Sustainability program for Sirach
Donation protected
Sirach is an international student who has been admitted to the fall Holistic Sustainability Semester at Lost Valley Education & Event Center in Oregon, USA. He would be a great addition to the program, but has nowhere near enough money to pay for it -- this crowdfund makes the program accessible.
More about Sirach
Sirach (pronounced sai-RACK) Fortuna is a Filipino who has been living in the United States for 15 years. He is highly motivated to implement sustainable living skills back on his island of Cebu. He says:
"I envision myself to save the world. Ambitious as it may sound but that's my ultimate goal in life. I am passionate about sustaining the Healed Earth through the use of Love, Common Sense, Creativity and Innovation. I would like to learn from Lost Valley as well as share with Lost Valley what I have learned living both in the East and West.
"Our foundation aims to create programs and services that are earth friendly, non toxic that can help maintain the healed Earth. Right now you can't see much of it on our website but we have a 10 hectare mountain resort in Cebu, Philippines which we envision to become an eco village. https://www.facebook.com/singlimountainresort/. This is our website: https://www.oneworldonenation.net/index.
"I will share the learning with our team and hopefully replicate it in other countries aside from the Philippines, as we have volunteers from China, Mexico and Columbia and as well as other organizations that would like to do the same work.
"I badly need to join this so we can do the eco village we envisioned in Cebu, Philippines. It's a 10 hectare piece of land and we plan to activate the local marginalized community to help make this vision a reality."
If it were not for COVID-19, Sirach would be able to afford the semester without trouble. But when the pandemic hit, he lost his employment in Los Angeles and jumped into action using personal funds to mobilize mask distribution - 100,000 total masks in the U.S. and Philippines. See the photo above. Him carrying out a great deed has decreased his financial ability to carry out other good deeds.
Beyond the project he will lead in the Philippines, it will be especially valuable to have Sirach join Lost Valley to add broader perspectives to the work, as a trans person of color in a state and program that is mostly white. This is a very fitting time to support marginalized groups in general and Sirach in particular.
More about the program
Lost Valley is a 31-year-old education center and aspiring ecovillage. Since 2016 it has run the 3-month Holistic Sustainability Semester each fall, as an in-person experience for 8-12 students.
The program features classes three days per week, taught by a total of 30 different instructors. The focus is on five sides of sustainable living skill - personal, social, ecological, economic, and worldview. Students receive two certificates upon completion -- the Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) and Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) -- and the program is endorsed by Gaia Education and UNESCO.
Students also live in the community of about 50 adults and children for the three months. This intentional community immersion is a rich part of the experience, going far beyond what a university course would include and miles past an online class.
The site consists of 87 acres outside Eugene, Oregon, with permaculture projects on site, woods with trails, a large meadow, creek, and extensive infrastructure. More about the organization is on the Lost Valley website, and the program here.
What the money covers
The Holistic Sustainability Semester costs $4200 per person, at the discounted Early Bird price. This includes all food, lodging, and education. This number can be compared to that of a university semester at a private or public college.
Sirach will engage in some work-trade beyond the 27 hrs/wk of structured time in the program. What remains for him to cover is $3550.
What if only part of the total is reached?
This fundraiser is scalable, in that any amount up to or including the full ask will be of great benefit. In particular, the following can cover:
$200 - Sirach's deposit for the semester
$1400 - First month of the program
$1775 - Half the Sirach's total cost. If only this much is raised, he will attempt to make up the difference through side work on non-class days.
$3550 - Full coverage for Sirach to participate in the program without need for outside work or finance payments
Thank you for considering helping Sirach, Lost Valley, and project beneficiaries in the Philippines!
More about Sirach
Sirach (pronounced sai-RACK) Fortuna is a Filipino who has been living in the United States for 15 years. He is highly motivated to implement sustainable living skills back on his island of Cebu. He says:
"I envision myself to save the world. Ambitious as it may sound but that's my ultimate goal in life. I am passionate about sustaining the Healed Earth through the use of Love, Common Sense, Creativity and Innovation. I would like to learn from Lost Valley as well as share with Lost Valley what I have learned living both in the East and West.
"Our foundation aims to create programs and services that are earth friendly, non toxic that can help maintain the healed Earth. Right now you can't see much of it on our website but we have a 10 hectare mountain resort in Cebu, Philippines which we envision to become an eco village. https://www.facebook.com/singlimountainresort/. This is our website: https://www.oneworldonenation.net/index.
"I will share the learning with our team and hopefully replicate it in other countries aside from the Philippines, as we have volunteers from China, Mexico and Columbia and as well as other organizations that would like to do the same work.
"I badly need to join this so we can do the eco village we envisioned in Cebu, Philippines. It's a 10 hectare piece of land and we plan to activate the local marginalized community to help make this vision a reality."
If it were not for COVID-19, Sirach would be able to afford the semester without trouble. But when the pandemic hit, he lost his employment in Los Angeles and jumped into action using personal funds to mobilize mask distribution - 100,000 total masks in the U.S. and Philippines. See the photo above. Him carrying out a great deed has decreased his financial ability to carry out other good deeds.
Beyond the project he will lead in the Philippines, it will be especially valuable to have Sirach join Lost Valley to add broader perspectives to the work, as a trans person of color in a state and program that is mostly white. This is a very fitting time to support marginalized groups in general and Sirach in particular.
More about the program
Lost Valley is a 31-year-old education center and aspiring ecovillage. Since 2016 it has run the 3-month Holistic Sustainability Semester each fall, as an in-person experience for 8-12 students.
The program features classes three days per week, taught by a total of 30 different instructors. The focus is on five sides of sustainable living skill - personal, social, ecological, economic, and worldview. Students receive two certificates upon completion -- the Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) and Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) -- and the program is endorsed by Gaia Education and UNESCO.
Students also live in the community of about 50 adults and children for the three months. This intentional community immersion is a rich part of the experience, going far beyond what a university course would include and miles past an online class.
The site consists of 87 acres outside Eugene, Oregon, with permaculture projects on site, woods with trails, a large meadow, creek, and extensive infrastructure. More about the organization is on the Lost Valley website, and the program here.
What the money covers
The Holistic Sustainability Semester costs $4200 per person, at the discounted Early Bird price. This includes all food, lodging, and education. This number can be compared to that of a university semester at a private or public college.
Sirach will engage in some work-trade beyond the 27 hrs/wk of structured time in the program. What remains for him to cover is $3550.
What if only part of the total is reached?
This fundraiser is scalable, in that any amount up to or including the full ask will be of great benefit. In particular, the following can cover:
$200 - Sirach's deposit for the semester
$1400 - First month of the program
$1775 - Half the Sirach's total cost. If only this much is raised, he will attempt to make up the difference through side work on non-class days.
$3550 - Full coverage for Sirach to participate in the program without need for outside work or finance payments
Thank you for considering helping Sirach, Lost Valley, and project beneficiaries in the Philippines!
Organizer
Colin Doyle
Organizer
Dexter, OR
