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  • From: "georg parlow" <g.parlow@gmx.at>
  • To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] seeking coop for an intl edu project
  • Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 09:08:51 +0100

Greetings, everyone:

I am primarily addressing communities here, and individuals with skills and
contacts related to grant writing and application.

I am seeking partners for a project that could fit in quite nicely with a
permaculture group, community or eco-village. In order for you to see and
appreciate the project beyond the surface of the project presentation (on
http://cc-ican.zartbesaitet.com - not published yet, access on invitation
only), please let me tell you about it's background and myself first.

To my experience and research there are significant numbers of highly
sensitive and highly gifted children around, who happen to live in quite
ordinary situations - far from perfest but not really bad either, just
somehow not supportive of their particular specialness. Not so few of them
grow up to become young adults, that aren't quite fit for life, that aren't
able to make the difference their hearts yearn to make. In spite of their
best intentions, sincere efforts and their often amazing talents in their
fields, they do not seem to fit in anywhere, might appear to be difficult
characters, and don't get anywhere with their lives.

Well, I arrived at the conclusion, that those highly gifted "misfits" are
just slow developers in a certain way, and may be very particular about what
they find worthwhile to apply themselves to. I am certain, that when
providing them with a few more years of a protected environment, plenty of
stimuli, conscious exposure to the diversity of life, the support to pursue
their special interests, and teach them self-discipline and the basics of
daily life, nearly all of them will turn into happy, ressourceful,
responsible and empowered adults.

Furthermore, the diversity amongst the highly gifted is vast - so vast that
many of them wouldn't even think of relating to others who come from a
different angle of the spectrum of giftedness, because they appear so alien
to them. Actually they could complement each other quite well in
problemsolving and project development, if they could only recognize,
respect and trust each other. By living, working and studying together, by
teaching each other and accompanying each other through intense experiences,
and all this within the mediating presence of a mature adult, I predict that
they will find a common language, start bonding and trusting each other.
They will cluster up in teams of very diverse skills and outstanding
potential. Such teams will start to make a fundamental difference, for their
communities and the world at large.


So, now to make it a bit more personal, let me tell you that I myself was
such a gifted boy. I struggled and worked hard for most of my life. I
bounced about in the world, not knowing where I belonged, started several
careers and several families, used to live a year or more each in the US, in
Fiji and in Australia, and spent more than 2 years just travelling.

Now I am going to be 48 in a few weeks. Gradually I have matured to a
fastlearning generalist, quite skilled in a wide variety of fields (mainly
writing, communication in general, alternative marketing, visual arts,
webdesign, eco- and ethnobotany, gardening and permaculture, certain
meditations). I have a strong focus on relationship work and on motivation
and support for others in their personal development.

A few months ago I published a (german) book about highly sensitive people -
and in spite of having had no press so far it sells nicely. Judging from the
response letters, a lot of the readers seem to benefit from it remarkably. I
am mentioning this mainly because I didn't experience myself all that useful
for most of my life even though I always wanted to be, but recently i
realized that I am slowly getting there. I am committed to the task of
serving people of my kind - publishing a few more books is one track, the
website (http://zartbesaitet.net), seminars, meetings and talks is another
one, and this educational project CC-ICAN is still another.

There are several good reasons, why CC-ICAN is going to be started a.s.a.p.
while the books can easily be delayed for a few years:
First, I already have 2 students for this project. There are 2 young men
in my vicinity, each a genious in their ways, very capable, though very
different from each other. While being 20 and 22 respectively, somehow they
are children, extremely vulnerable, goodhearted and ingenuous - and lost in
a way. I have no doubt, that I can easily find another 15 to 25 young people
to fill up a class anytime, who would not only qualify but be desperate
enough to commit themselves to such a project. But it is important to me
that these particular two individuals do get to use this window of
opportunity - one is my son and one my wife's son.
Second, me and my family need to get out of the city anyways. I moved
into the city of Vienna only two years ago, and now the reasons for a move
out of here really accumulate: we need more space for ourselves (it was
tight ever since I moved in), more people want to live with us, I need a
working space (currently operating out of our
living-dining-sleeping-office), the kids need trees and animals, and I am as
tired of the lightfilled nights as I am lonely without a big garden.
Third, I need to constructively channel my restlessness. I haven't been
stationary for such a long period like now in all of my adult life - I need
a change. While I need something new, I intend to keep the good things I
have now - which are mainly my close relationships, and the meta-project
"high sensitivity, high giftedness". With CC-ICAN I can stick with those and
at the same time have novelty, challenges, adventure, experiments and
travels.

Students will come from as diverse as possible backgrounds from three
cultures - german speaking european, latin american and U.S.american. No
specific financial backgrounds are required, for we will need hefty grants
to get started anyways. From year 2 on we will be self-financed in part
through some commercial learning-by-doing projects. Since the project
proposal of course has to aim for long term self reliance, long term funding
is projected through a tithing commitment of the "graduates" (in quotes,
because there are no grades to be conferred). However, I do not know yet if
there ever is going to be a second class after the first one, as this will
depend on a lot of factors currently unpredictable.

What is in it for a partner? We (= incorporated as an Austrian non-profit
organization) are looking for an involved partner organization, preferrably
also a non-profit organization, to be to be in charge of an U.S. campus.
With CC-ICAN's (grant) money and with the help of students labor, living and
studying facilities for about 30 people would be constructed, that we would
be using only 3 months a year, with the partner utilizing them for the
remaining time. They could receive some overhead for that, and some income
would be generated during the 3 months of the students stay at the campus:
contract with teachers, guides etc. for some educational programs, and
organize the logistics. Broadband internet access would be required for the
ongoing studies. The students would also be about halftime interns, doing
useful work around the place.

If you have any questions, please ask them on the list, as the answers might
be interesting to others as well. Any suggestions are always welcome. If you
are interested to assist or team up with me in this, please write via privat
mail.

Some time in the future we will call out for student nominations - maybe
start looking around in your vicinities, spotting the delicate, highly
gifted in all sorts of traits, goodhearted, sincere - and of little or no
chance to bloom and prosper where they are.

Power, peace and balance!

* * *
Georg Parlow
mailto: g.parlow@gmx.at
personal: http://zartbesaitet.net/gp
mission: http://zartbesaitet.net
snail: EU, Austria, 1230 Wien, R.Zellergasse 70/4/1
cell: +43 650 8899345

* * *
Das Buch: "Zart besaitet"
Untertitel: "Selbstverständnis, Selbstachtung und Selbsthilfe
für hochempfindliche Menschen"
ISBN: 3-9501765-0-0
erhältlich: www.festland-verlag.com




  • [permaculture] seeking coop for an intl edu project, georg parlow, 01/19/2004

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