Program areas at Swaraj Foundation
Supported ecoversities alliance - the ecoversities alliance is a network of alternative holistic universities and learning spaces around the world for youth and adult learners (many of who have left formal education). The ecoversities are committed to reimagining education higher education and developing innovative models, pedagogies and tools which explore the expanded self, community living, ecological sustainability, social justice, the arts and creativity, reconnection to nature, alternative approaches to healing, social entrepreneurship. There are currently 500+ members scross 50 countries. - we supported an online international conference on reimagining education with over 1000 registered educatros from around the world and 60 learning sessions. We were able to develop numerous partnerships with formal academic institutions and social agencies. - we supported a global gathering in the siwa desert in egypt which was attended by over 80 members from around the world. This was followed by a learning journey to visit inspiring ecoversities projects around egypt. - we supported one regional gathering in india, one regional gathering in colombia, and our first asia regional gathering in thailand. There were also many microgatherings around various themes such as climate change, alivelihoods, farmversity, sacred-versity, and body wisdom. - we supported 10 educational leaders to go for residencies between different ecoversities members. The residencies were designed to encourage knowledge sharing and deepening of collaborations and new innovations. - we supported the production of 40 new essays, podcast programs, and short films on important innovations in education. These were shared through the ecoversities online magazine and fireflies frequency online radio channel.
Supported social laboratories - complexity university gigatonne challenge project - the complexity university offers online courses and learning community to build leadership for working on complex challenges. Through innovative learning by doing pedagogy, it seeks to equip learners with the tools, relationships and inner resources that are needed to be more effective in dealing with the world's most difficult challenges. - we recruited and trained 25 dynamic and dedicated teams, complementing the efforts of the existing 8 teams. Successfully completed 10 sprints, developing practical solutions to reduce climate emissions and improve the environmental and social equity in their cities. We supported a level 4 team in vizag, india. Total abatement of 1,737 tons of co2e, equivalent to the carbon absorbed by 2,071 acres of forest in a year or emitted by burning 170,629 gallons of diesel. Direct benefits to 2,196 families, including improved livelihoods, enhanced food security, greater energy security, and valuable assets.
Supported the shikshantar sansthan in udaipur -"udaipur as a learning city project" - the ulc incubates and nurtures several diverse learning spaces and sustainable living projects around the city as it creates opportunities for people of all ages to identify, deepen and share their passions, dreams and skills. It also highlights and regenerates local language, traditional knowledge systems, local media and learning resources and a feeling of community. It wishes to explore the deeper questions of happiness, progress, urban development, education and a good life with local citizens of the city. - as part of the shikshantar learning resource center for self-designed learners, homeschoolers and walkouts, we hosted and mentored over 2000 visitors from around the country who were interested in how they could pursue a path of self-designed learning and access community learning resources in udaipur. - as part of the udaipur slow food alliance, we hosted hulchul saturday cafe on 38 saturdays in 2022 to introduce the idea of millets, slow food, gift culture and unlearning while creating a community learning and incubation space for local change-makers. - we continued to provide social entrepreneurship mentoring support to several local change-making projects in udaipur including: tapovan ashram, sukoon freecycling store, millets of mewar restaurant, banyan roots organic store, ecohut, farmversity, zariya women's collective, super ecobricks. - we organized several open learning workshops at Swaraj university in udaipur such as reimagining education, unschooler winter camp, families learning together. - we supported an udaipur leadership development fellowship for 50 young tribal and dalit women in udaipur, for graduates of the jail university, for street children, and for local youth farmers.