Photo: Meeting with the community authorities to discuss the clean water project. Village Earth met with Dinamarca’s community authorities to begin preparations for the clean water project and territorial demarcation with Engineers Without Borders January 2008. The community is looking forward to having clean water filters and a new well in order to decrease the amount of water borne illness in the community. It is hoped that the system developed in Dinamarca can be replicated in other Shipibo communities that are in need of clean drinking water. EWB, the community leaders, and their many allies (such as IBC) have been hard at work trying to secure Dinamarca’s territorial borders before the encroachment of oil companies and as more and more colonists are moving into the area especially with the construction of a new road that cuts across their territory. To keep updated on EWB’s work, visit their website and blogs: http://www.ewbfortcollins.org/Project/Project.htm http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/ewbfortcollins/1/tpod.html
GSLL 1517 – Community-Based Organizing
Taking a practical “hands-on” perspective, this course will explore the theories, tools, styles and challenges of community-based organizing. It will discuss practical strategies for developing community leadership and working with marginalized communities, exploring the ideas and examples from Evo Morales, Paulo Freire, Saul Alinsky, Sub-Comandante Marcos, the Bridge Immigrant Rights experiment and Martin Heidegger.