SoL Learning Plaza 2022 Learning Visits!
Learning Visits
Our Learning Visits relate to the four main themes for the Learning Plaza:
•Regenerative food systems in action
•Business as Unusual - the new living and learning organizational paradigm
•Human wellbeing in systems - Living and working well together in forming a bioregion
•Social coherence and Community - How we make sense of our challenges: stories of culture and language
Watch below to see STOCKHOM BASED, ONLINE and HYBRID Learning Visits
THEME:REGENERATIVE FOOD SYSTEMS IN ACTION, Learning visit 1, Stockholm based
A LEARNING VISIT ABOUT FOOD SUPPLY STRATEGY IN A COMPLEX PUBLIC EDUCATION, HEALTH AND ELDERLY CARE ECOSYSTEM - (Stockholm Area), June 1st 2022 at 7:35 am CET incl travel. Host: Sara Seing, Food manager Södertälje. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjzx7UMbjR8
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Food plays a major part in Climate change, biodiversity, resilience, land use, health and rural development, but receives little attention and resources in relation to it’s importance. A key task for the future, is to raise this issue on the general policy agenda and make the positive potential of working systematically and with modern ways of collaboration that brings out the inner motivations of actors with the whole food system visible. There is a potential win-win-win-win, for the individual, the region, humanity and the global ecology. How do we reach this vision in our practice, considering the real world situation? How far can we come based on the work with public food? Can the methods be described and implemented in other parts of the world? Can we formulate some leading principles.
WHERE: Södertälje Science Park and Mariekällskolan secondary school
WHAT DID WE DO: At Södertälje Science Park we met with Sara Seing – the dynamic Diet Manager who is also director for the MatLust food project that supports small and medium sized entreprises in the food sector in the greater Stockholm region in order to develop their business and sustainability with help of the Diet for a ´Green Planet concept – and some of her co-workers and partners to have a conversation about how to work with public food in a middle size local city (industrial town, 100 000 inhabitants), and the needed integration of food related issues in the whole local administration and in the region. What would a food supply strategy for a city like Södertälje look like?
After the visit at Södertälje Science Park, we went to a school nearby to experience in real life how the food strategy in Södertälje City is “translated” into the school lunch for kids (and for us!). We returned by train to the Learning Plaza venue around 14:50.
THEME: BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL - THE NEW LIVING AND LEARNING ORGANIZATIONAL PARADIGM, Learning visit 2, Stockholm Based
A LEARNING VISIT TO TENENAT AND PARTNERS – A SELF-ORGANIZING ORGANIZATION, June 1st 2022 at 10:00 am CET. Contact: Bo Rex. (Stockholm)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tenant & Partners began its transformation in 2016 towards autonomy and self-leadership with the aim of creating a work environment where people can develop and prosper, resulting in increased efficiency and success.
WHERE: Tenant and Partners' office at Norr Mälarstrand 14, Kungsholmen, Stockholm City
WHAT DID WE DO: After a presentation by the CEO, we had the opportunity to interview employees about their experiences from the transformation and from working in this new type of organization.
THEME: HUMAN WELLBEING IN SYSTEMS - LIVING AND WORKING WELL TOGETHER IN FORMING A BIOREGION, Learning visit 3 (Stockholm based),
LEARNING VISIT TO EXPERIENCE THE BIOREGION OF JÄRNA, June 1st 2022 at 7:35 am CET incl travel. Contct: Hans von Essen. (Stockholm area)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In preparation for the SoL Learning Plaza 2022 Dennis Sandow has carried out a Social Action Research project in an organization that is just in formation in order to form a Bioregion. The story about the Social Action Research project is told at one of the Learning Conversations at first day of the Learning Plaza (May 31st). On the second day (June 1st) we went to visit a part of the bioregion and, together with some of the people involved, experience the environment where this organization is forming.
