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Forget roads, energy and money. Without people, we got nothin’. It’s strange to think of it that way, but the most important kind of investment that any economy makes is in its own people – what economists romantically call “human capital”.
As one of the best ways to do this is with education, then maybe we should be thinking about investing in and educating our own people from the perspective of the future of the planet, rather than as autonomous countries. We need to stop stressing out our kids by pressurising them to pass every single exam. Countries need to quit wasting time outdoing each other by “proving” South Korean kids are smarter than Chinese or American kids. And instead nurture every single child to become the type of person that will change our world for the better.
I don’t mean we should all flunk school. Obviously passing exams is important. Investing in mainstream primary, secondary and tertiary education is crucial because society needs the brightest minds to solve some of our biggest problems: poverty, diseases and climate change, in order for our planet to accelerate sustainable development.
All young people need to be aware of these problems, and care about finding solutions. Otherwise, let’s face it. We’re toast.
Without school-leavers and graduates able to research advanced information technology, climate data, development economics and genetics science, we won’t achieve any more progress at all.
But unfortunately, not all governments are embedding sustainability into school curriculums, so we need to support extra learning opportunities that do teach kids what they need to know to help mitigate global warming with innovative new technology, save lives by curing new tropical illnesses, and help adapt our communities to a changing climate.
One school which sets young people onto this path of much-needed awareness is Avalon, which provides sustainable learning summer camps in the Spanish Pyrenees and in the Uckermark Park in Germany.
And Avalon is definitely not about singing songs around a camp fire raging dangerously close to nylon tents.
Combining outdoor adventure, creative activities, community development, leadership skills and practical projects like permaculture, the students leave the camp having learned to appreciate nature, live healthily, work positively with a multicultural group of peers, and apply informed, environmentally and socially responsible decisions to their lives.
One of last year’s students, 19-year-old Camille Smith from Jamaica explains how Avalon’s sustainability focus is so vital, and that it has empowered her to realise she can make difference: “One of the biggest problems in the world right now is how we’re treating the environment, we all know the heat is coming down on us right now and here at Avalon they’ve helped me know I can help the system even just by small steps.”
Some of the environmental things Avalon teaches include:
- helping participants calculate their carbon emissions and partake in carbon offsetting.
- enforcing a zero waste policy based on the vision of a circular economy, where nothing is wasted.
- designing and building structures using natural, biodegradable materials, following permaculture principles and eco-building.
- managing finances with the best ethical banks available in each country and learning about the social and environmental consequences of banking.
- benefits of clean energy, in particular solar, which powers the campsite.
- working with farmers’ cooperatives, organic and fair trade producers to source low impact food.
Miriam Saez, 32, from Spain is a volunteer for the camp. She says of her time with the students: “This was an amazingly enriching experience for me, living in a beautiful natural environment with people from different parts of the world, religions and cultures and sharing a series of activities based around respect for others and the environment, personal development, art, consciousness and ecology. I also learnt about decision making processes and conflict resolution. It´s been great to work with people who want to change the world and I think this is an ideal camp for young people in the times of change we are living.”
Avalon is an inspiring model which understands how critical it is to get in there early and arm our future leaders with the skills and passion they need to fix the world we have left them.
Let’s hope it catches on quicker than an out of control camp fire. Because if we don’t act soon, then the damage of an out of control climate is a lot scarier.
Learn more about Avalon.
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