In the midst of feeling grateful at this time of year for all the good things that can happen and for all the light that can be generated, we want to thank you, our donors and supporters and volunteers, for keeping Something Good happening in the World!
In the face of obstacles, Something Good in the World teaches students to become versatile. The essential quality or “vitamin” of Versatility is about developing the mindset that makes one immune to self-doubt. Inside of a Golden Education Template (GET) inspired school model, SGITW needed to heed its own advice this spring. Distance learning is antithetical to experiential education – we want everything to be hands-on. But the need to change temporarily to meet new requirements is causing all of us to stretch our minds and hearts, and work at being versatile.
Originally, we would have led into our Winter into Spring newsletter with descriptions of all the fantastic activities of the past few months, but we have to pause in the light of the world situation, to reflect not only on the successes, but also on what might be next. This is especially the case because our school gardens are suddenly on pause, our spring programs on hold, and everything taking a deep in-breath of unknown. Hands-on,farm-based, experiential, arts-integrated, natural education is not designed to be online. So, what now?
KA MALA MALUHIA = THE HAWAIIAN “GARDEN PEACEFUL”
This past September Something Good in the World, was honored to present its Children’s Peaceful Garden design at the United Nations International Day of Peace, representing Roots & Shoots. After this lifechanging event, in which we had the privilege of describing our project to hundreds of attendees, I began spreading the word about this design beyond the New York area where the Children’s Peaceful Garden originated.