MONEY QUESTIONS

COURSE QUESTIONS

LOGISTICS QUESTION

QUESTIONS ABOUT DANCING RABBIT ECOVILLAGE

 

MONEY QUESTIONS

Can I get college credit or continuing ed credit?

  • Possibly! If you need or want college credit, you’ll need to arrange that as an independent study with your institution. We are happy to provide support for that (sending the curriculum to your advisor, signing off on paperwork, etc.) Let us know what you need.

 

Why does the course cost $2,600?

  • At $2,600 for a 37 day course, that’s about $70 a day. While our staff works a lot of days ahead to get ready (and more to close things out afterward), the tuition also covers your food, tenting space, basic amenities at DR, and course materials. Nonetheless, we understand that number might feel high to someone interested in alternative culture. You are welcome to request a copy of our budget to help you know exactly how that $70 a day will be used.
  • We are committed to providing as much scholarship money as we are able to. You can apply for some of those funds if you really need it.
  • We are committed to developing a program that pays fair wages for work. The average US per capita income in 2009 was right around $36,000. We are attempting to pay our staff at rates in that ballpark which comes out to about $18.50/hour. We also want to have a minimal discrepancy between the highest paid staff member and the lowest, honoring a social justice priority. While we are not currently able to make that $/hr goal (with this year’s budget allowing for wages between $12 and $18, depending on the number of student we have) we are working in that direction.
  • This course is being kept small (10-20 students) in order to provide individualized attention and support to each student. Bigger courses can afford to charge less, but they won’t feel like a journey with mentors.
  • Our commitment to local, organic foods means our food budget is higher than what we could get away with. It is important to us that the course structure embodies the values we are teaching .
  • A standard Ecovillage Education course is 4 weeks long. The experience of our lead teacher (who was in this same role for the first US delivery of the full curriculum in 2008) indicates that this amount of time really is the bare minimum. Our course runs longer and goes deeper, with over 200 hours of classroom and practicum time, along with adequate days off and additional time for check-ins and regular mid-course evaluations. Think of this as Ecovillage Education Plus (with the downside of an operating budget that reflects this commitment to going deep.)

 

Can anyone help me raise the money?

  • We’d like to support you in getting creative in raising the funds, and offer the following ten ideas to do that:
    1. Starting now, put away $116/week, and by June 15 you’ll have your Course funds in hand!
    2. Are your friends and family out shopping for your holiday or birthday presents? Could you ask them to gift you with money towards this Course instead?
    3. Would your community or organization support you to come? In return, you might offer to do a presentation when you return and teach something of what you learn. This really stacks functions and extends the impact of the learning you receive.
    4. Would your friends help you do a fundraising event: a garage sale, a raffle, a concert, a public ritual, a silent auction, a potluck, a formal tea party, a video screening, a bowling tournament, a guided herb walk, a poetry reading, a theater event, a ___?
    5. Do you make crafts or art items that you could sell? Grow veggies or flowers? Have access to sage or juniper that could be gathered, dried, and sold as smudge sticks? Can you offer foot massages, fresh cookies, live music? Get a booth at your local market or fair. Add a donation jar and attractive sign to your booth, telling why you’re fundraising.
    6. Some people work jobs where their employers contribute half the costs of “continuing education.” Ask. Do you have vacation coming? This might be the time.
    7. Your tuition may be tax-deductible as an education expense (if you itemize taxes and/or file taxes as a small business). If you are someone’s tax dependent and they pay for your tuition, it may be a deduction for them.
    8. Some colleges may cover the fee for students to attend. If you are currently enrolled in college, contact your financial aid counselor to see if there are any funds for specialized training needed for your degree. Ask your professors and/or department secretary about school programs that might contribute. Talk to your student organizations too.
    9. Some people may be able to sublet their normal living space, while away at the five-week Ecovillage Education Course. Can you offer someone a one, two, or even five-week vacation in a desirable location?
    10. Remember that we will feed you for the five weeks you are at Ecovillage Education US, so your food budget is covered!

    Also, our Development Coordinator has successfully fundraised for many organizations throughout the last 15 years and is happy to have a personal consultation with you. Please contact to arrange this.

 

Are there scholarships available?

  • Yes and No. We have awarded our available scholarship funds to five registered students. We are continually seeking more donor support so that we can offer financial assistance to students in need. Furthermore, once we have secured a minimum number of registered students, we will be able to offer more scholarship from our own funds. Although we cannot guarantee financial assistance at this time, we encourage you to submit an application so that you can be placed on the waitlist.  If you’ve worked on your own fundraising efforts (see our ten helpful ideas above, and contact mandy(at)ecovillageeducation.us) feel free to apply for scholarship funds. Download the pdf with our scholarship guidelines.

COURSE QUESTIONS

What do people do after they graduate?

  • Some people “do” nothing with it. That’s right: for some this is really about personal growth and their own development as happy, responsible human beings.
  • Others use the course as a springboard to get a sustainability project off the ground. One student created a “fruit map” of their neighborhood and publicized free food and alley gardens in their city; another started a water catchment promotional campaign in her desert suburban neighborhood; another went on to organize conferences.
  • Some start their own ecovillage project.
  • Some go on to teach this course in their area, as one of the benefits of taking it is that you are then certified to lead the Gaia Education “EDE” curriculum in your region!
  • Still others (including architects, city planners, general contractors, business owners and teachers) let the course significantly change how they design, teach, do business and build to be better aligned with their own values and the need for more sustainable options.

There is literally a sustainability application of these materials in almost every line of work or interest area you can imagine. The real question is: What would you want to do after you graduate?

 

What is an ecovillage?

