Vloveit Youth Development Centre friendly spring picnic.
'Everyday Life Practitioners' is what our partner Vloveit Youth Development Centre (Vloveit) in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, calls the participants of its project to build a sustainable living community. 'Green Seeds' is how another partner, Sichuan Seasons Nature Centre in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, refers to its participating community core members who motivate people to promote everyday green living. PCD has been working with both partners to develop learning systems that support personal and collective transformation for sustainable living.
It is now the second phase of Vloveit's Sustainable Living Community Building with Youth project. The project team has come to see that personal growth is not a linear process, nor is it necessarily a result of structured learning. Rather, change may originate from an inspiring dialogue, a profound experience in a certain instant, or having sensitivity and awareness in daily life. Tang Yuan, who joined a learning camp in 2023, has her own story of personal change. She had always tried to be frugal due to environmental concerns, but when she noticed paper wastage in her workplace, she felt compelled to initiate an action for recycling. Through embarking on this action, she became more devoted and now encourages adults and children alike to follow suit. Tang Yuan says that the most important transformational learning has been a repositioning within. "In the past, I really cared about what other people thought about me. Now I focus more on my inner motivation. The first step was the most important. After the recycling initiative, I gradually started second hand charity sales, handicrafts made with corn husks and later, thrift stalls."
Participants at the launch of the 'Green Seeds' Phase II project feel strength,
support and emotional connections as they grow together.
Our partner Sichuan Seasons Nature Centre envisions changing the current trend of professionalisation of nature education development. The second phase of their project involved learnings on various topics, with participants eventually arriving at the contemplative understanding that 'we are connected to all beings'. This awareness has led participants to think deeply about their links with nature education. It has led to creative everyday life actions. At the beginning of the Green Seeds project, a participant named Xiaomaizi, who works in an administrative job, thought that nature education was mainly about courses and activities about animals and plants. After joining the first phase, she now has a broader perspective. Xiaomaizi says that she will persist with green living, such as garbage sorting, recycling, and upcycling second-hand goods, and will motivate others to join her actions. She will also identify opportunities for promoting green living in her workplace.
Both partners have been exploring paths for building learning communities, differing slightly in approach. Vloveit bases its work on setting up spaces for co-learning, such as training camps. They aim to create a supportive atmosphere whereby participants can continue to practise what they've learned in their everyday life, and to further learn and change. They also hold regular events, seasonal thematic learnings, and annual gatherings to sustain momentum and team spirit, and passionate young people are always welcomed. Project participants are also encouraged to initiate actions within the community itself. One activity was a friendly picnic.
Many Green Seeds feel strong emotional connections with the group, based on their shared love of nature and the spirit of mutual help. Participants also build friendships outside of the project, helping each other with nature education activities or birdwatching together. They share personal stories through the Human Library and continue exchanges at monthly thematic learning events, that they lead themselves. The Green Seeds community of Sichuan Seasons Nature Centre also hosted a workshop to help consolidate and deepen their learning, at which they reviewed their whole journey and celebrated their learning and growth.
Participants of 'Green Seeds' Phase I project happily gather at their midterm meeting.
Our two partners share the same goal: to engage more people to take more action in everyday life, with changes from within. In this way, we hope that people will find balance in themselves, will become friendlier to others and nature, and will gradually expand their care, concern and action for society.
* Excerpted from Biennial Report 2023-2025