WHERE: Järna and Södertälje
WHAT DID WE DO?: Nature walk in order to experience the Bioregion in forming. Jostein Hertwig CEO, BERAS International and leader for the forming of the Bioregion joined us for the walk. Frequent stops to learn the story of the region along the walk to Skäve, where we stopped for a nice morning coffe break at a local café with home made bread and sweets -all organic.
Then continued walk-and-talk back to Järna railway station and a bus ride to Södertälje for lunch at a school to experience in real life how the food strategy in Södertälje City is “translated” into the school lunch for kids. We then returned by train to the Learning Plaza venue, around 2:50 pm. Just in time for a "fika", right before the next phase in our program.
THEME: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - HOW WE MAKE SENSE OF OUR CHALLENGES: STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 4, Stockholm based.
A LEARNING VISIT TO THE SAAMI PEOPLE – WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LAST INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN EUROPE,
June 1st 2022 at 9:00 CET. Contact: Anastasia Nekrasova (Stockholm and ONLINE)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We were invited to explore the life of the last indigenous people in Europe - the Saami people – through a film “Mjandasj - the reindeer's councillor”and a live conversation with the filmmakers – Björn Ola Lind and Torkel Lundberg.
A culture who has no own name for war, but 300 words for ice and snow. A culture which has had as its goal to leave as few traces as possible. This film is a journey following the ancient myth about Mjandasj, the white reindeer who transforms into a human being when he enters a Saami hut. Mjandasj gave teachings to the ones who had ears to listen - about the law, living in harmony with creation, and how to move between the realms of the seen and the unseen.
The reindeer was staple food in the prehistoric Europe and the question is if Homo sapiens would have survived without the reindeer? This film backtrack the traces of this culture 45 000 years ago in southern France, during the ice age, and the migration through Europe up to the reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia of today. This is also a portrait of the Saami culture´s elastic teaching - through lived experience in connection with the elements, the elders and animals. The landscape is in itself seen as a library, where the ancient mythologies still is told around the fire, or yoiked(a traditional way of singing where landscape, ancestors, present and mythological time melts together).
But primarily this is a portrait of a way of living in balance with the rest of nature. As one of the reindeer herders put it: ”The reindeer is in charge, we just walk in their footsteps.”
Today’s colonialism and climate change is the biggest threat of the last indigenous people in Europe. But the fight is not over…http://bjornolalind.se/
WHERE: This learning visi took place on-site at the Learning Plaza venue, via the film “Mjandasj - the reindeer's councillor” and a live conversation with the filmmakers.This Learning visit was offered also to online particicpants. Start: 9.00 CET in the conference room.
WHAT DID WE DO: We gathered in the conference room to welcome Björn Ola Lind, the filmmaker, see the film together, and have an insightful learning conversation about
• how culture and language may promote and constrain our learning
• how come learning ‘disappears’ and we ‘never learn from the past’
• how we can learn from indigenous societies in ways that are natural, human and sustainable
• how we can try to cultivate unity awareness - while we keep living in our societies.
Theme: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 5, ONLINE from Johannesburg.
A story about UBUNTU IN PRACTICE - Redefining the Joburg inner-city landscape. June 1st 2022 at 10:00am CET. Contact: Nilesh Makan
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vic Yards, as it is affectionately known, is an ecosystem that encapsulates the spirit of living and working well together through Ubuntu, an ancient African word reminding us that 'I am what I am because of who we all are. It is a living example of what can be achieved when people and communities come together to turn impoverished and derelict spaces into flourishing business, education, wellness and recreational hubs.
Through building an eco-system where tenants thrive as a community, Victoria Yards presents a uniquely integrated urban complex that is as much about social development as it is about commercial enterprise. It is a place where artists, artisans and crafts people create, share and work together with prominent galleries and spaces that nurture undiscovered talent through providing them with places to work, network and exhibit.
