A Better World
Co-Creating Evolutionary Learning Communities
The world is going to change so fast that people and
governments will not be prepared to be stewards of change. What will save
them is teaching-learning communities. They come together in churches
or businesses or even in families. They could meet weekly and... develop
their capacities. There must be humor, laughter, games and good food as
well. That will keep the participants coming back. Then, when they feel
ready, they will choose projects to work on to help their communities.
The only way to have a possible society... is to develop the possible
human at the same time.
— Margaret Mead
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
We are all born in community, we live most of our lives in community, and most often we die in community. In fact, during our lives we participate in multiple communities simultaneously. Imagine if each of us where to create the conditions for those communities (our families, our schools, our organizations…) to become spaces for creativity and collaboration toward the creation of a better world.
Why not?!
A Better World is a program of Syntony Quest that seeks to:
- Engage people in dialogue, learning, design, and actions that foster a better world through the creation of Evolutionary Learning Communities (ELCs); and
- Connect and promote synergies among different ELCs, as well as among different projects and initiatives, addressing issues of human, social, and ecological well-being and development (see our research on Evolutionary Development).
Spaces where people get together to learn about the interconnectedness of our world, the impact of our individual and collective choices, and the joy of finding meaningful ways to contribute to the emergence of a sustainable and life-affirming future.
ELCs come in different sizes and shapes. For example, Syntony Quest has
fostered them in:
- Neighborhoods
- Corporations
- Families
- Youth groups (see our Future-Makers program!)
- Consumer groups (see our ConSiDER program!)
- Communities of artists (see our Artists with
Conscience program!)
The possibilities for creating them – and the opportunities for creating through them – are unlimited! The important thing is to start making a commitment to come together in community to have conversations about topics that affect our present and our future.
“You are never given a wish without also being
given the power to make it come true.
You may have to work for it, however.”
— Richard Bach
Co-creating Evolutionary Learning Communities is something that anyone who wants to can do. It’s as simple as starting a conversation at our kitchen table and move onward to other spaces where we feel there is a need and a desire to reconnect to each other and to the world around us. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but at heart, that’s the spirit of it. And if you and your community stick with it, it always ends up being a powerful and fulfilling path to catalyze positive change in our lives through the creation of connection and meaning.
If you are interested in “doing it yourself” (uhm… with others!), the whole EL Center of Syntony Quest offers resources and ideas to help individuals and groups to start their own ELC. In particular, the trunk of the EL Center Tree offers the “action-scaffolding” of Evolutionary Systems Design as a guide to help move a community through the following stages:
Creating an ELC is like gardening. To be a good gardener, there is certain very useful and important knowledge that you need to know. Your main role is really to create favorable conditions for the healthy development of your garden (with fertile soil, enough water, light, and air, etc.). In the same way, certain knowledge and tools can help you create the conditions for a process that produces the rich fruits of a healthy and authentic community — such as expansion of your sense of self; a feeling of safety, belonging and inclusion; open and honest dialogue; hope for the future and belief in your ability to make meaningful change happen together with others; inspiration; and collective action projects.
Here are some resources for anyone interested in learning more about ELCs and how to create one:
- Syntony Quest has been creating grass-roots ELCs in Mexico since 1998.
You can learn about the experience of doing so in a working class neighborhood
in the city of Monterrey through the report on the project A
Better World (PDF) for which this program of Syntony Quest was named.
- In 2000, Kathia and Alexander Laszlo published two chapters in the
book, Creating Learning Communities: Models, resources, and new ways
of thinking about teaching and learning, edited by Ron Miller and
published by The Foundation for Educational Renewal. The chapter Co-Creating
Learning Communities in Mexico: Preparing the ground for Evolutionary
Learning Community complements the report on the neighborhood experience
of Syntony Quest in Mexico (see the first point immediately above).
The chapter Learning
to Become: Creating Evolutionary Learning Community through Evolutionary
Systems Design introduces the action theory and the practical methodology
that supports this aspect of the work of Syntony Quest. If you’re
interested, the whole book can be found online at www.creatinglearningcommunities.org.
- Kathia Castro Laszlo, co-founder of Syntony Quest, did her doctoral
research on “Creating the Conditions for the Design of Evolutionary
Learning Community: A participatory and co-creative exploration of educational
images for a sustainable and evolutionary future.” You can find
an Executive Report [link to: ELC_Executive_Report.pdf] of Kathia’s
dissertation in the Resources Section.
- From further academic perspectives on ELC, there are several research
papers in the Resources section that present
its origins and foundations, such as:
- Laszlo, K.C. (2000). Learning, Design, and Action: Creating the conditions for Evolutionary Learning Community [link: SR&BS-ELCpaper.pdf]
- Laszlo, A. (2001). The Epistemological Foundations of Evolutionary Systems Design. In Systems Research and Behavioral Science. [link: SR&BS-ESDpaper.pdf]
- Laszlo, K.C. and A. Laszlo (2003). The role of Evolutionary Learning Community in Evolutionary Development: The unfolding of a line of inquiry. [Link: ELC_in_ED.pdf]
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch: info@syntonyquest.org.
Designing ELCs is what Syntony Quest does best. If you would like us to help you in the design of an ELC in your community or organization, we would be more than happy to help you! It’s part of what we offer through our Syntony Consulting services. We occasionally do pro-bono work, though as a non-profit organization, this is handled strictly on a case-by-case basis. If you’re interested, please contact us at info@syntonyquest.org.
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