Sea to Sky are committed partner organizations who are keen to work together over the DESD and beyond to implement both the short and long term outcomes outlined above.  We are hopeful that the legacy of our work will be creating an atmosphere of openness amongst all willing ESD stakeholders in Canada to unite in a collective spirit and build a new education paradigm for the 21st century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 1

 

Design Principles

Voices for Sustainability Symposium Series

 

1.        Keep it Simple

We all lead busy lives. Facilitating these ‘gatherings’ should not create a lot of stress. Rather they should (once we have the inaugural events behind us) be events that are relatively easy to organize and make happen.

 

2.        Keep it Personal

The Symposia must focus on the ‘practice’ of Sustainability Education (SE). Educators must experience a weekend of learning that makes them more effective educators. The weekend must speak to them on a very personal level. Events should foster a rich community experience for all and encourage the ‘Law of Two Feet’ – if  you find yourself in a situation where you are neither learning nor contributing move to somewhere where you can.

 

3.        Role model ‘sustainability in action’

Make every effort to design events that are living demonstrations of sustainability. Pay attention to food choices, food delivery, energy and materials used, learning approaches taken, etc. without ‘beating ourselves up’ when hypocrisy looms. Let’s just do the best we can with good intentions and meaningful decisions.

 

4.        Financially self supporting

Thinking longer term, these symposia should not require big funding from outside donors to make happen.

 

5.        Cultivates annual gatherings and ‘learning communities’

One measure of success will be if these weekends lead to more than one gathering in the east and west next year. Do participants come away with the tools to organize their own SE gatherings? Are bioregional learning communities cultivated, offering educators collaborative support to move innovative pedagogy forward?

 

6.        Focuses on sustainability education

Embrace the ‘exploratory’ spirit but be mindful of the value of focus in catalyzing the changes we need in education. Let’s celebrate and encourage critical thinking and confront the tough questions.

 

7.        Models the wisdom of SLOW.

Weekend schedules reflect the importance of not being hurried or trying to jam too much into a short amount of time. To create this relaxed atmosphere for participants a strong team needs to have everything organized by arrival day. Once together we have a collective responsibility to facilitate this ‘slow zone’ for each other.

 

8.        Seeks participants from the local bioregion

At future gatherings the majority of educators come from within 3 hours travel of the venue. The intent would be to shrink footprints, reduce GHG emissions and cultivate more local networking.

 

9.        Small in scale

Small is not only beautiful it is where the deepest learning often occurs. 15-30 educators gathered together for a weekend of sharing and learning is as good as it gets.

 

10.     Big vision with bold goals

Let’s facilitate a visioning that is bold and aggressive…..and that has inspiring and achievable goals.

 

11.     Links goals to actions

These weekend gatherings must reflect the vision and goals through the actions that are encouraged or taken. What participants experience should mirror our stated vision and goals.

 

12.     Is carbon neutral

Working towards having each event carbon neutral profiles a great concept and a responsible approach for running any such gathering.

 

13.      Embraces the spirit of ‘open space’

Don’t get stuck on outcomes. Go into each gathering with no preconceived ‘agenda’. Offer up short catalytic presentations intended to trigger sharing and discussion. Foster the development of a creative space shaped by the skills, passion, commitment and ideas of those present.

 

14.     It’s fun, upbeat and hopeful.

Life’s too short not to add big doses of playfulness into the mix. And besides if its fun we may just want to do it again!  We need to profile what’s working, share our success stories and identify, as Wendell Berry would  say, ‘the authentic underpinnings of hope’.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 2

 

Bioregional Learning Communities (BLC)  Initiative

 

As educators coming from different geographical, socio-economic, and cultural learning settings across Canada, we all have different needs and different realities.  The Bioregional Learning Communities (BLC) Initiative hopes to capitalize on this by creating regional networks within this larger group (51 people in Chelsea/32 people on Sunshine Coast).   BLC’s will enable participants to offer and receive support from other passionate and committed educators who understand the sustainability imperative living in his/her respective bioregion.  It offers support that is more accessible, place-based and connected with educators’ daily lives. 

 

Furthermore, authentic societal transformation that is sustainable is rarely a movement starting in one place by one entity but rather a movement, in which like minded people, rooted in place, are united out of values and ethics, to form the solidarity needed to create widespread transformation.  The BLC Initiative offers a powerful approach because it is not led by one individual/organization utilizing a routinely standardized and placeless approach but rather it represents people with a common ethos, built of shared values and purpose, that celebrates diversity, acknowledges different needs respective to place, and mobilizes out of a collaborative and collective spirit.

 

The goal of the BLC initiative is to bring self-identified committed educators who live in the same bioregions (within a 2-3 hour radius) together to form a rich learning community who will regularly meet to share,  support, and collaborate with one another to move sustainability education forward in their respective workplaces, communities and bioregions.  Mentoring and cross-sectoral collaboration are critical to the BLC Initiative’s effectiveness in furthering sustainable community development centered around education.

 

A cross-regional, perhaps national nexus of BLC’s would be useful in building solidarity across the country and in working towards the achievement of a new education paradigm for the 21st century.