The IMA Gathering | May 2019
Travellers’ University participated in the Indian Multiversities Alliance gathering at Deer Park Institute in Bir, May 21st to 24th. It was a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with our mentors and friends, and establish newer relationships.
Sharing here, some of our key takeaways, reflections and highlights of the gathering.
It was inspiring to hear from Norma Alwares that she and Claude Alwares had so much to look forward to, as a newly married couple. How it opened up newer possibilities for them, and how they weren’t anymore restricted. Their parenting journey and how taking a year break from school education helped them design their own life.
We, Travellers’ University as a young organization felt supported by the rest of the community, and possibilities to work together and collaborate with other ecosystems opened up. Hearing about the elders’ undying will to bring about change and to transform the system brought in hope. We are grateful to the elders who reached out to us and shared with us secret tips, suggestions, and hacks.
It was indeed great to notice that Travel has had a positive influence in the lives of a majority of the people gathered. How travel shaped had their perspectives and built their knowledge. We as well received from them, constructive feedback on how to take Travellers’ University forward.
One of the most powerful moments was when Utsa, a 15 year old girl advocated to the group that voices of people of her age group for whom higher education is reimagined should be heard as a measure of checking and validating the larger action points taken.
We as well realized that spaces like IMA or LSUC are safe spaces to discuss, share and take actions on fundamental things like Education, Money, Relationships, Gender, Sustenance, Values, Dreams, etc. But there is almost always a resistance received while discussing the various aspects of these topics with our own families and the general public. We are thinking of multiple ways by which we can have comfortable conversations with all regarding these topics.
Something else that came up was that the homeschoolers and unschoolers pointed out their need to travel and explore. We will soon come up with a questionnaire for them to undertsand their needs and interests so as to design learning journeys specifically for them.
So much to look forward to!
