Have you ever felt powerless to improve the current education system?
You may have wondered: Why is school so tiring of students today? Why do students sit all day within four walls, away from nature, away from the community, and pressured by grades, ratings, and unlikely “standards” that bring happiness? You're not alone.
More and more people are questioning the true meaning of education, especially in today's volatile and uncertain world. And if you are also looking for a different direction, an educational path connected with life, with community, with freedom and self-direction — then Vcil Community invites you to Hoi An, to embark together on a five-day journey to learn and experience completely different alternative educational philosophies.
☘️ So what is this show?
This is not a “class”. This workshop is an open space where we sit together, ask important questions and listen to real stories — from yourself, from the community, and from those who are pioneering the creation of new learning environments.
Together we will discover:
- What educational experiments are taking place in the world?
- What is “Unschooling” really, and is it possible in Vietnam?
- How can I also begin to imagine (and practice) another education — right in the community I live in?
If you're harboring doubts, anxieties, and returning to education—or simply looking for a community with you to find a new way—Hoi An is waiting for you.
Five days may not solve everything. But you know, it will be the first step for you to start over with education, with yourself, with the community — in a deeper and more vibrant way.
Are you ready?
🚗 Expected schedule
🙎 ♂️ About the dispatcher:
Accompanying you is Uncle Manish Jain, a pioneer and leader in the alternative and unschool education movement in the world. In this workshop, Manish will bring his stories, experiences and solutions to educational issues with more than 25 years of activity in the field of alternative education.
Before spending much of his time promoting the reimagining of education, Manish Jain studied at Brown University and Harvard, then worked at Morgan Stanley, the World Bank, then went to the UN and UNESCO, after noticing the nature of the globalized system that was dominating the world, realized that he needed to go back to India and learn from his illiterate grandmother.
Manish said he was “unlearning” what he was learning from his graduate degree in education at Harvard, and his bachelor's degree in Economics, International Development and Political Philosophy from Brown University. Currently, he and his wife Ms. Vidhi are unschooling themselves, as well as unschooling his 21-year-old daughter in Udaipur, India.
His alternative education experiments include:
👉🏼 Co-founder and coordinator of Shikshantar: The Peoples' Institute for Rethinking Education and Development(translation: People's Research Institute for Rethinking Education and Development) was established so that individuals and communities can:
• Questioning and transforming existing models of Education, Development and Progress;
+ Mastering the learning process and the learning ecosystem of individuals and communities;
Imagining (and constantly re-imagining) common practices and visions of Swaraj (self-rule - independence, autonomy)
👉🏼 Co-Founder Swaraj Jail University in Udaipur Central Jail — University in Jail. Where the space behind bars is transformed from a place of punishment for offenders into a self-directed learning space for prisoners, where each prisoner is passionately explored, practicing the necessary skills, regenerating self-esteem, leadership skills, and building future goals.
👉🏼 Co-founder of Swaraj University (Swaraj University):Alternative University Program, Self-directed Education for 2 years.
👉🏼 Co-founder of Creativity Adda Delhi:Space for unschooling, self-directed education inside government public schools. A place where young people are free to play, learn and participate in whatever classes or activities they want or require without worrying about grades, textbooks or tuition fees, as those do not exist in Creativity Adda Delhi. Where you learn through practical work, create products, real results.
👉🏼 Co-founder of the Ecoversities Network:A global network that brings together individuals, organizations, and communities that are engaged in rethinking higher education. People with this vision work both inside and outside the mainstream education and university system. They also contribute to the construction of locally rooted learning spaces that promote community renewal, sustainable ecology and local economic development. Many of these initiatives are connected to various grassroots, social and ecological movements, as well as indigenous communities.
👉🏼 He has also co-edited several books on Vimukt Shiksha (liberating learning).
