Sustainability Education

“EDUCATION IS LIFE ITSELF.“ (JOHN DEWEY)

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I did an online simulation game to take care of a family in Africa as an assignment when I took an online  undergrad course.  I killed at least two family members by my decision (not enough money to take them to hospital after spending money to education etc) every time when I played.

Simulation is not real.  However, it gives the opportunity to use imagination to feel and think.  I feel we have been focus to be “logical” rather than “emotional” in education and business.  But if education is not only sharing knowledge (cognitive), we can also talk about “emotional – how you feel?” (heart) even in adult education.

IF THE WORLD WAS 100 PEOPLE, HOW WOULD WE TEACH?

“Sustainability Harmonist Workshop” at UBC on October 15, 2018

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Thank you to the participants (UBC 20 ESL students (intermediate level)/1 ESL teacher/ 1 undergrad student/ 1 grad student/ 2 staff and 3 participants from outside of UBC) for joining the workshop!!  I did not expect that many participants could join.  I enjoyed to listen to the participants’ own experiences and think about how I could do better job as a facilitator.

Sustainability Harmonist Workshop – Oct 15, 2018 – PowerPoint is used.

We had two group discussions:

  1. about their own Ikigai (five groups)
  2. how to make harmonized community/ies (four groups by the sustainability related topics chosen by participants, 1.Waste management, 2. Loneliness, 3. Food security (production), and 4. Social justice).

It seemed it was difficult to find own Ikigai in 10 minutes as well as the answer of how to make harmonized community/ies.

Sustainability and Ikigai themselves have vague and broad meanings.  I could have mentioned and explained the connection among sustainability, ikigai, individual psychology, and community clearly in the beginning and with examples for some concepts.  It might be helpful for the participants in their group discussion.  At the same time, it might limit the freedom for participants to think about the concepts by their way?  As a facilitator I am not sure how much control I should have.

As you see the participants’ list and photo above, the participants had variety of background even though majority was ESL students.  I think I got used to talk about sustainability with people who already have experience in the field and community, it was fresh to talk with people who have just started to think about the topic.  Some of the ESL students are staying Vancouver for short-term.  One of them told me he did not feel lonely here because he has been here too short to feel lonely.  I could ask him the questions 1)how strong he feels connection to the community here and 2)if he cares about the community here or not.

I wish this workshop (the concepts) helps or makes sense especially, when people have hard time to sustain who they are.

I would like to improve the workshop/my facilitator skill with feedback from the participants.  I had definitely different kind of experience in the workshop as a facilitator compared with the workshop in the classroom of our grad program whom I  regularly meet and share the knowledge about sustainability.  I hope I can do more workshops like this to different groups in different places.

Sustainability Harmonist Workshop, Oct 15 @ UBC campus – poster

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The workshop is open for public since I believe mixture of groups whoever is interested in sustainability is more benefit for everyone to understand each other.

https://www.canva.com/design/DADE829BjyI/view

Making a poster for the workshop seems a small thing.  But I learned a lot from it: how important to choose 1)the words/sentences to express what I want to do clearly and simply, 2)picking the photo/frame that suites for the workshop, and 3)whom/where to distribute.  It is very similar with marketing.

 

Aug 19 – The 1st trial Sustainability Harmonist workshop in public

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I did the first “Sustainability Harmonist” workshop at the SPEC Cambie Communal Garden (Society Promoting Environmental Conservation).

3 participants: 2 from Communal garden member, and 1 from Zero Waste Master

Activity1: think about ikigai

Participants feedback:

The points I need to work on:

1. Choose the date more people are available (A lot of members are out of town for vacation).

2. The members in the organization are more interested in the technical gardening knowledge, not in the sustainability.  The blurb about the workshop needs to include more explanation for those groups, for example, the connection between community and sustainability, as well as sustainability and gardening.

3.

Aug 14 – The observation & partial participation of Metro Vancouver Sustainability Toolbox camp

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The target learners in this post are not exactly adults whom I focus.  But it was very interesting and I can use what I observed in the camp in my future workshop.  Therefore, I am posting here.

I visited Metro Vancouver Sustainability Toolbox (MVST) – “A YOUTH4ACTION LEADERSHIP FIELD COURSE” camp.

The topics for their journal ideas are similar to the topics that we have learned in our grad program.  I am curious what the participants write about the topics.  The participants seemed very into sustainability.  They have better ideas and visions what they can do in the society.  I need to talk to the mentors and facilitators to get more information.

I observed the Alumni (students from previous years – some of them are still in high school and some of them are in university) Workshop sessions of the camp.  There were five different sessions.  I observed two sessions.

At the “communication” one  I saw two activities in the field. The activity #1 was working as a pair.  One person explained what the shapes on the paper verbally to the partner who could not see the paper.  After time is up, they evaluate each other.    The activity #2 was divided to two groups (action group/observing group).  The action group got their eyes covered, so they were blind.  Then they had to make a square with a rope with the condition.  Only the action group were allowed to talk.  The observing group could not talk; they were only observing how the action group communicate to make the square.  Before the time was up, there was only one chance the observing group could help the action group to shape the square by asking questions to the action group.  They could only ask questions, no direct indication to shape the square.  After the time was up, the facilitators asked observing group what they saw and felt.  Then they evaluated how they communicated and discussed solutions.

When I arrived at the “learning from failure” workshop, they sat around the campfire site, they started writing down their conflict/negative feelings inside of  the origami paper.  Then they folded the paper to a butterfly.  The facilitator told he did let the negative feelings go with origami butterflies when he was younger.

Those topics that are not directly related sustainability in environmental/economical sense.  I feel these kinds of skills are needed to everyone, every student in high school and university, even though the workshops were for the leader of the sustainability.

I was impressed how these alumni facilitated the workshop creatively and effectively. I learned a lot from them.