Life´s weavers: The peace ecology labs for young amazonian indigenous leaders.
Building peace culture: the training of young amazonian indigenous leaders for the territorial self governance.
Written by Proterra
Explain your project idea (2,000 characters)
Life´s weavers project aims to consolidate leadership networks with young indigenous Amazonian leaders, as key actors for the social-cultural and environmental reinforcement of territories that have been living under diverse environmental problematics that arisen from the history of armed conflict. Will cocreate social-economic tools (educative, legal and productive) to empower young indigenous Amazonian leaders that aim to find pathways from social and environmental conflicts through traditional knowledge, integral sustainability, defence and self-governance of their territories, from ecology for peace and social innovation approach. The project follow 4 phases: 1. “Labs on territorial re-thinking” Aiming: Reflection on cultural dualism, integrating cross-generational dialogue Women perception of the territories Discussing individual and collective environmental conflict perception Building the environmental memory through dialogue among different knowledges and/or ways of knowing. 2. “Ecology Innovation Labs for Peace Culture” Focused on Caquetá and Putumayo departments: Youth leadership and social innovation. Reconciliation tools for environmental peace. 3. Youth in Action Strengthening governance structures to reinforce decision making, creating innovative conflict and sustainable territory management, with indigenous organizations. Fund’s application training will take place to endorse the autonomy in project presentation and execution in traditional production, deforestation reduction, sustainable economies and development of socio-cultural spaces for the peace. 4. Amazonian Territorial Network Territorial planning and public advocacy work. Encounters between the weaving peace actors, indigenous authorities, communities and others stakeholders, for finding synergies in the agreements and commitments related to other priorities agendas in the area of actions as: reduction of deforestation, food security and sovereignty among others.Who are the beneficiaries? (1,000 characters)
Our beneficiaries for the first phase are youngsters and adults (18 to 30 years old) from the 6 departments of the colombian Amazon region (Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vaupés). Participants are associated to local organizations of each department and with the School of Political Training for the Indigenous People of the Colombian Amazon, initiative of the National Organization OPIAC, which represents 23 local organizations and 56 ethnic groups. Also traditional authorities, local leaders and Schools organizers. The second through fourth phases are focused on Caquetá and Putumayo young leaders, organizations and communities, these departments are culturally and biologically diverse, representing more than 10 ethnic groups and different ecosystems, such as tropical humid forests. However, these sites present threats based on different development ideas on the territory, expressed as deforestation and oil extraction.
How is your idea unique? (1,000 characters)
Our proposal brings together two conceptual frameworks Ecology and Peace culture, something new but crucial for the colombian context. We identify nature as an important scenario for peace construction and as an opportunity to re-built social-ecological relationships, a fundamental element for a sustainable peace. We work alongside indigenous leaders, schools, organizations and communities that have not been included fully in peace dialog initiatives, with these allies we have worked together consolidating an information system (https://www.opiacescuela-copaiba.info/copia-de-inicio) element thats going to be enriched by this project, aiming for an informed decision making processes. With these experiences we have built trust, respect and empathic relationships that allow us to listen to carefully to the needs and act collectively and responsive towards the weaving of peace cultures.Idea Proposal Stage (choose one)
- Pilot: I have started to implement the idea as a whole with a first set of real users.
Tell us more about your organization/company (1 sentence and website URL)
Expertise in sector
- 3-5 years
Organization Filing Status
- Yes, we are a registered non-profit.
In 3-4 sentences, tell us the inspiration or story that encouraged you to start this project.
We have been inspired by the projects and communities we have worked along the past years, with which we have structured a know how of habilitties and alliances. These experiences have shown us the importance of peace culture, governance and traditional knowledge for youth and community development and have introduce us with leaders committed to their cultures and territories no matter how complex their context gets, then so, commiting us to build bridges for the same aim weaving peace culture.Please explain how your selected topic areas are influenced, in the local context of your project (1,000 characters).
Colombian peace process has raised up consequences as the result of decades under armed conflict. Those include: fractionation of social networks, the social-economical integration of illegal armed groups to rural areas, the unbalanced land tenure, shift of traditional land use resulting in serious environmental and social problems as deforestation, forced displacement. We have consider necessary to consolidate forces towards the orientation and training of the future generations as key actors in the peace process and future leaders for the territorial governance in the colombian Amazon, integrating peace, prosperity and planet as follows: Peace: Creative and non-violent solutions for social and environmental conflicts, peace and conservation culture Prosperity: Strengthening os governance systems for the “Good Living” of the communities Planet: Reduction of illegal deforestation as a mitigation to climate change, care of the social-ecological systems through production alternativesWho will work alongside your organization in the project idea? (1,000 characters)
The main partner will be OPIAC (Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon), which are articulated to the local organizations and represent the 56 ethnic groups of the 6 departments of the region. The articulation will be made effective through the School of Political Formation - OPIAC; who currently have a training process for Amazonian leaders (2 years), which total more than 80 young graduates. With OPIAC and its School, there is a two-year collaboration process in the development of information technologies with a focus on socio-environmental innovation, which translates into the first information system for Amazonian indigenous peoples-(https: // www.opiacescuela-copaiba.info/copia-de-inicio). For Phases 2, 3 and 4 other local allies will be added, for the Putumayo - OZIP (Zonal Indigenous Organization of Putumayo) and for the Caquetá, The Association of Cabildos of High Caqueta River ASCAINCA and ACIBAC -Association of Indigenous Cabildos of Lower Caquetá.Please share some of the top strengths identified in the community which your project will serve (500 characters)
The young people articulated to the School, have great initiative to lead processes in their communities and be the replacement of the current authorities, they are multipliers of knowledge in their territories and many of them keep traditional knowledge articulated to western education process. Of the more than 80 graduates, at least 60% hold management positions in their communities or organizations and others have followed their professional training, demonstrating leadership qualities.Geographic Focus
Colombian six departments of the Amazon region with an emphasis in Caquetá and Putumayo.How many months are required for the project idea? (500 characters)
30 months distributed: - 6 months: Getting ready: tools and logistics. - 12 months: “Labs on territorial re-thinking” and “Ecology Innovation Labs for Peace Culture”. - 12 months: Youth in action and Amazonian Territorial Network.Did you submit this idea to our 2017 BridgeBuilder Challenge? (Y/N)
- No
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CommentAnjali Nayar
Proterra
Anjali Nayar