Life beyond development workshop

Life beyond development workshop was a three day workshop to question the current system and lifestyle and look at things with the lenses of environmental sustainability and social justice. This workshop was a prototype, an experiment and the first time we were doing this. This meant facing a lot of challenges and lots of learnings.

The first thing was managing the registrations and number of participants, with last minute cancellations I was getting apprehensive if we would have enough participants in the workshop. I was also nervous about the whole thing because I was going to be facilitating people older to me. I was taking care of the overall workshop, the logistics, doing content development and was co-facilitating the workshop, so much work was exciting yet stressing at the same time. So much I was engrossed in making the workshop perfect that i neglected to care for my body and I felt sick during the workshop, and that was and because I couldn’t give my 100% to the workshop but still things worked out.

What I really enjoyed was preparing for the workshop along with the team, sitting together, brainstorming and discussing about things that make us feel alive. It did not feel like work.

The workshop began with questing the definition of development, questioning the system and the how the different players in the system are involved in the development game. We talked about one of the biggest roles we play in our life – consumer. How we have fallen trap to a culture of consumerism.We explored the true cost and hidden impacts of our everyday things like mobile phone, clothes, plastic, petrol, water and electricity. We also experienced water privatization and water inequality through a game. We spend time in nature, reconnecting to the trees and grass. We played in the earth to reconnect with the mother. Spending time in silence with nature helped rebuild the relationship that gets lost in cities and busy lives. So many problems, so much destruction makes one feel hopeless and depressed, to bring hope, inspiration and motivation to go on a path of change, we explored solutions. Its time we change the system at a whole, redefine happiness, success and development. We experienced this by planting trees and getting our hands dirty.

A group of 12 participants, all deeply connected with this topic, eager to learn and discuss. Their questions, curiosity and yearn to understand things really helped the workshop to go deep and to really create meaningful content.

The overall experience was very nice and I feel great to have held a successful workshop on life beyond development. To have ignited some spark in a few people to start this journey of sustainability in their own ways. Of course there were lots of mistakes and lots of room for improvement, that is the beauty of reflection and feedback, we can do a better workshop next time.

Money was a big challenge for me and I messed up big time, owing us to go almost in loss. Asking money, deciding the workshop fees and putting monetary value to the work we are doing yet not exploiting anyone was a challenge and I have learnt not to compromise around money.