5 Questions About The Communiversity
Is it like a university? Yes...and no! The Communiversity is like a University in the sense that it will be a large and diverse campus and learning institution that is dedicated to training the next generation of leaders and change-agents. Where the Communiversity differs is that we realize that knowledge alone is a weak driver of change, and that young people need to also develop the skills, attitudes and values that will inspire them to challenge the status quo, take responsibility for fellow human beings and translate it into actions for the wellbeing of humanity and our planet as a whole. Will it give diplomas? All students at the Communiversity will receive recognition for their learning, either through the Communiversity itself, or as credit awarded through the institutions where they are studying, that work in partnership with SERES, such as the University of California, Irvine. Will it have a cost for students? The Communiversity is a social enterprise that will allow SERES to diversify our income streams and develop a robust and resilient financial model that does not just rely on income from donations and grants. The Communiversity will use a sliding-scale model so that it is accessible to everyone. That’s why your donation today is really a long-term investment in the future! Any income generated through the Communiversity will be reinvested back into the local community and in particular in supporting young people who would not typically have access to the type of learning and eduaction that the Communiversity offers. What will they learn? All of SERES training programs use a transformative, integrated approach to unleash youth leadership to accelerate a societal transition towards sustainability. The outcomes are highly influential and impactful leaders that can move with wisdom and insight, inspiring and mobilizing others - particularly youth - to move with them. We train our ESD Ambassadors to teach in an interactive way that enables exploratory, action-oriented and transformative learning, drawing upon many modalities that engage trainees at the levels of hearts and minds, behaviour and systems including:
- mindfulness
- personal mastery
- somatics/embodied leadership
- emotional intelligence
- appreciative inquiry
- active listening
- strategic questioning
- play for peace
- leading from the heart/deep ecology
- nature-based learning
- technologies of participation/participatory engagement
- dialogic skills
Who will teach Local leaders, SERES accredited facilitators, expert practitioners from here and abroad, guest lecturers, indigenous leaders.
Extra: FAQ about donating to our Crowdfund Does every dollar count? Absolutely! If 75,000 people gave us a dollar our crowdfund would be done, this is the power of the crowd. Is it tax free? Your donation to a US-Based 501(c)3 charitable organization through CrowdRise is 100% tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You'll automatically receive an email receipt that meets the IRS requirements for a record of your donation. What happens if you don’t reach the goal? It will not happen, but if happens, Crowd Rise will give us the collected amount and we will keep pushing till Communiversity is a reality.
