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ESSENCE November 25, 2010  November 25, 2010
Redfish Swimming in a Sea of Change
Article and images by Skye Augustine
Last summer I went to summer school.
But before you start picturing me
trapped inside dreaming of the beach,
listen to this — I had lectures in living
rooms, under tarps, and around camp-
fires. I learned on islands, in cities, in
canoes, and on fields. Like most classes,
there was plenty of reading assigned;
but unlike most classes, I got to ask the
authors questions afterward. My class-
mates were brought together by a de-
sire to change the world. What exactly
was this so-called school, you ask? It
was the Redfish School of Change —
where normal classroom boundaries do
not exist.
The Redfish School of Change is a
three-course program put on by the
School of Environmental Studies at
the University of Victoria. For the past
two years, sixteen students from across
Canada have gathered for this six-week
intensive program designed to educate
future leaders in environmental and
social justice. Upon completion of the
program, students receive credit for
courses that cover topics in bioregional
ecology, leadership, and food politics.
Beginning in the Slocan Valley, par-
ticipants travel together through Brit-
ish Columbia, ending on Vancouver
Island’s west coast. Along the way
there are opportunities to volunteer on
an organic farm, tour local initiatives,
and do field research. But the jour-
“ “
ney doesn’t end after those six weeks.
The following semester each student
I had lectures in living is required to implement a community
action project that takes the skills, in-
rooms, under tarps, and around spiration, and support built over the
campfires. summer and transforms it into concrete
”
action.
This year, the projects range from
community maps to documentary
videos; from discussion groups to kin-
dergarten gardens. I recently took the
time to catch up with some of my fel-
low Fishies and hear about how their
projects are coming along.
Erin:
Part of the journey from the Slocan Val-
ley to Vancouver Island included a canoe
trip down the Harrison and Fraser Riv-
ers. “We paused for moments of silence
throughout the trip,” recalls Redfish par-
ticipant Erin Lawless. “It went from listen-
ing to birds chirping and water flowing on
the Harrison, to the sounds of construc-
tion and traffic near Vancouver.” We were
listening to the boom of our economy. For
Erin, those moments signified that “people
don’t realize we’re sacrificing the wildness,
the silence, the animals, for our cities, our
development, our success.”
Redfish was full of revelations like this.
Revelations that had us asking — why
don’t more people feel compelled to pro-
tect the land that sustains us? Part of the
problem, Erin suggests, is the apparent
lack of connection between generations of
people, as well as between people and plac-
es. The canoe journey helped Erin realize
that “connection is one of the underlying
problems behind environmental and social
issues within our society. If people could
realize what it is we’re giving up, if people
cared about these places, they would give
a shit.”
In an effort to reconnect people to plac-
es, Erin is putting on workshops for grand-
parents and grandchildren to participate
together in restoration projects and share
stories. “We want to get grandparents and
grandchildren out working on the land to-
gether. Getting dirty while they talk about
places.”
Possible restoration projects Erin is con-
sidering include building gardens, invasive
species pulls, and Garry Oak rehabilita-
tion. “It’s about making memories with
important people in special places. No one
wants to see the forest they played in as a
child bulldozed.”
After a day of restoration, the second half
of the workshop will be focussed on story
telling. Grandparents and grandchildren
will each get a chance to tell their stories
about natural places of personal signifi-
cance. Stories are Erin’s medium of choice
because of their power to evoke emotional
connection, mental concentration, and for
their transferability. Grandparents will be
asked about places that have been impor-
tant throughout their lives, while children
will be encouraged to talk about what is
important to them now. By sharing stories,
an intergenerational appreciation for the
land and the changes it is undergoing will
be developed. “If people can continue to
care about places, then they are much more
likely to protect them,” Erin emphasizes.
Erin has also decided to digitize the
stories and build an online community
map. The maps will be available both to
workshop participants, as well as the larger
community. “The project is not limited to
the benefit of the individuals who are tak-
ing part in the workshops; the lessons and
the stories will be accessible to the wider
community.”
Clare:
Before attending Redfish, Clare Peacock
knew that much in the world needed to
change. But, like many of us, she got
overwhelmed by the magnitude of the is-
sues. “I was looking to do large, grandiose
gestures that could change the world. It’s
so easy to get caught up by everything
that there is to be done and try to do too
much.”
“Redfish helped me focus. I was able to
reflect on what I can do best, where my
skills lie, and figure out how I can best
effect change in my community.” This
strong emphasis on self-reflection was
to key to Redfish. Repeatedly, we heard
from inspirational people that you cannot
change something you do not love. Clare
listened, and designed a project that ful-
filled her personally.
Inspired by her love of interviewing peo-
ple, editing, and putting movies together,
Clare is currently working on a docu-
mentary exploring food security issues re-
lated to local meat on Vancouver Island.
