Residential Information
INDIA
From Sevagram to Arunachal Pradesh, India:
At Gandhi’s Ashram in Sevagram, you are introduced to the philosophy and practice of nonviolent social movements. You travel from this Ashram to Jamkhed and Gadchiroli, two of India’s finest grassroots health care systems. You then move to the mountainous northeast of India. Arunachal Pradesh has the greatest cultural and biological diversity of any state in India. To integrate the needs of people with nature, Arunachal Pradesh is establishing a network of biosphere reserves. Its planning strategy addresses six areas of need: resource inventory, social and environmental development, economic development, tourism, historic and cultural preservation, and education and training. Future Generations has sponsored field surveys and training workshops to help communities monitor biodiversity and benefit from the ecotourism potential of the region. Future Generations also works with Village Welfare Workers and Panchayat elders for SEED-SCALE training in health and conservation. Your class examines this community-based training and data-gathering in the context of India’s history of progressive social movement
UNITED STATES
From West Virginia to Upstate New York, United States:
During this residential course, your class examines the dynamics of conflict, social change, and leadership. In particular, they study the three-way partnership of government, citizen mobilization, and research/economic expertise that led to the creation of upstate New York’s Adirondack State Park and New York City’s Central Park. These models rely on no federal funds. They integrate nature conservation with a balanced approach to development via innovative land use planning. They call upon the wisdom of local associations, industry, ecotourism, and state conservation agencies. You compare this with other conservation models in North American and Tibet/China. You will also visit Future Generations energy self-sufficient headquarters (pictured here) on North Mountain, West Virginia.
PERU
From Cuzco to Huanuco, Peru:
Building from the bankruptcy of state health care facilities after civil war and terror, the people of Los Moras experimented with the community-based services of local health practitioners. Los Moras is now a center for action learning, applied research and experimentation. Its work extends to fifty community health associations. Its model of community-managed health care has been adapted across Peru. With a multi-year grant from the United States Agency for International Development, a second regional center is now established in Cuzco. Its emphases are the Los Moras model of community-managed health care and a new SEED-SCALE project for child survival.
NEPAL & CHINA/TIBET
From Kathmandu Valley, Nepal to Shegar, Tibet/China:
The Four Great Rivers protected area is the size of Italy. With 46 million acres, it is the fourth largest protected area in the world. It contains one-seventh of all the trees in China. It protects watersheds upon which a billion people in eight countries depend. And it has some of the most extraordinary geography and biodiversity in the world. Future Generations partners with government agencies and the David Suzuki Foundation of Canada to implement a model that uses locally available resources. Each county-level government works with communities to design and implement its own management strategy. Pendebas (workers who benefit the village) train local people in primary health, animal husbandry, sustainable forestry, and other practical skills. Pendebas are integral to the growth of land designated as protected areas in Tibet – an area that has grown from 1% to 40% in less than twenty years. You observe how Pendebas manage regional learning centers that strengthen nature conservation and ecotourism around Qomolangma (Mt. Everest).