Victoria Yards is also known for its unique urban agriculture project, with edible gardens that simultaneously address food sustainability and poverty alleviation through job creation and income generating opportunities for the community
WHERE: This visit will be online from Johannesburg
WHAT DID WE DO? We took a journey through Vic Yards and shared the history of how it came to be and discovered the profound shifts it has made within the community. This include a short video of the area and surrounds, followed by an interview with Brian Green, the founder and originator of the project We then took a virtual walking tour through the diverse initiatives taking places and concluded with a visit to ‘Safe Study’ where over 100 inner city kids with no hope are given a haven and a chance to understand and fulfil their potential.
We finally highlighted how the phenomenal work, community spirit and food at Victoria Yards is deeply aligned with the four Learning Plaza themes of; Human wellbeing in systems; Regenerative food systems; Social coherence and community; and Living learning organisations
Theme: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 6, A HYBRID LEARNING VISIT TO the AMAZON FOREST. June 1st at 3:15 pm CET. Contact: Alan Dubner
Indigenous Amazon Tribe Call to the World", an online visit in the Amazon Forest with an onsite host of the young indigenous activists Adri Maffioletti and Txai Surui bringing wisdom and awareness to us.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is no way to understand how the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in an astonishing huge area is happening so fast without the awareness of the struggling reality of the indigenous people, guardians of the Amazon Forest.
WHERE: On site at the Learning Plaza venue we had the presence of two young well-known indigenous activists, Adri Maffioletti (Fridays for Future) that hosted (in English) this online visit to the Amazon Tribe. Online we were in contact with an Amazon indigenous community of the Marubo ethnicity on the Vale do Javari. The tribe we contact is the Aldeia Maronal, thanks to the efforts of Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) leaded by Virgilio Viana and working daily to accomplish this rare opportunity is Rosa dos Anjos and her staff.
WHAT DID WE DO? On this hybrid event, our aim was to make a strong impression on the participants of this, one of kind, experience. The chief of the Amazon tribe gave us an overview of the remote area of the Amazon Forest and their struggle to keep the forest alive. He did speak in his native language (they don’t speak Portuguese) and was translated to Portuguese and from Portuguese to English by Adri at SoL Stockholm Learning Plaza venue.
Happy continued learning journey!
•Regenerative food systems in action
•Business as Unusual - the new living and learning organizational paradigm
•Human wellbeing in systems - Living and working well together in forming a bioregion
•Social coherence and Community - How we make sense of our challenges: stories of culture and language
Watch below to see STOCKHOM BASED, ONLINE and HYBRID Learning Visits
THEME:REGENERATIVE FOOD SYSTEMS IN ACTION, Learning visit 1, Stockholm based
A LEARNING VISIT ABOUT FOOD SUPPLY STRATEGY IN A COMPLEX PUBLIC EDUCATION, HEALTH AND ELDERLY CARE ECOSYSTEM - (Stockholm Area), June 1st 2022 at 7:35 am CET incl travel. Host: Sara Seing, Food manager Södertälje. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjzx7UMbjR8
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Food plays a major part in Climate change, biodiversity, resilience, land use, health and rural development, but receives little attention and resources in relation to it’s importance. A key task for the future, is to raise this issue on the general policy agenda and make the positive potential of working systematically and with modern ways of collaboration that brings out the inner motivations of actors with the whole food system visible. There is a potential win-win-win-win, for the individual, the region, humanity and the global ecology. How do we reach this vision in our practice, considering the real world situation? How far can we come based on the work with public food? Can the methods be described and implemented in other parts of the world? Can we formulate some leading principles.
WHERE: Södertälje Science Park and Mariekällskolan secondary school
WHAT DID WE DO: At Södertälje Science Park we met with Sara Seing – the dynamic Diet Manager who is also director for the MatLust food project that supports small and medium sized entreprises in the food sector in the greater Stockholm region in order to develop their business and sustainability with help of the Diet for a ´Green Planet concept – and some of her co-workers and partners to have a conversation about how to work with public food in a middle size local city (industrial town, 100 000 inhabitants), and the needed integration of food related issues in the whole local administration and in the region. What would a food supply strategy for a city like Södertälje look like?
