At the end of June, I had the opportunity to enjoy a stay in a spectacular place, Sanillés, a former spa resort in La Cerdanya, near Martinet.
The buildings were impressive, and the landscape was no less so!
Anna Gurney, from the
Together, Anna and I were able to co-create an interesting curriculum titled “Living the Questions,” which was based on Daniel Christian Wahl’s book*Designing Regenerative Cultures* as well as the ethical foundations of permaculture.
The program consisted of:
An Introduction to Ecology and Various Concepts of Permaculture
a connection with the nature around us
practices that benefit our property (fostering fertility) as well as our physical health (exercising our bodies) and mental health (learning through action, assimilating information, asking key questions, and practicing lateral thinking)
An in-depth exploration of fundamental issues such as Food Sovereignty and Water; cities and neighborhoods that provide us with shelter; Energy in the form of money when we discuss the Circular Economy and the Doughnut Economy; Personal and Social Resilience… Using participatory activities wherever possible, thereby fostering an educational experience co-created by the participants themselves… Striving as much as we can to meet expectations and needs to the fullest extent possible, while taking into account the available resources and limitations… A true journey through #KNOWLEDGE!
During our time together, we also had the chance to get to know one another during moments of pause, active listening, and complete silence, as well as through playful and creative connection. We ate together and also tidied up and cleaned together, sharing (delicious!) cultural curiosities from each other’s cultures. How beautiful it is to open ourselves up to the interconnectedness that each person had longed for so much over the past many months (while respecting official guidelines), thereby creating a truly beautiful human fabric and cultivating a Collective Intelligence far broader than Anna’s and mine combined. It’s been a pleasure to be able to teach a few things and to learn so many others.
I believe that these types of initiatives—made possible by co-financing from European funds through the Erasmus+ program for youth leaders and mentors—are of immense value in the times we are living in, as they promote education for cross-border sustainable development and respectful collaboration across cultures and generations.
Photo by Zala Hrastar
Thank you, Anna, for the opportunity. Thank you, Frank, for sharing Sanillés with us. Thank you to everyone who made this training what it was—a 10-day stay that was incredibly enriching for me!
