Schumacher Experience with Satish Kumar:

Drawing on our foundational principles of ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ learning, this week will include practical, embodied and reflective sessions as well as knowledge sharing and exploration of subject areas. This course offers a convivial experience of how it feels to learn from the more-than-human, the role of storytelling and systems thinking. 

Led by faculty members and joined by our founder Satish Kumar this is an opportunity to get to know our community and spend time in nature.  

Each day we will explore one pathway - Social Transformation, Creative Cultures and Economies of Place, with sessions from our faculty and pathway leads as well as workshops and learning with tutors such as Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement. 

Together with optional morning meditation or Qi Gong, plus evening invitations to join us for fireside chats, convivial storytelling, poetry and music. We will explore how the pathways overlap and inform each other in a uniquely Schumacher way.

Your own spirit of enquiry will be supported by skilled teachers, facilitators and participants  combining their knowledge with wisdom to facilitate your growth. The Schumacher philosophy is to provide a stimulating intellectual learning environment, within a supportive, friendly community. Learning happens as much in the ‘classroom’ as it does in the kitchen, the garden or on the land.

Satish will share his wisdom and insight as one of the founders of the college and over 70 years of peace activism and spiritual reflection drawing on his books Soil, Soul, Society, Radical Love and Peace is Possible.

We invite you to step outside the frantic pace of modern life and join us for a five day immersive experience. Our unique, holistic approach to learning centers on the integration of Head, Heart, and Hands and the sacred trinity of Soil, Soul, Society. Together, we will explore what it truly means to live an ecological and spiritual life.

Daily Rhythms

Each day begins with morning Qi Gong or optional meditation, followed by breakfast and a morning meeting shared in community with participants and staff. Between each session, we will share nutritious and freshly prepared vegetarian lunches and dinners which are important pulse points to life at Schumacher College. The following schedule gives an indication of the potential morning, afternoon and evening course sessions that sit between these shared moments throughout the programme:

Day 1 - Wed 17th Feb: Welcoming and Opening

• Afternoon: Arrival & Welcome - Settle into your surroundings

• Afternoon: Opening Circle - Intentions, somatic grounding, introduction to community life

• Evening: Soulful education and community discussion with Dr Mona Nasseri

Day 2 - Thurs 18th Feb: Creative Cultures

• Morning: Interactive dialogue with Satish Kumar

• Afternoon: Storytelling Walk - An exploration of the land focusing on story, myth and "more-than-human" communities with Dr Valentin Gerlier

• Evening: Fireside Inquiry - Poetry, storytelling and music

Day 3 - Fri 19th Feb: Social Transformation

• Morning: Experiential Workshop - Imagination training and environmental resilience with Rob Hopkins

• Afternoon: ‘What If’ Walk with Rob Hopkins

• Evening: Fireside Chat with Satish Kumar

Day 4 - Sat 20th Feb : Ecologies of Place

• Morning: Walk and Talk on the land with Satish

• Morning: Forest Bathing with Emma Capper (tbc)

• Afternoon: Introduction to land management and horticulture at Schumacher with Rafael Vargas

• Evening: Soiree / Social event

Day 5 - Sun 21st Feb: Closing and Departure 

• Morning: Harvesting the Learning - A structured closing circle to map how you will take these ecological and spiritual values back to your daily lives 

• Afternoon: Farewell Lunch: A final communal meal to celebrate the journey. 

• Afternoon: Departure

Why Join This Course?

Inspired by Small is Beautiful, Schumacher College has, for over 35 years, pioneered a lived, life-centred approach to learning. Our courses invite you to learn with head, heart, hands and habitat, cultivating the depth, connection and creativity needed to respond to this time of ecological and social change. 

This year’s Schumacher Experience is a little different, in that it is the first time we will be interweaving our three learning pathways - Ecologies of Place, Creative Cultures and Social Transformation. These are inspired by our ecological heritage and philosophies that inform all we offer at Schumacher College, and are key aspects of our renewed pedagogy, ensuring that our teaching remains at the leading edge. Our tutors, along with Satish and June’s lifelong wisdom will guide you through innovative learning and community experiences that we hope will leave you not only inspired, but with a sense of belonging to each other and the living world like never before!

On this course, you will experience a range of our holistic teaching approaches and have direct access to our learning pathway leads. It is an ideal way not only to reflect on how we can be active participants in the earth’s flourishing, but to explore future learning experiences you may be interested in undertaking at Schumacher College.