Student Session Abstract 9

“Weaving Stories, Tejiendo Canastas: Co-Creating Art and Myths as Unlearning with the Escuela del Bosque”

Stories exist: In the baskets we weave, in the plays we act out, in the dreams we share. During their semester with Pachaysana, in two Kichwa communities, Judith and Madeline learned from and with community members, elders and children. Through co-creation and curriculum planning with Sasha Kawsay Wawakuna (Children of the Living Forest School), they explored the various forms stories can take and how they shape the life philosophies of those in the community. Through unlearning  previously-held “truths” about education and the weight of stories, Judith and Madeline have been led to questions including:

How can our experiences with creating stories in partnership with these communities teach Macalester how to bridge divides?

Attendees will be encouraged to begin their own unlearning journey as they immerse themselves in the art, words and wisdom of the forest, its young people, and the seeds that it sows.