Generation Symbiocene - Academny for Change

31/10/2024

Evaluation validated the transformative educational program grounded in mutual care and cooperation.

Generation Symbiocene

Generation Symbiocene is NaZemi's educational academy for young people aged 17–23 who seek new pathways in times of ecological, social, and political crises. It is built on education, collaboration, and care for the world and for one another. Thanks to this, young people can shape the Symbiocene epoch — a time of renewal, dialogue, and reciprocity.

Evaluation or "looking back"

Together with NaZemi, we created a system of developmental, ongoing evaluation that allowed us to respond to the needs of the participants.

The programme was designed based on an initial needs analysis of participants and NaZemi's experience.
Each weekend's programme was adjusted on the fly based on feedback, self-reflection, and a thorough evaluation after previous weekend.
Midway , the organising team reviewed the academy's progress so far and, based on the evaluation, adapted the second half of the academy.
At the end of the cycle, participants — and to some extent the facilitators and the organising team — shared what the Generation Symbiocene year had given them. We used for this the "Collective Story Harvest" as per Mary Alice Arthur.

At both the first and the final weekend retreat, participants share their personal life stories — the ones that brought them into the Symbiocene Generation, and later those that have formed over the course of the program from September through June.

For many of the participants, this is a truly eye-opening experience, whether they are recounting their own story or listening to someone else's. The depth and diversity of personal transformations can be astonishing, even though we have been walking alongside them all year long.

Source: JAK NA TRANSFORMATIVNÍ VZDĚLÁVÁNÍ? aneb Dva roky plavby Generace Symbiocén, 2024

Findings from the Evaluation

The evaluation confirmed that the program was transformative at both the individual and group levels.

Participants learned to recognize and name their own emotions and needs, as well as those of others. They experienced and shared these within Generation Symbiocene and in relationships beyond the academy.
They became more aware of their personal boundaries and the resources they can draw on for energy and support.
Some advanced their critical thinking, gained a deeper understanding of interconnected causes of the polycrises, or were introduced to new topics.
Together, they explored core values — such as care, connection with nature, nonviolence, and collaboration — and built upon these as a community. They then sought to bring these values into the wider world.
Each person was at a different stage on the path to actively creating "fragments of the Symbiocene." Some needed to step back from "activism" to revisit the basics, rediscover themselves, and clarify their next steps. Others were already implementing key insights and values in new groups.

The evaluation highlighted how the various phases of transformation—inner change, strengthening relationships, community development, imagining fragments of the Symbiocene, and implementing small fragments in practice—are all interlinked. Although the journey was non-linear and unique to each individual, these elements (inner, communal, and outward) proved essential for engaging youth in social and environmental change (see below original picture of transformationfrom the evaluation).