  • While there are a lot of definitions out there, the simplest is that an ecovillage is a settlement of people who are willing to have their lives be the experiment for how we live truly sustainably in the modern world. Ecovillages are like social laboratories where things like natural building, non-violent conflict resolution, cooperative structures and village scale sustainable energy and food systems can be tested out, developed and shared. They are also communities where people live out their lives, are born, fall in and out of love, do their work and play, and die… all in close touch with the earth and each other.


Is this course about starting an ecovillage?

  • Maybe. This just might be the best possible training in the world for someone who wants to start an ecovillage. Certainly spending 5 weeks at Dancing Rabbit is incredibly inspiring for potential ecovillage founders. However, there are a whole lot of lessons that have been learned within the context of ecovillages all over the world that can be exported into your life to support whatever is inspiring for you.

 

I get it about social, economic and ecological dimensions of sustainability, but what does “worldview” mean?

  • The worldview dimension is one of the things that makes this training really unique. Worldview is about you: how you think and feel about, relate to and interpret the world around you. This is culture and spirituality, and what could be loosely termed life philosophy. Without developing a cohesive and integrative world view that honors the natural world and is firmly based in cooperation, sustainability efforts flounder. The worldview dimension will challenge you, change you and nurture you. It is at the heart of becoming an effective agent for social change int he worlds.

 

How is this different from a permaculture course or college sustainability degree?

  • Well, that probably depends on the permculture or college course. However, Ecovillage Education is wholistic, hands-on, practical and joyful. We work with head, hands and heart. Perhaps most importantly, we work in community, recognizing the important resource we have in each other. Ecovillage Education sees the ecological aspects as important, but no more so than the economic, social and world view pieces, and ties them all together. Ecovillage Education comes out of community and integrates the people stuff with the earth stuff, and allows you to taste the consciousness shift that happens to people living in community with intention.

 

LOGISTICS

Can I bring my kids, dog, partner, parakeet, etc?

  • No to the pets. Yes to the kids and partner. You are welcome to arrange bringing your kids and a care provider, and your partner can tag along as well. Please note, however, that they will need to eat and be housed in the same set up as the course participants, and be low impact on Dancing Rabbit. We cannot, at this time, provide childcare.

Do I have to camp?

  • No, but your other options are limited. Camping (either in your own tent on a platform we’ll provide, or in a bunk bed with others sharing a large army tent) is included in the base price of the course. If that won’t work for you, you can contact Nathan at the possibility of renting one of the Itty Bitty cabins (appropriately named; they are small!).

What’s the schedule like? Will I have much free time?

  • YES! The schedule is a little different on weekdays and weekends. There is about 2 hours of free time during the day and evenings are generally open for alone time as well. There will also be a half or full day scheduled off once a week.

During the week, this is the schedule:

  • 7:30-8:15 morning program
  • 8:15-9:00 breakfast
  • 9-noon class
  • noon-2:00 lunch, downtime and personal project work time (participants manage their own time)
  • 2-5:00 class
  • 5-6:30 break (and occasionally, participants will be up in a chore rotation during this time)
  • 6:30 dinner
  • evenings are free time or scheduled by the participants and optional

Saturday schedule:

  • breakfast 8:15-9:00
  • 9:00 – noon check-ins, evaluation and group processing time if needed. This session ends when we are done, but won’t go past noon.
  • noon-1:00 lunch
  • 1-5:00 practicum
  • after 5 pm you are off, with the exception, again, of folks scheduled for chores
  • 6:30 dinner

Sundays schedule:

  • breakfast 8:15-9:00
  • 9-5:00 practicum, with a lunch break scheduled around noon
  • after 5 pm you are off, with the exception, again, of folks scheduled for chores
  • 6:30 dinner

What is required physically?

  • The practicum sessions will include things like gardening, dancing and natural building. Morning program is likely to regularly include some yoga and stretching. All staff are tuned in to the need to have these work for a variety of bodies, and we don’t anticipate anything being really stressful physically. You may choose to swim in the pond, or take walks. It is also possible that we’ll encourage everyone to sleep out on the land for one night, sans tents, but we haven’t decided that yet. Anyone can opt out if any aspect of this if is just too much for you!

What is the weather and bug scene like in northern Missouri in July?

  • It’s hot. And humid. What saves us is the fabulous swimming pond (a clothing optional cooling off site) and cold drinks at the Milkweed Mercantile. We also suffer from ticks, chiggers and mosquito. It’s truly the worst thing about northeastern Missouri. Well, except maybe for the poison ivy. Come anyway.

 

Can I come for just a couple days or do I need to attend the whole thing?

  • Sorry, but no. The course is designed to be a 37 day deep adventure together. Dipping in for a few days might be fun, but you’d miss the point and we’d miss the chance to create community with you. There are places in the US where you can take a single dimension as a stand alone course, and we’d recommend that if you can’t take a whole 5 weeks out. (But really, what’s a mere 5 weeks if it changes your life?)

 

QUESTIONS ABOUT DANCING RABBIT ECOVILLAGE

Is Dancing Rabbit a commune?

  • Nope. But it is an intentional community of about 75 people. One of the things we’ll learn about on the course is what a commune is and isn’t, so if you are curious, that makes one more reason to join us.

What other opportunities are there to explore Dancing Rabbit?

  • Dancing Rabbit offers internships and work exchanges of 1 to 7 months, a visitor program that introduces potential Dancing Rabbit members to the community, an annual Open House in September, and regular Saturday tours during the warmer months. You can also check us out through the various press the community has had over the years, including on 30 Days, the Food Network and Nickelodeon. Or just cruise the website: www.dancingrabbit.org for hours of entertainment.