Justice

Imagining the future

By Anne / 6 June 2008

One of my favourite responses to the give-away of the Cuba DVD that we have been running is pasted below. In return for a copy of the DVD “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” we are asking people to write a few paragraphs outlining their visions of a reimagined future. We want stories about what people want the future to look like, and how they intend to get there. What do we want our communities to look like? Will our neighbourhood have changed? Will we know our neighbours? Will our education system and curriculum have been revised? Will politics transform in scale, in outlook, in dominant ideology? How will we travel? What will we eat? What will our relationship with nature be? Will the way we do “church” look the same? Stories could incorporate action and activism that is currently happening within the church or outside of it – what are you or any group or initiative you are involved in doing or hoping to do to affect change in your home or community?

We do still have one or two copies to give away, so give us your best, most inspiring thoughts and visions!

“Below is a synopsis of my visions for the future. It is an unfolding dream that could cover many pages. Here I hope to give a snapshot of the essence of what I see is possible…

My visions of the future involves empowered communities living in edible landscapes.
The transformation of the city into a vibrant, beautiful, sustainable, healthy, playful place to live. This will come about through urban permaculture design education, which empowers individuals and groups to redesign their lifestyles, neighbourhoods, businesses, and cities through fun, practical means.

I see church groups, primary schools, apartment residents associations, government departments… working together as design teams. Observing and interacting with their environments and asking how it could work better with nature. Rather than leaving the design and decision making of our communities up to specialists, people are empowered to take responsibility and make creative choices about how it could be, and then supported to put these plans into action. I see this transformative environmental education being offered through Urban Permaculture Design Academies. As a member of Transition Towns Aro Valley Wellington, and owner of Living in the Landscape – Permaculture Design and Training Business, I am actively involved in making this vision a reality.

It involves people learning about how they can creatively respond to the challenges of peak oil and climate change and renew and redesign their environment to care for people, care for the earth. It’s all about relationships. Understanding how natural ecological systems of people, plants, animals, soils, water, air, and sun interact. What their needs are, and how the elements can work together to increase the mauri, or life force of a place.

I see communities in the future that reflect, celebrate and embody the diverse dreams and cultures of their people – that really tap their potential as visionaries and agents of change (no matter how big or small). A key to this is listening and “appreciative inquiry”. By focusing on what’s working and what’s possible rather than what is not, we can acknowledge and appreciate the precious people, stories and resources that make up our communities.

I see regular “community conversations” in which residents talk about what they really like about where they live and how this value could be increased. A group I’m involved in called Four Million Dreams is all about this, having Transformative Conversations about possibility. I see this way of sharing being popularized. Nationwide there would be video submissions about of peoples visions and people in conversations everywhere which tap everyone’s rich stories and connections to culture, place and future hope.

I see university students and the unemployed engaged in going into community to capture these stories and identify ways that they can serve the community to enable and actualize peoples visions and address their concerns. These could even be sponsored by local business that the submitters actually value to pay for the documentation. Solutions would be portrayed visually in addition to just in words. This is a key to other people getting it instantly, especially those from different cultures and backgrounds.

“The rising tide raises all boats” – I see cross sector collaboration in the form of leadership incubator courses, in which motivated people from different sectors –arts, environment, poverty… you name it. People from community, business and government coming together to work on projects that have multiple benefits. They take suggestions from the community about problems and possibilities then work together to create comprehensive solutions which draw on their diverse skills, resources, networks…

The possibilities are enormous if we work together. If we really make ourselves available to listen to and encourage each other we may learn that others have similar values and motivations and that people we may have never suspected have solutions and resources to offer to us meeting our goals. The possibilities are enormous! If we ask “what’s your vision?” and “how can I help?”

Warm regards,
Andrew