[Sdpg] Learning Spanish in Community Gaia Ecovillage, Navarro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 11 to 23 and April 17 to 29, 2006

Wed Dec 7 05:05:46 PST 2005

Dear friends,
We invite you to this great opportunity to learn Spanish in a Permaculture 
and ecovillage context.
THANKS FOR SPREADING THIS INFORMATION TO OTHERS WHO MIGHT HAVE INTEREST.

Warm regards from the pampas of Gaia,

Silvia Balado y Gustavo Ramírez

Instituto Argentino de Permacultura
Asociación GAIA
gaia at gaia.org.ar
gaia at lq.com.ar
www.gaia.org.ar
Tel: (02272) 492072
Cel (02227) 15552554

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  Learning Spanish in Community

January 11 to 23, 2006.-

April 17 to 29, 2006.-

At  Gaia Ecovillage,

Navarro, Buenos Aires,

Argentina

This Spanish immersion course offers a unique opportunity to learn and 
practice Spanish while experiencing life in a pioneer eco-village in South 
America.  This course is suitable for absolute beginners  as well as people 
with a high intermediate mastery of the Spanish language. Through this 
immersion in the community participants will have the opportunity to 
practice their language skills during the whole day grounded in real world 
experiences and on topics of shared interest.

Methodology

The programme is taught by qualified teachers, specially trained to use the 
methodology ALL, Alternative Language Learning®.

This methodology uses a holistic approach: Classes take place in an 
atmosphere of safety play (using song, dances, and drama) that invites the 
learner to take risks. This  optimizes the effectiveness of this 
multi-sensory and brain-friendly methodology which makes the most of 
the  learners' cognitive capacities by involving their emotions and body to 
make the most of this fascinating learning experience.  The methodology 
also includes memory boosters and techniques that provide tools for 
continued Spanish learning.

Please click here for a more detailed description of the 
methodology  www.allmethod.com

COURSE CONTENT
The course includes language study sessions and informal practice in 
learning Spanish:

*Language study sessions, four hours a day either in the morning or in the 
afternoon, depending on your level.  Classes will be offered in a classroom 
with  comfortable setting. If the weather is good and we all feel 
confortable, classes can be held outdoors.

*You continue the informal practice of Spanish conversation while you seize 
the opportunity to work 2hs a day in the different areas of the ecovillage 
such as: gardening, natural building, etc.

*You will receive a lecture of introduction to different aspects of the 
Ecovillage concept.

*Contribution to the communal task spending a little time every day helping 
with the kitchen clean-up, cooking, etc.

*Participation in community activities, circle dance, meditation, yoga, 
celebrations,

*An opportunity to be part of a group engaged in a wide variety of 
activities and experiences of a pioneer community.

*An opportunity to learn more about yourself and your relationship with 
other people.

THE SITE

This course will be held at Gaia Ecovillage Project, in Navarro 110km. 
southwest of Buenos Aires in the Argentine pampas.

Built as a milk-processing plant 80 years ago, Gaia has been extensively 
rehabilitated since 1996 as a Living and Learning Center, with sleeping 
facilities, classrooms, library, community kitchen, greenhouse, etc.  Power 
at Gaia is generated by wind turbines, and good examples of reforestation, 
forest garden, natural building, appropriate technology, waste-water 
treatment, composting toilets, solar showers, solar ovens and several 
sustainable systems in different stage of development may be seen at the site.
All of this in the context of a small pioneer community in constant 
evolving process.

Gaia hosts the regional office of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas, 
and the Argentinean Permaculture Institute (IAP), as a space for 
experimenting, implementing and teaching Permaculture systems. They offer 
courses in Permaculture, Sacred Dances, Aromatherapy, Community living and 
more. It has an updated library covering a wide range of topics based on 
sustainability, as well as interesting videos.

About the Spanish in Community Programme Coordinator

Professor María Marta Suárez is a language teacher, teacher trainer, 
curriculum designer, and school manager. Since 1991 she has been doing 
research on  humanistic language learning which has led her to train in 
Argentina, Great Britain and Germany. She has participated as a speaker in 
various  international conferences  on language learning. She has run 
holistic language courses and teacher training courses in  Argentina, 
Brazil, Spain, Chile, Uruguay and at the Findhorn Foundation Community in 
Scotland where she applied her methodology, ALL Alternative Language 
Learning, to teach language to learners of different nationalities. She 
visits Findhorn regularly where she conducts teacher training courses on 
brain-friendly teaching techniques.

María Marta is a passionate follower of NVC (Non Violent Communication); 
loves singing and dancing and is a circle dance facilitator.

Duration

Spanish in Community is a thirteen-day-programme.

If you are happy with the experience, and want to stay further at Gaia for 
a follow-up, you can join the conversation programme (one or two weeks) to 
practice your oral communication skills. If you are interested, we can send 
you more information about this conversation programme.

Course Fee & Registration

Those people wishing to attend need to submit the completed application 
form and the self-evaluation questionnaire.

Due to limited spaces, they need to send a deposit of 50% of the fee to 
confirm.

The cost of us$600 (American Dollars) includes tuition, CD and book, 
lodging and delicious vegetarian meals.

Simple but comfortable accommodation is provided at Gaia, with shared 
bedrooms for 4 or 6 occupants.

Showers and dry compost toilets are also shared.

For more information about Gaia please check www.gaia.org.ar

We do hope you will be able to join us, this will be an unforgettable 
language learning experience!

The Community at Gaia

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OTHER COURSES AT GAIA LIVING AND LEARNING CENTER ARGENTINA

"Learning and exploring sustainable life principles"
NEXT DATES:
 >From 4 to 13 october 2005
 >From 3 to 12 march 2006

In this program participants lives and share on a daily basis the
Permaculture systems that we are developing in the site.
Students will learn Permaculture principles through hands on experience.
Especially addressed to students that are looking for practical skills on
sustainability that college can not offer. Also for people that
want to acquire experience to start a sustainable project in their region.
Plenty of opportunities to see and participate in permaculture
living systems in different development stages, and you may be actively
involved in this process and work...
(tuition in spanish, but can be translated if needed)

PERMACULTURE CERTIFICATE DESIGN COURSE
3 to 15 de february 2006 (tuition in spanish only)

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILLED PROGRAMMES PLEASE CONTACT
Asociación GAIA - Argentine Permaculture Institute
www.gaia.org.ar - E-Mail gaia at gaia.org.ar
Phone (+54-2272) 492072
Fax (+54-11) 47522197

PLEASE FORGIVE CROSS POSTINGS, AND IF YOU DONT WISH TO BE ON OUR 
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