After the visit at Södertälje Science Park, we went to a school nearby to experience in real life how the food strategy in Södertälje City is “translated” into the school lunch for kids (and for us!). We returned by train to the Learning Plaza venue around 14:50.
THEME: BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL - THE NEW LIVING AND LEARNING ORGANIZATIONAL PARADIGM, Learning visit 2, Stockholm Based
A LEARNING VISIT TO TENENAT AND PARTNERS – A SELF-ORGANIZING ORGANIZATION, June 1st 2022 at 10:00 am CET. Contact: Bo Rex. (Stockholm)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tenant & Partners began its transformation in 2016 towards autonomy and self-leadership with the aim of creating a work environment where people can develop and prosper, resulting in increased efficiency and success.
WHERE: Tenant and Partners' office at Norr Mälarstrand 14, Kungsholmen, Stockholm City
WHAT DID WE DO: After a presentation by the CEO, we had the opportunity to interview employees about their experiences from the transformation and from working in this new type of organization.
THEME: HUMAN WELLBEING IN SYSTEMS - LIVING AND WORKING WELL TOGETHER IN FORMING A BIOREGION, Learning visit 3 (Stockholm based),
LEARNING VISIT TO EXPERIENCE THE BIOREGION OF JÄRNA, June 1st 2022 at 7:35 am CET incl travel. Contct: Hans von Essen. (Stockholm area)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In preparation for the SoL Learning Plaza 2022 Dennis Sandow has carried out a Social Action Research project in an organization that is just in formation in order to form a Bioregion. The story about the Social Action Research project is told at one of the Learning Conversations at first day of the Learning Plaza (May 31st). On the second day (June 1st) we went to visit a part of the bioregion and, together with some of the people involved, experience the environment where this organization is forming.
WHERE: Järna and Södertälje
WHAT DID WE DO?: Nature walk in order to experience the Bioregion in forming. Jostein Hertwig CEO, BERAS International and leader for the forming of the Bioregion joined us for the walk. Frequent stops to learn the story of the region along the walk to Skäve, where we stopped for a nice morning coffe break at a local café with home made bread and sweets -all organic.
Then continued walk-and-talk back to Järna railway station and a bus ride to Södertälje for lunch at a school to experience in real life how the food strategy in Södertälje City is “translated” into the school lunch for kids. We then returned by train to the Learning Plaza venue, around 2:50 pm. Just in time for a "fika", right before the next phase in our program.
THEME: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - HOW WE MAKE SENSE OF OUR CHALLENGES: STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 4, Stockholm based.
A LEARNING VISIT TO THE SAAMI PEOPLE – WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LAST INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN EUROPE,
June 1st 2022 at 9:00 CET. Contact: Anastasia Nekrasova (Stockholm and ONLINE)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We were invited to explore the life of the last indigenous people in Europe - the Saami people – through a film “Mjandasj - the reindeer's councillor”and a live conversation with the filmmakers – Björn Ola Lind and Torkel Lundberg.
A culture who has no own name for war, but 300 words for ice and snow. A culture which has had as its goal to leave as few traces as possible. This film is a journey following the ancient myth about Mjandasj, the white reindeer who transforms into a human being when he enters a Saami hut. Mjandasj gave teachings to the ones who had ears to listen - about the law, living in harmony with creation, and how to move between the realms of the seen and the unseen.
The reindeer was staple food in the prehistoric Europe and the question is if Homo sapiens would have survived without the reindeer? This film backtrack the traces of this culture 45 000 years ago in southern France, during the ice age, and the migration through Europe up to the reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia of today. This is also a portrait of the Saami culture´s elastic teaching - through lived experience in connection with the elements, the elders and animals. The landscape is in itself seen as a library, where the ancient mythologies still is told around the fire, or yoiked(a traditional way of singing where landscape, ancestors, present and mythological time melts together).
But primarily this is a portrait of a way of living in balance with the rest of nature. As one of the reindeer herders put it: ”The reindeer is in charge, we just walk in their footsteps.”