“Farmers have trouble selling their meat
as local because they have to take them to
government run slaughterhouses,” Clare
explains. Because most slaughterhouses
are located off-island, transportation costs
quickly compound, making slaughtering
unaffordable for the average farmer. As a
result, many farmers have either stopped
raising local meat or are doing it illegally,
which greatly reduces islanders’ access to
fresh local meat.
Clare’s documentary will feature various
people with a stake in local meat produc-
tion, including farmers and policy mak-
ers. Together they will explore where we
currently are regarding food security, and
where we need to be.
While the documentary’s emphasis on
food security has its roots in Clare’s ex-
periences prior to Redfish, the program’s
experiential learning process helped foster
her interest. It provided her, along with
the other participants, the chance to speak
directly with co-op managers, organic
farmers, and local meat distributers.
In order to explore food security even
further, every Redfish participant took
turns preparing sustainable meals for the
group. As one can imagine, shopping for
twenty people on a budget was no easy
task. Not to mention that we also made
a group decision to factor in the distance
ingredients had travelled, their production
conditions, and whether or not they were
organic. Yet we rose to the challenge, pre-
paring meals for each other for most of
the trip. As Clare says, “we didn’t just talk
about ethical food choices, we practiced
them.”
Chloe:
Chloe Donatelli began her community
action project planning to pursue food is-
sues on campus, but quickly realized her
original idea was more complicated than
achievable. “I came to understand that the
project had to be tangible. It had to have a
start and an end.” Echoing the thoughts of
Erin and Clare, Chloe recalls how Redfish
helped her to be reflective. “The best way
to resonate with other people is to ask:
What has resonated with you? What was
impactful for you?”
For Chloe, voluntary simplicity circles
were the answer. Voluntary simplicity cir-
cles are grassroots discussion groups based
on a series of readings by the Northwest
Earth Institute in Portland, Oregon that
discuss sustainable living. Chloe had taken
part in a circle during her first year of uni-
versity and found it had a large impact
on the direction of that part of her life.
After Redfish, she decided to return to
the circles and work to make them more
accessible for students, as well as build a
stronger sense of community within each
circle. “Within a university community
you generally have many younger folk who
are starting to form the values that a lot
of their life will be based upon . . . it’s
important to hear alternatives.”
Voluntary simplicity circles offer these
alternatives to mainstream lifestyles, and
the circles are made richer by the diver-
sity of the participants. “We all have our
own experiences,” says Chloe. “When we
look at these issues, no one is an expert.
These circles provide a space where people
can talk about their feelings of disillusion-
ment and frustration with the systems we
have in place right now. It’s a safe place
to talk about these things and come up
with new solutions in the context of each
individual’s life.”
Participants in the circles include univer-
sity students, people nearing retirement,
and parents raising children. Together they
explore important questions such as: How
do I find employment while remaining
in tune with my values of sustainability?
How do I raise in a child in tune with
these values? How do I retire securely,
and age gracefully, while living out these
values?
Like many participants, Chloe feels that
Redfish provided her with the skills that
are making her current work possible.
“Redfish gave me a lot of confidence in a
facilitator’s role, which has been required
ESSENCE 7
of me in a lot of the groups I’m involved in
this year. Before going on Redfish I don’t
know if I would have had the same level
of comfort. I’m not sure I would have be-
lieved that I could step into that role.”
Chloe’s action project has been to publi-
cize voluntary simplicity circles, facilitate
the initial meetings, and continue to bring
participants together for a meal every sec-
ond Thursday. The circles have expanded
dramatically this year, with over four cir-
cles in session this semester.
Skills + Inspiration = Action
As a Geography and Environmental
Studies student, I have been more than im-
mersed in the many dysfunctions inherent
to our current world system. Typically, it
seems many people get stuck just discuss-
ing the various problems that surround us.
But as my fellow fishy Clare says, “as a
generation of up-and-coming policy mak-
ers, educators, movers and shapers — we
need to change the way we are living if we
are going to create a sustainable world.”
Redfish shifted us from discussion to ac-
tion by marrying fundamental skills with
the possibility of positive action.
Our classes had us asking: How do I
want to make a difference? How can I be
the most effective? What do I love? Now,
our projects have us answering these ques-
tions as we direct groups, film documen-
taries, and calculate budgets. “We aren’t
sitting on our butts talking about it any-
more,” affirms Clare. “Now we are out
there, doing things.”
Becoming a part of the Redfish com-
Redfish shifted us from
munity allowed me to step into a world
of possibility. Together, we explored the discussion to action by marrying
rich diversity inherent in individuals; how fundamental skills with the
the passion each person brings with them
possibility of positive action.
”
lifts the group up to a place of immense
potential. I was buoyed by others’ projects
and inspired by their abundance of cour-
age. I created a network of support, while
gaining knowledge and developing skills.
Together, we played in the promise of a
better world.