We can regenerate the Earth, learning new ways of being and doing.
Through schools across the GTB (Greater Tkaronto Bioregion), we're creating a community network as part of the Bioregional Learning Center.
Generations come together to learn from and with each other in the real-world context of the community, and take collective action on regenerative Legacy Projects.
Intergenerational teams in each school consist of a student EcoLeader, an enthusiastic teacher (and often supportive parents), and an Elder-in-Residence. These teams ripple out engagement through the school and into the surrounding neighbourhood.
This school community network draws on the ethos of The Intergenerational School (TIS), a public charter school in Cleveland, OH. It was co-founded by Dr. Peter Whitehouse, who is part of the Group of Seven advisors for the
7-Generation GTB (Greater Tkaronto Bioregion) is about PEOPLE of all ages (re)learning together how to live in their PLACE on the Earth. #ChangeTheStory.
It's about social regeneration (bringing together generations in community for mutual learning and collective action) and ecological regeneration (building community and regenerative practices across our local bioregion).
#CHANGETHESTORY
Our world faces complex challenges and an uncertain future. We are in ecological and cultural overshoot. Scientific research shows how we're exceeding the Planetary Boundaries. We must #ChangeTheStory of how we live on the Earth.
Intergenerational connections are the seed from which everything grows, as the work takes root in the land.
In some Indigenous cultures there's an understanding that, if you want to get something done, you bring together a "fired-up youth with a feisty granny." Generations working together can become a kind of "super organism" to regenerate our planet.
As Indigenous Trent University Professor Dr. Dan Longboat explains, "We can either choose the continuation of life, or we can continue to destroy life. The choice is ours." Indigenous Faithkeeper Oren Lyons was involved in the creation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has said it can be summed up in four words: value change for survival. In other words, we need to #ChangeTheStory of how we live on Earth.
Regenerating the Earth includes understanding what's real. We divide up the world with artificial boundaries of cities and countries.
We live in the GTB. The GTB is our real home on the planet – defined by geology, ecology, and culture (including Indigenous history).
Drawing on earth systems science, the bioregion – not your neighbourhood or even your city – is the smallest scale where we need to take action that will make a difference. It's our "life place" – the place we live our life and that gives us life. If we work on regeneration across the whole of our bioregion, and connect with other bioregions, we can affect planetary processes and have meaningful long-term impact. The bioregion is the difference that makes a difference. Think bioregionally!
RESOURCES
The video above offers a great introduction to what learning needs to be in a changing and uncertain world. Joe Brewer is a global regeneration leader. You can also listen to grade 12 student Ethan Bonerath interview Joe Brewer.
Says Brewer, who wrote The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth and co-founded the Design School for Regenerating Earth, "When we talk about regenerative design, it is the intentional application of knowledge and tools to create possibilities by making use of the regeneration that is inherent in all living systems. Regenerative design is collaborative and co-creative. It is a dance with life. More deeply still, it is a dance of life."
7-Generation GTB is guided by the principles of the Earth Charter while being grounded in our specific place, our bioregion.
To find out more about our bioregion, the GTB, check out the simple explainer, What's It All About? And the video What is a Bioregion? gives a good overview and explains why bioregions are important.
To find out more about 7-Generation GTB, you can also look through other videos, including Building a
Lead Educator
OPPORTUNITIES
Student EcoLeaders, teachers, parents, and older adults in the community have an opportunity to get to know each other, and visit various sites across the GTB – like regenerative farms, parks, and museums. For example, one recent event took place at the McMichael Gallery. Everyone also participated in the
The general process we follow over the school year (there are also summer events) is Liminal Learning, with an intergenerational emphasis on young and old learning from and with each other. Liminal = in-between, transitioning; to be on the edge of something new. This speaks to generations right now in different ways, with many young people feeling like their dreams are broken and many older adults feeling like the legacy they hoped to leave is broken. It also speaks to the idea of #ChangeTheStory – your own story in an uncertain world.
Living well requires a shift in our relationship with the unknown. It's a shift from worry and alienation to wonder and collective experimentation.
The Liminal Learning process moves through
Landing (arriving and literally connecting with the land); Sensing (how do we make sense?); Knowing (what's our story and how do we know?), Realizing (a life worth living), and finally Launching (into a new way of being, community Legacy Projects, and
stewarding the life place around us).
Check out upcoming events, like the GTB Bioregional Eco Market. You can also create your own events, like a Grandparents/Intergenerational Day, and there are many activity ideas, including the Listen to a Life Contest.
This is a once-in-a-generation learning and leadership opportunity. Let's #ChangeTheStory!
Students can earn scholarships, and Elders-in-Residence receive a stipend. Questions?
E-mail Brian Puppa, Executive Director at the Legacy Project.