Trailing in Aotearoa — an imagination
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Inviting you to your own learning journey
“Trailing” is our name for hands-on teaching and learning from each other, involving willing hosts and eager interns, resulting in self-responsible and self-designed practical learning journeys throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. This article describes possibilities for a possible Toru Trail, a self-designed format of learning.
Trailing is encouraged by Toru Education, which stands for
- providing experiential learning opportunities which nurture people, planet and spirit, and
- supporting and witnessing the authentic unfolding of each others’ unique life stories and the value of practical learning when pondering one’s next steps at a “What’s next?” moment.
Read more about Toru Education, its founding intention and story so far .
Trailing may sound similar to the current WWOOF-ing format. We encourage clear self-designed mutual accountability and the focus to be on experiential learning and fair exchange. The key points of trailing are:
1. Focus on self-responsibility, intention and consciousness: The intern creates a self-designed practical learning journey, based on intentional questions (mini research projects). This is learning seen in its widest sense of meaning. We encourage journaling, creating portfolios or finding another fitting way to track the journey.
2. A longer mutual time commitment to allow for an enriching deepening of the experience (suggested minimum of one month).
3. A suggested Internship Agreement describing mutual expectations of the host and intern, including agreed accountability for each others’ responsibilities and commitments. We believe this would promote clarity and a fair exchange of give and take.
Trailing acknowledges each of us as learners and teachers, qualified by our own wisdom and unique experiences. We encourage learning from each other in ‘ako style’ (the Maori word meaning both ‘learning’ and teaching’).
We believe in the value of
- Finding your ‘thing’ or ‘things’ (talent, passion, interest, work, place, relationships) through doing — getting your hands dirty!
- Inter-generational and inter-cultural learning;
- Seeing life as the classroom and life’s challenges as the curriculum.
Trailing stands for an alternative to only ‘thinking about it’.
We in Toru Education believe that when we apply ourselves in practical ways and in natural environments, life’s questions begin to answer themselves.
The idea also comes from hearing the voices of participants on the last day of a permaculture course: “And now what?” “I wish to apply, experience, experiment and learn more about all this!”
Trailing could be a way of ‘integrating’, ‘obtaining more yield’ and taking a ‘practical first small step towards change’ (three examples of permaculture principles); consolidating, experiencing and experimenting with new theories and ideas through practical applications.
It is also an intentional way of networking. A way of light-heartedly facilitating life’s miracles and synchronicities towards “just the right meet-up with the right people at the right moment”.
Don’t we all strive to connect and weave life’s many strands to find each others’ parts in the huge tapestry of life?
Our wish is to reframe the pressures that come from expectations (of self, others, or society). We hope that journeying on an practical learning trail through Aotearoa would provide for some structure to courageously explore ways of finding contentment and meaningful contribution, holding the bigger questions such as “What is true and meaningful for me?”,“What is my task?” and “What is my responsibility?”. We think these are helpful questions to consider as opposed to only those that focus on career, financial gain and acquisition of material possesions.
It would allow hosts to share their wealth of experiences and skills naturally gathered over the course of life. In return hosts can invite fresh tales, ideas and enthusiasm from wandering companions. Companion literally meaning ‘someone you share bread with’ in latin.
On the simplest level, trailing is a way of learning life skills and having fun.
How could trailing work?
Self-responsibility as a cornerstone value for creating mutually nourishing learning exchanges!
This would involve:
- Interns who wish to learn with intention, curiosity, respect and willingness to contribute;
- Hosts who are willing to share their skills/experiences and who have interest in the interns’ journey.
There are a number of existing social media platforms where interns and hosts can find each other. There could be chosen parameters for exchanges: For example, accommodation and food in exchange for 4–6 hours work as defined in an internship agreement made by both parties.
There may be opportunities where the core barter exchange could vary:
- specifically skilled interns could get paid for doing work required by the host, or
- interns could pay their hosts for food and accommodation in exchange of less working hours if they want to focus more on their own projects.
We hope the incentive for such learning exchanges are the immeasurable value of creating connections and exchanging knowledge, energy and perspectives.
Possible further developments
- Cohorts of Trail-ers
Self initiated by journeying trail-ers (interns), possibly facilitated through a Toru Education media platform (newsletter or Facebook). This could include working together with chosen mentors on projects, for the purpose of support, encouragement and emerging friendships.
2. Toru Jams
Either initiated by interns (and promoted on the Toru platform) and/or initiated by Toru Education. These gatherings could be private or open to all. It could be of ‘open space’ format or it could be focused around a specific theme.
Toru jams could be meet-ups for experiential learners, hosts and the wider community, and would surely create many conversations!
The collaborative aspect would be important (not a delivered course that needs to be paid for) and the financing of such Toru Jams would be worked through collectively by those who attend. The goal would be Fair Share at all times, and as open as possible to the emerging trailing community.
3. Trailing Tales
Blogs for hosts and interns to share stories, hints and tips for trailing.
We put these ideas forward with no attachment and imagine this could evolve and shape itself further through feedback, questions and other ideas.
We are always excited to hear about ideas and your stories.
Doris Zuur and Emma Matthews
