In the first phase of our collaboration with the Rarámuri, we focused on addressing the initial priorities they identified: drinking water, landscape restoration, hygiene and sanitation, and a review of their educational needs. The overarching goal of the project remains that of assisting the Rarámuri in recovering the eco-cultural health of their communities: the health of their landscape, their culture, and their language. Clearly, this is a long-term goal that requires an extended process of capacity building, so that community members are able to regain control over the process of change that has been affecting their land, their way of life, and their livelihoods. Given the nature of the forces of change, the Rarámuri realize that regaining control and recovering eco-cultural health require bringing together local and external knowledge systems and worldviews: both revitalizing ancestral traditions and acquiring new know-how.

For this reason, in the next phase of our work with the Rarámuri, we are focusing on intercultural education and training. Some of the Rarámuri are especially aware of the need for alternative education for their children: that is, education that, unlike what is imparted in the schools, focuses on their own language and culture, and reconnects youth with parents and elders and with the land. We plan to assist the Rarámuri in the development of alternative education curriculum. The guiding philosophy will be the co-creation of knowledge, know-how, and educational materials. The program will apply innovative participatory methods, with an environmental education approach that emphasizes experiential outdoor education and service-learning – a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, foster civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. The program will serve both youth and other community members, including women.

Secondly, we seek to create opportunities for “training the trainers” in landscape restoration, combining the revitalization of traditional Rarámuri practices with the application of methods well suited for the recovery of a very degraded landscape, such as permaculture and eco-forestry, and with the development of practical skills needed to assess and restore the health of the landscape. A training program of this nature will allow trainees to pass on their knowledge to others in the community, expanding the reach of the program.

Currently, we are preparing for a new planning meeting with the Rarámuri to implement these two goals. The meeting will take place during an “exchange visit” of a group of Rarámuri to Salt Spring Island, Canada, where Terralingua is located. The visit will also be the occasion for a multifaceted intercultural exchange, which will involve meetings with the Salt Spring community, schools, artisans and farmers, as well as with First Nations in the area. During the visit, along with the Rarámuri, we’ll lay out a plan for the alternative education curriculum and the steps needed to carry out the project. The Rarámuri will also have a chance for some hands-on training in permaculture and eco-forestry, which will lay the foundations for longer-term training opportunities. The visit is planned for October 2010.