Day 2: Restoring Nature’s Cycles & Embracing Multiplicity in Energy Transitions.
The day centred on the flow of knowledge and justice.
We examined the spiritual and scientific links within the water cycle, from the resilience of the Wild Coast to lively stories of the soul's journey. We examined the lived experiences of women facing climate risks at the land-ocean interface. We explored comparative perspectives on agroforestry linked to the water-energy-food nexus in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Participants engaging in a presentation activity facilitated by Ana María Acosta González. Photography: ©TRAJECTS/Oscar Gutierrez
Discussions on diversity in energy transitions were guided by an embodied journey that illustrated life as a critical mineral, highlighting how our use of electronic devices ties us to unsustainability. The threads of climate change education (CCE) revealed the dominance of the Global North in knowledge, limited exchange with the Global South, and the prevalence of positivist approaches. The research underscored the urgent need for more critical methods in CCE to enable transformation.
Perspectives from Colombia’s coal regions showed the importance of diversified energy pathways. Challenges faced by low-income communities in the Karoo, South Africa, where the impact of large-scale renewable projects was exposed, emphasise the need for ethical care and sustainable livelihoods. We wrapped up with an evening dialogue #BeyondCarbon, aiming to challenge neocolonial patterns in climate solutions.
Day 3: Immersive Learning & Bearing Witness
Our field trip explored the practical principles related to TRAJCETS objectives, while also recognising local and indigenous forms of praxis embedded within the sites we visited. Emphasising place-based learning enabled all participants to engage holistically with emerging ideas of the Global Academy gathering. Participants were encouraged to observe the erasures, contrasting landscapes and geographical contexts, as well as the opportunities for restoration and regeneration from which the Global Gathering was rooted.
Find a recap video of the field trip on our YouTube channel.
We took our learning beyond the walls and into the communities of Cape Town! An unforgettable day of site visits:
🌿 SEED Mitchells Plain: Witnessing permaculture in action, building community resilience from the ground up.
🦢 Princess Vlei: A sacred wetland, saved by community power, where we shared stories, herbs and roostebrood.
⚓ Kalk Bay: Reflecting on histories of erasure and the deep socio-ecological significance of the ocean.
A day to connect, reflect, and witness the powerful forms of engagement with land, mountain and sea.
For a full scope of images, please visit our LinkedIn page.
TRAJECTS Global Academy aims to engage career practitioners and academics in a knowledge exchange discussion. This allows for the provision of crucial insights from TRAJECTS' work, serving to develop and disseminate locally embedded, yet globally aware expertise while providing further networking opportunities.