Introduction
The EDE at Wongsanit begins with its famous canal crossing, a rite of passage all participants must navigate. With a step of faith onto what seems, initially, a very unstable raft, they pull themselves across, by an assortment of ropes and pulleys, to the welcoming trees, water lily ponds, traditional wooden accommodations and the gracefully roofed adobe class room of Wongsanit Ashram.
From 17 January, twenty participants made that crossing, two for the 4 week EDE, a few for the 5 weeks that includes the Design Studio, but most for the full 7 week journey of the Thailand EDE ? The EDE, Design Studio (DS) and two weeks of Training of Trainers (TOT).
The Thai EDE is unique in that throughout the programme it addresses the eco-village conundrum both from the perspective of designing intentional western style ecovillages and building on the wisdom of traditional / indigenous communities. The design studio that incorporates both principles of permaculture and a PAR approach epitomises this by demonstrating methodologies that respect the local knowledge of the people, the land and innovative technology.
Throughout the training approach was participatory and experiential making a lively and engaged learning community. The final TOT weeks shares the skills, attitudes and concepts that support this style of training and challenged participants to participants to practice.
The diversity of countries and cultures represented was beautiful, a networking of minds, hearts and hands that under other circumstances might never have happened. With different views on life, coming together to realise that the differences are mostly skin deep, and once you scrape away that skin of social conditioning, basic human needs and the heart are all the same… Cambodia, Scotland, India, England, Indonesia, China, Canada, Thailand, South Africa, Bangladesh and later, Nepal. Indigenous friends from Orissa, India, and the Karen people, northern Thailand.
Bangladesh, Cambodia and India were present as part of a South-South exchange programme
