Following last week’s post, I have had the pleasure of meeting with several of the members of the Impact Network for Regenerative Futures (IN4RF) to discuss their work with seeds generated in their local, national, and global communities. We have been sharing narratives about action plans for the near future and the inspiring experiences had with creative students and community heartholders in the projects already put in place. The values of the IN4RF have been formed, and work has begun to present ongoing projects and future aspirations, as well as what has been learned from previous engagements.
The IN4RF are creating a space for all participants to collaborate and co-create transformation in sustainability education, with a compassionate approach to include all, create new knowledge, and take action in transdisciplinary learning. Each week, I would like to present a member of the IN4RF to engage everyone in open dialogue about how we can move forward with this work. See more about the project and get in touch if anything takes your interest.
One member that has helped this group to come together to co-create action for transforming sustainability education in higher institutions is Dr. Kent Williams. Kent works as an Assistant Professor at Acadia University, and also as an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, both located in the unceded and sacred territory of Mi’kma’ki (east coast of Canada). His teaching practice and research are focused on climate and resilient leadership and explore the pillars of prosperity, fairness, and sustainability.
The core values that lead me are: courage, empathy, justice, levity, respect, and wisdom, and my mission is to co-inspire human potential. I espouse a pedagogy of ‘education as the practice of freedom’ –– where I facilitate learning spaces that embrace failure, reflexivity, creativity, and critical and resilient thinking. I live in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, with my family, and I love spending time connecting with our roots in Nature, sharing good laughs with family…and yes, taking time out running in the woods or out on my bike!
Action 1: As an Impact Network, we aim to develop the capacity and capability of graduate students (future facilitators of learning) to take up the torch to transform teaching approaches that are underpinned by prosperity, fairness, and sustainability-as-flourishing. Also, we seek to enable our teaching to be grounded in shared values and purpose, creativity, and dialogue.
Action 2: To co-inspire and co-create a reflexive and creative community of practice that supports the growth of each other and enables pathways forward. We do this by intentionally creating a ‘many worldview/pluriverse’ community space that provides energy, support, creativity, and direction for sustainable-as-flourishing futures.
If you would like read more about Kent’s seed projects or to get in touch, click the links below.
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