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Gaia University
Gaia University offers a unique approach to higher learning by offering students (called Associates) access to accredited Bachelors and Masters degrees and Graduate Diplomas whilst the Associate is actively engaged in self and planetary transformation. Linking your ideals with self-directed practical experience, you act as a world changer, by working for local and global sustainability and regeneration, justice and peace.
Our self-directed action learning methodology enables you to study locally, at work or on project, in your own language, supported by Gaia University's Regional Organizers, and a worldwide network of learning providers, tutors and mentors.
No longer do you have to choose between earning a living and studying. With action learning your work and your projects become your places of study.
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Looking Back on 2009...
2009 has been a year of incredible growth and new direction for Gaia University and its Associates.
Early in the year, twenty-five Associates and organizers came together at the Huehuecoytl Ecovillage
in Mexico to share their goals and dreams for the project and
strategize about ways to bring them to fruition. We are happy to
announce that many of the visions that sprung from this gather-in have
been manifested, including the creation of this monthly newsletter,
which is meant to inform, inspire and connect the Gaia U network as
well as bring news of Gaia U activities and developments to the public
at large.
Another goal set at the Huehue gather-in was the development of
‘operating manuals’ for new Associates, Advisors and Regional
Organizing Circles. These manuals provide guidelines and helpful advice
for those working at all levels within Gaia U. The manuals are in the
final stages of production, so keep your ears open for news of their
launch in the near future!
Read more
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Gaia University Orientation in the Virgin Islands
The
first Gaia University orientation in the Virgin Islands came to a close
December 13th. It was the largest and most diverse group of new
Associates thus far, with people from five continents in attendance,
ranging in age from their late teens to mid-sixties.
The orientation took place at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farms Institute
(VISFI), located on the island of St. Croix. VISFI is currently in
development to become one of an ever-growing number of linked Gaia
University Regional Centers. VISFI’s founder, Ben Jones, graduated from
the Gaia U OLE (Organizing Learning for EcoSocial Regeneration) pathway
this October.
As a participant myself, I can report that the
VISFI site was absolutely breathtaking. The landscape was lush with
vegetation, most of it edible, and we could see across the mountains to
the turquoise blue of the Caribbean Sea from the veranda of the
community center where classes were held.
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Associate Spotlight: Penny Livingston-Stark and James Stark
Regenerative Design and the Ecology of Leadership
Gaia University Associates Penny Livingston and James Stark are the founders of the Regenerative Design Institute
(RDI) in Bolinas, California. RDI has hosted a Gaia U orientations for
the last two years and is currently in development to become an
autonomous Regional Center in October of 2010.
In the mere
five years that it’s been running, RDI has become a powerful hub of
advanced Permaculture and leadership training. RDI offers hands-on
experience with permaculture design, food production, animal husbandry,
beekeeping, and wildcrafting, and much more. One of their main focuses
is the Regenerative Design and Nature Awareness (RDNA) program led by
James Stark and Jon Young, which places a strong emphasis on
regenerative design, cultural mentoring, community building and nature
connection. RDNA will soon become a degree pathway for Gaia U
Associates interested in focusing their work in these areas. Stay tuned
for more information about this new program in the coming months.
Read More
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Gaia University Partners with Portland's City Repair Project
Gaia University is thrilled to announce the launch of a new degree pathway offered in partnership with the City Repair Project
in Portland, Oregon. The City Repair pathway will be open to both
Masters and Bachelors Associates. City Repair members will serve as
specialist advisors for Associates, and will be intensively involved
in the first orientation for the program, which takes place in Portland
in May, 2010. The creation of the City Repair pathway is the first step
in the formation of an independent Portland-based Regional Center of
Gaia University.
City Repair facilitates artistic and
ecologically oriented placemaking through projects that honor the
interconnection of human communities and the natural world. Founded in
1996, City Repair has become an inspiring example of what is possible
when communities decide to change their connection to their
environment.
Read more
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