SEED's Organic Classroom Project, from their website: www.seed.org.za
Please join us on 4th July, 2-4 (+ lunch at 1) at 6-8 Robsart St, SW9 0DJ. Bring your lunch for informal discussion at 1 and for the formal meeting from 2 – 4. If you can, please let us know if you are coming and send in any questions you would like to ask either of the speakers. Please send to ttbfood@gmail.com.
We were prompted to arrange this session by a visit from South Africa of Leigh Brown, the founder of SEED (Schools Environmental Education and Development). We are keen to have her reports of latest developments and materials that they are using. Leigh is a permaculture expert and has been developing materials to teach permaculture in schools.
Permaculture Design Game from SEED
Thatu is an organization working with people on very small plots of land where the soil is very poor and there are minimal resources. They have experience of using permaculture techniques to grow food under these conditions. Margery Povall lives locally and is a founder and trustee of Thatu. She has written about Thatu for the Lambeth Horticultural Society Newsletter and gave an in-depth talk on Thatu’s work to the society last autumn. This suggested that the issues we have are more similar to theirs than one might imagine and that there is scope for us to learn from them and demonstrate how the ‘developing’ can teach the ‘developed’.
.jpg "Image taken from Thatu's home page http://www.thatu.org")
Photo of children with pumpkins from Thatu's website: http://www.thatu.org
Details of the afternoon
1.00-2.00 Informal meeting over lunch and discussion for anyone who can’t attend later. Bring sandwiches – we will collect ideas for collaboration with South Africa and what particular information people would like.
This gives some flexibility in case Leigh is late/delayed.
2.00 Penny introduces purpose of session i.e. exchange information on food and environmental developments in SA and in Lambeth. And outlines relevant initiatives in Lambeth with input from the Food & Growing group projects (depending who can make it).
2.20 Margery introduces Leigh and outlines the relationship between SEED and Thatu, and the place SEED has had in the development of Thatu. [Thatu has not only supported school projects, but also community based ones.] Also the similarities she sees in aims and issues in SA and inner London. Why there might be possibilities of Lambeth initiatives benefiting from SA experience.
2.45 Leigh outlines the issues, and difficulties and developments in the work of SEED
3.15 Discussion on issues in Lambeth and SA – similarities and differences and exploring possibilities of a continuing relationship
4.0 End.
We understand that many people will be unable to come at this time, especially teachers for whom this may be particularly relevant. However, Leigh has limited time and we are grateful that she has been able to fit this meeting in her schedule. For this reason, we will be arranging to record at least part of the session and make detailed notes to circulate afterwards.
Background and links
SEED: http://www.seed.org.za/
In the past nine years, SEED has delivered a diverse range of outcomes, from developing curriculum for environmental education and green entrepreneurship, to the growing of robust outdoor classrooms in under-resourced schools across the country.
They believe that connecting children to the ecosystems that support them means healthier and happier children who will look after the planet. They believe that gardening opens children to miracles and that we should all know where our food comes from.
SEED is currently working on:
- Rolling out The Organic Classroom Program across the country.
- Building the Rocklands Urban Abundance Centre in Mitchells Plain.
- Delivering and writing Accredited Permaculture Training.
- Growing community enterprise through the‘One Tree starts a Forest’ tree programme.
Their methodology is based on the design system for sustainable living and land use, Permaculture, that teaches a new breed of environmental ethics, with care of people, care of the earth, and sharing of surplus at its core.
Thatu: http://www.thatu.org/
Thatu raises funds to help improve the health, education, nutrition and life-chances of some of the lowest-income communities in South Africa.
It was created in the UK in 2004 by a handful of people who had been inspired by the initiatives of many communities working against the odds in South Africa to grow a new future for themselves.
A link to the latest article in the Lambeth Horticultural Society Newsletter is here: http://lambethhorticulturalsociety.org.uk/newsletter.html