What does building capacity for regenerative communities mean to me? This is my perspective in brief.
Regenerative systems development focuses not solely on reducing resource extraction and its impact (on Earth and each other), but -above all- on (re)connecting and regenerating environmental, social, human, and other assets (or resources) of a system. Because of the complexity of community systems (such as cities), regeneration requires building transdisciplinary skills and capacity to enable transformative change across levels and sectors.
Regenerative systems capacity building (or education) is therefore transformative. It is a process of un-learning (the unhelpful ways), re-learning (replacing with more helpful ways), and learning (new ways); a process that aims to support the co-creation of regenerative communities by their own citizens. This means: analysing complexity critically and with curiosity; cultivating motivation and skills to “connect the dots” and create positive impact; and ultimately transforming research and knowledge to action that can lead community transition towards resilience and sustainability.
My pedagogical approach is grounded in living systems thinking, as well as experiential and collaborative learning that will have meaningful and long-lasting impact on learners and their communities and organisations. My pedagogical principles include relationality, reciprocity, sharing, openness, co-learning and co-creating, and overall practising a deep understanding that humans are a part of Earth and not apart from it.