Today’s colonialism and climate change is the biggest threat of the last indigenous people in Europe. But the fight is not over…http://bjornolalind.se/
WHERE: This learning visi took place on-site at the Learning Plaza venue, via the film “Mjandasj - the reindeer's councillor” and a live conversation with the filmmakers.This Learning visit was offered also to online particicpants. Start: 9.00 CET in the conference room.
WHAT DID WE DO: We gathered in the conference room to welcome Björn Ola Lind, the filmmaker, see the film together, and have an insightful learning conversation about
• how culture and language may promote and constrain our learning
• how come learning ‘disappears’ and we ‘never learn from the past’
• how we can learn from indigenous societies in ways that are natural, human and sustainable
• how we can try to cultivate unity awareness - while we keep living in our societies.
Theme: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 5, ONLINE from Johannesburg.
A story about UBUNTU IN PRACTICE - Redefining the Joburg inner-city landscape. June 1st 2022 at 10:00am CET. Contact: Nilesh Makan
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vic Yards, as it is affectionately known, is an ecosystem that encapsulates the spirit of living and working well together through Ubuntu, an ancient African word reminding us that 'I am what I am because of who we all are. It is a living example of what can be achieved when people and communities come together to turn impoverished and derelict spaces into flourishing business, education, wellness and recreational hubs.
Through building an eco-system where tenants thrive as a community, Victoria Yards presents a uniquely integrated urban complex that is as much about social development as it is about commercial enterprise. It is a place where artists, artisans and crafts people create, share and work together with prominent galleries and spaces that nurture undiscovered talent through providing them with places to work, network and exhibit.
Victoria Yards is also known for its unique urban agriculture project, with edible gardens that simultaneously address food sustainability and poverty alleviation through job creation and income generating opportunities for the community
WHERE: This visit will be online from Johannesburg
WHAT DID WE DO? We took a journey through Vic Yards and shared the history of how it came to be and discovered the profound shifts it has made within the community. This include a short video of the area and surrounds, followed by an interview with Brian Green, the founder and originator of the project We then took a virtual walking tour through the diverse initiatives taking places and concluded with a visit to ‘Safe Study’ where over 100 inner city kids with no hope are given a haven and a chance to understand and fulfil their potential.
We finally highlighted how the phenomenal work, community spirit and food at Victoria Yards is deeply aligned with the four Learning Plaza themes of; Human wellbeing in systems; Regenerative food systems; Social coherence and community; and Living learning organisations
Theme: SOCIAL COHERENCE AND COMMUNITY - STORIES OF CULTURE AND LANGUAGE, Learning visit 6, A HYBRID LEARNING VISIT TO the AMAZON FOREST. June 1st at 3:15 pm CET. Contact: Alan Dubner
Indigenous Amazon Tribe Call to the World", an online visit in the Amazon Forest with an onsite host of the young indigenous activists Adri Maffioletti and Txai Surui bringing wisdom and awareness to us.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is no way to understand how the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in an astonishing huge area is happening so fast without the awareness of the struggling reality of the indigenous people, guardians of the Amazon Forest.
WHERE: On site at the Learning Plaza venue we had the presence of two young well-known indigenous activists, Adri Maffioletti (Fridays for Future) that hosted (in English) this online visit to the Amazon Tribe. Online we were in contact with an Amazon indigenous community of the Marubo ethnicity on the Vale do Javari. The tribe we contact is the Aldeia Maronal, thanks to the efforts of Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) leaded by Virgilio Viana and working daily to accomplish this rare opportunity is Rosa dos Anjos and her staff.
WHAT DID WE DO? On this hybrid event, our aim was to make a strong impression on the participants of this, one of kind, experience. The chief of the Amazon tribe gave us an overview of the remote area of the Amazon Forest and their struggle to keep the forest alive. He did speak in his native language (they don’t speak Portuguese) and was translated to Portuguese and from Portuguese to English by Adri at SoL Stockholm Learning Plaza venue.
Happy continued learning journey!