By Erin Hitchcock –
A local group has started within the community to bring forth the Pachamama Alliance’s message. The vision that informs the Pachamama Alliance’s work is of a world that works for everyone: an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet—a new dream for humanity.
This non-profit organization based in San Francisco offers people the chance to learn, connect, engage, and cherish life, free of charge and from anywhere in the world, for the purpose of creating a sustainable, harmonious future that works for all people and all species.
In 1995, the Achuar people, who live along the border of Peru and Ecuador, invited a small group of caring individuals to their community in the hopes of working in partnership to help preserve their land and culture, as well as bring their stories to the world.
Upon the group’s return to the US, the Pachamama Alliance was formed to carry out their commitment to “change the dream of the modern world,” shifting from a culture of disconnection, greed, and overconsumption to one of sustainability.
Joining a global network of community-based groups, the Cariboo-Chilcotin Pachamama Alliance was formed earlier this year and has been working steadily to bring Pachamama’s vision and initiatives to others within our region.
On February 16, community members attended a free introductory event of Pachamama’s two-hour Awakening the Dreamer film. Participants heard from some of the world’s leading experts on topics as diverse as the current state of the Earth’s biodiversity and the reality of the socio-economic disparity throughout the world.
The local group has already gained sponsorship from local business Laketown Furnishings and is working on securing more.
Huge steps are also being made to present to children and youth a child-specific program called JumpUp. The root of the program is to value children as participants in bringing about a thriving, sustainable, and socially just world.
Tailored for children eight years and up, it enlivens wonder, inspires action, and builds character. JumpUp highlights that children see what is happening in our world from their own perspectives, leading to creative and practical ideas on how to bring about change. By working with them to empower insight and possibility, we help build a lifetime of resilience that will benefit the whole community.
The group is available to come to local schools, classrooms, and children’s programs, and plans to present more Awakening the Dreamer introductory sessions to interested individuals and organizations throughout the community before offering full symposiums.
The idea to create a local Cariboo-Chilcotin Pachamama Alliance group arose after one of the organizers attended an Awakening the Dreamer Symposium at the Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake in 2012. This enriching event led to the desire to bring Pachamama Alliance programs back into the community.
Those interested in future introductory events can expect a two-hour, interactive viewing experience that is the first offering in the Pachamama Alliance’s Up to Us engagement pathway—a pathway that provides training and inspiration for participants via live in-person and online courses, local community groups, and game changing movements.
After the two-hour session, participants have the option to take a free, online Game Changer intensive course and other in-depth lessons and workshops.
In Game Changer, participants learn about how the game, or the system, is rigged through the institutionalization of oppression and social injustice systems that benefit the privileged and what we, as individuals, can to do to change it. Among other areas, they also learn about our cultural stories and who benefits from them; what it means to be human and take responsibility for our role in shaping evolution of life on Earth; what becomes possible when we work together as “evolutionary activists”; the role of taking a stand; how democracy has been corrupted; addressing the urgent need to address climate change; and who we need to be and how to proceed with individual plans of action.
Pachamama has also partnered with Paul Hawken, author of the book Drawdown, which presents the top 100 solutions to climate change. Instead of simply talking about the problems facing our planet, he and top scientists have identified very workable solutions to the climate crisis, with many that not only stop global warming but can actually reverse a large majority of its effects by 2050.
To be kept uptodate on future Cariboo-Chilcotin Pachamama Alliance offerings, to have the Awakening the Dreamer or JumpUp programs presented, or to become a sponsor, email cariboo.pachamama@gmail.com, or visit the Cariboo-Chilcotin Pachamama Alliance Facebook Page and Facebook Group
Erin Hitchcock is a stay-at-home mom with a journalism diploma and 15 years of related experience. She is passionate about organic and plant-based diets, spirituality and reiki, and creating a better future for the Earth.
